Cream – Rather Than Creamer in Your Coffee

Are most commercial coffee creamers healthy? Short answer: definitely no! In reality, most coffee creamers are heavily processed, high in fat and sugar, and even with “just a splash” could contribute to an unhealthy diet. Sorry.

Does this mean you need to walk away from your favorite coconut milk-based, hazelnut Tahitian vanilla pumpkin spice coffee whitener? Not necessarily.

Coffee creamers could possibly fit into a healthy diet, if we pay attention to serving sizes. For coffee creamers, that’s usually a tablespoon (three teaspoons). The more that is used, the more the unhealthy amounts of sugar, saturated fat and other unwanted ingredients add up.

Liquid coffee creamer ingredients depend on the selected brand. Dairy-based flavored creamers may contain milk, cream (or derivatives of them), oils, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, thickening agents and emulsifiers.

Plant-based creamers contain some mix of a plant-based milk (soy, almond, rice, oat, coconut), gums to thicken to resemble dairy’s creamy texture, emulsifiers, flavors and sweeteners. Powdered coffee creamers may contain dehydrated dairy or plant-based milk, sugars, oils, flavors, sweeteners and other additives.

Food additives found in coffee creamers can be linked to numerous health issues. A large study looked at adult intake of emulsifiers. Over time, it was found that additives like xanthan gum, guar gum and soy lecithin were associated with a higher risk of heart disease. It is difficult to find commercial coffee creamers without these ingredients.

When selecting coffee creamers, scan the label for saturated fat, sugar and additives. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a serving of coffee creamer should have less than two grams of saturated fat, less than four grams of sugar, no carrageenan (a thickening agent) and no artificial sweeteners.

If you decide to go “natural,” dairy milk, and some plant-milks, are available with various fat levels. We are all familiar with whole milk, with about 3% of calories coming from saturated fat, low fat milk and skim milk. Heavy cream has about 36% of calories from saturated fat, with light cream having about 30% of calories from fat.

Half and half has from 10-16% calories from saturated fat. Milk and cream contain unwanted fat, but contain very little sugar, while having a bit of (wanted) protein.

Most plant- based milks contain little saturated fat. Read the labels for total amounts of total fat found in plant-based milks. Soy, almond and coconut milk may contain some fat, while rice or oat milk may contain very little fat per serving.

Reading the label on traditional powdered coffee creamer can be a like a chemistry lesson, with ingredients such as corn syrup solids and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Some newer coffee creamers use coconut milk or coconut cream. These can mean fewer chemicals, but higher fat content.

So, what are our choices? It’s probably healthiest to whiten coffee with low- or reduced-fat milk or unsweetened plant-based milk made with no or few additives. Healthy, but perhaps boring. If you would miss your flavored creamers, try adding a sprinkle of powdered ginger, cinnamon, cardamon nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cocoa powder or vanilla, rum or orange extract with your splash of milk.

If you have the time to make your own coffee creamer at home, blend milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and some orange zest and refrigerate until ready to use. It you’d like to make a longer lasting cream, mix together powdered milk, cinnamon, ginger and cardamon and store in an air-tight container, spooning into your coffee when you are ready.

Coffee drinkers like their coffee “just so.” Work with your coffee creamer to create both an enjoyable and healthy brew.

Questions or ideas for topics? Please contact Nancy at foodprof2@gmail.com.