The Health of Your Cup of Joe: Coffee Creamer Alternatives

By: Brit DeLong

[dropcap]It’s 8 a.m. and you are gladly filling up your coffee mug to kick off your daily caffeine fix. You reach for your favorite flavored creamer and pour a generous amount into your cup because who doesn’t love a hint of French vanilla with their morning coffee? It’s likely you’ll repeat this process a couple more times as the day wears on. However, while coffee itself has certain health benefits like potentially lowered risk for diabetes or Alzheimer’s, the creamer you put in that coffee might turn your drink into a super sweetened calorie pit.[/dropcap]

Consider some of the ways creamer could be hindering your coffee:

• Added calories

Consider the math. In a typical flavored creamer, one tablespoon equates to 35 calories. Many people will use two or three tablespoons of creamer which can result in approximately 105 total calories per cup. If you drink three cups of coffee a day, your daily creamer intake is around 315 calories. In one week, that’s 2,205 calories consumed just from coffee creamer alone!

• Chemical additives

Many coffee creamers contain chemical sweeteners like liquid corn syrup and other additives such as hydrogenated oils which contain trans fats. Liquid corn syrup increases overall sugar consumption and trans fats can contribute to elevation in cholesterol levels. These artificially based ingredients offer little to no health benefits and can ultimately lead to issues in the future.

• Flammable contents

Frighteningly, powdered creamer contains flammable ingredients. A 2008 episode of MythBusters demonstrated how a fireball can be ignited by lighting powdered creamer on fire. Nutritional and caloric facts aside, any food or drink product which can be so easily combustible surely can’t be healthy for long-term consumption.

Luckily, there are many lesser calorie, natural alternatives for coffee creamer:

• Almond milk or coconut milk

Almond milk and coconut milk add a touch of natural sweetness and creaminess without all the chemicals that make up many other flavored creamers. You can even buy bottled almond creamers, such as MimicCreme, which are gluten-free, cholesterol-free, and soy-free with no hydrogenated oils or trans fats. The complete list of MimicCreme retailers can be found on their website.

• Homemade coffee creamer

It is actually quite simple to create your own low calorie, vegan, coffee creamer. Gena of Choosing Raw explains how to create healthy creamer with only soaked almonds, water, dates, and a pinch of sea salt. Simply blend all the ingredients thoroughly and then drain the mixture using cheesecloth. After a couple hours, you have your very own natural coffee creamer!

• Skim milk and agave extract

Skim milk doesn’t lend the natural sweetness and creaminess of almond or coconut milk, but combining it with plant-based agave extract will sweeten your java more naturally. Agave extract is absent of the chemical bitterness associated with most artificial sweeteners and is considered to have a low glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index rating are associated with weight management.

Ultimately, the decision to switch to more natural coffee creamer options is yours. However, it is helpful to understand what you are ingesting on a daily basis and how these drink choices might affect you in the long run. Now that you’ve learned about some new options, will you be switching up your coffee routine?