Healthy ways to sweeten coffee?

bwayxlaura
bwayxlaura Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone!

So, as a typical college student, I'm absolutely obsessed with coffee. I desperately wish I could drink it black and like it, but I just can't--at least not yet. I love adding a little bit of Coffeemate fat free vanilla, but I know that's definitely not healthy. I'm also trying to stay away from adding Splenda, Equal or any other artificial sweeteners. I'm really calorie conscious and trying to keep my coffee as low cal (and natural) as possible since I'm still trying to lose a few pounds. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for how to sweeten coffee a healthy way? I tried Stevia but it upsets my stomach and has a strange after taste. I'd appreciate any and all feedback! :)
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Replies

  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
    I personally find whole milk sweet. You could also try almond milk which is even sweeter and comes in vanilla if you want.
  • bubblygoldfish
    bubblygoldfish Posts: 213 Member
    I prefer real, heavy cream. It has fats in it, but it fits within my calorie goals for the day. Plus by using a dairy product you are getting "good fats" and calcium. Good luck finding a yummy coffee additive!
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Stevia will make it sweet. There are sugar free coffee syrups in various flavors to add sweetness as well...or ones with sugar if that's your thing.
  • lannasster
    lannasster Posts: 49
    I use truvia and sugar free liquid coffee mate. The sugar free creamer is only 15 calories per tablespoon.
  • godsgrl33
    godsgrl33 Posts: 307 Member
    If you are trying to stay away from artificial sweeteners, then you could try honey or just regular sugar, and count it. You should need less honey than sugar to make it sweet, and honey is supposed to be good for you in moderation. I liked the comment about almond milk, that might be good, or vanilla soy milk. You could mix it half and half and make a latte, and get some of your calcium in for the day! Really, it will be trial and error until you find something you like. One thing I've done is if you like mochas, mix a packet of the sugar free hot cocoa (60 calories), or even the diet one(25 calories) into a larger cup of coffee, and to me, it sweetens it just enough by giving you a chocolate fix as well.
  • buxfan
    buxfan Posts: 12 Member
    I have also been trying to wean myself from my 5-6 cups a day with about a quarter cup of 1% milk & 2 tsps of sugar; I like my coffee very blonde and sweet. So I have tried the sugar-free syrups which aren't bad, but I really don't want my everyday coffee tasting like "treat" coffee. I can use nondairy creamer (2 tablespoons) for 30 calories, but then I still need to add 1 tsp of sugar for a total of 45 calories.

    The best solution I found was ... sugar free vanilla Jell-O pudding cup - use one-third to one-half of the cup for 20 or 30 calories and whisk it up in the coffee - AWESOME!! No extra sugar needed. Just the pudding. It actually is so mild that it doesn't even really change the taste of the coffee (I'm not a big vanilla fan so if it was strong I couldn't use it). It solved all my problems - color and sweetness. I know it sounds weird, but it's pretty tasty!

    My next experiment is to try some of my ready-to-drink vanilla protein shake in there and see if it can satisfy me!
  • Stelpertruda
    Stelpertruda Posts: 2
    Raw Blue Agave is GREAT! 21 calories per tablespoon (which goes a long way), low glycemic impact, gluten-free, vegan, and also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components.

    If you take milk cow/soy/nut or otherwise make sure it has no sugar added. I like coconut milk, myself!
  • daniellealys
    daniellealys Posts: 301 Member
    coconut milk. the canned kind (its healthier and sweeter and thicker!).
    also, almond milk is good but coconut milk is my fav.
  • Shesaid_destroy
    Shesaid_destroy Posts: 128
    I use vanilla soy milk, which sweetens and flavors my coffee.
    Otherwise, +1 on agave and stevia.
  • strongmindstrongbody
    strongmindstrongbody Posts: 315 Member
    I like Nectresse. No yucky aftertaste, basically calorie-free, and made from monk fruit.
  • Mamabearto5
    Mamabearto5 Posts: 17 Member
    The ONLY food item I wont change is my coffee... It's the ONE thing I need to enjoy! With so many things in this life that are unenjoyable... LOL ... my coffee is one that I just calculate my day around. I will say that I have gone from drinking 5ish cups a day to 2 or 3..., but that is mostly because I dont have the degree of fatigue that I used to have before I started breaking a sweat!!!
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
    I don't put sugar in my coffee. I just put a bit of creamer, which I find sweetens the coffee already. Perhaps you could try the hazelnut or other flavored creamer that would be sweeter.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I put protein powder (Vanilla Ice cream flavor), almond milk and Sugar free vanilla syrup in my coffee. :)
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    I usually drink my coffee black, but occasionally put milk into it to cool it down. If I do sweeten it, I'll put a tsp of raw sugar in, or stevia in the raw (not a huge fan of the taste of artificial sweeteners)

    Just use regular sugar and moderate the amount you put in, don't add like 2tbs of sugar to a 16oz coffee to make it a dessert. Sugar isn't bad for you in moderation, just need to calculate your macros around it
  • Eat2Live2Run
    Eat2Live2Run Posts: 137 Member
    Clearly very few people in this post understood that she's trying to stay away from artificial ingredients.
  • sweetlyybroken
    sweetlyybroken Posts: 209 Member
    Stevia all the way! It's completely natural. My favorite way to drink coffee is with some pumpkin pie spice (or vanilla), 1/4 cup Silk unsweetened almond milk, and stevia! It ends up at 7.5 calories per cup!
  • edilla
    edilla Posts: 5 Member
    What kind of coffee are you drinking? Coffee made from high-quality beans with a light or medium roast has enough natural flavor that you may not need to add anything beyond a small splash of milk. Part of the reason we end up dumping so much stuff in our (commercially produced) coffee is to mask the taste of low quality beans and/or over-roasted beans.

    If you have one nearby, try buying your coffee at Trader Joe's - you can get very, very good coffee at a surprisingly low price.
  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
    Raw Blue Agave is GREAT! 21 calories per tablespoon (which goes a long way), low glycemic impact, gluten-free, vegan, and also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components.

    If you take milk cow/soy/nut or otherwise make sure it has no sugar added. I like coconut milk, myself!

    Agave nectar has great PR but it's actually not that great for you.

    http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
    I sweeten my coffee with half and half and sugar. It is fine. I run it off.
  • Skeebee
    Skeebee Posts: 740 Member
    Unsweetened almond milk and pure liquid stevia extract for me.

    EDIT: Sorry, just saw your thing about stevia. Which one did you do? Liquid or powder? powder doesn't work for me (it had extra additives, too) and upsets my stomach but liquid doesn't. and is pure.
  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
    I put protein powder (Vanilla Ice cream flavor), almond milk and Sugar free vanilla syrup in my coffee. :)

    In a pinch, I mixed vanilla protein powder and greek yogurt into my coffee. I was out of half and half and couldnt deal...
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    The trick with coffee is to log it accurately and fix it however you like it. Don't just dump some sugar or milk in it without measuring. Have it with whatever you like in it. You may find yourself adding less milk or sugar or whatever so you can have room in your calorie budget for another cup, or you may decide that one cup made "just so" is worth the calorie investment.
  • pixie_pix
    pixie_pix Posts: 157 Member
    Rice milk has some natural sweetness that goes just fine wth coffee...
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I don't have any problems with just regular sugar but I've also tried some flavor alternatives, which maybe you'll deam as your healthy:

    honey
    stevia
    berries
    cinnamon
    almond milk (even though I usually get the no sugar added)
    milk (has sugar)
    chocolate protein powder
    extras of various sorts
    flavored coffee
  • angelac1296
    angelac1296 Posts: 48 Member
    I came to this so excited, I've also been looking for a way to lower my coffee calories without losing the yum factor! Right now I'm at 155 calories per 16oz cup! I thought about cutting down on the creamer, but decided I really need my coffee to be awesome! But if there's something that tastes great and is better for me, I'm all over it!

    Sugar free stuff is usually sweetened with artificial stuff, . Sugar free pudding has sugar alcohol (xylitol) in it, so maybe that would work? Coconut milk and vanilla soy milk could be good too, I'll give those a try!

    I hope this thread gets more responses from ppl who've found natural yummy lower calorie ways to sweeten up their coffee!
  • bwayxlaura
    bwayxlaura Posts: 10 Member
    Unsweetened almond milk and pure liquid stevia extract for me.

    EDIT: Sorry, just saw your thing about stevia. Which one did you do? Liquid or powder? powder doesn't work for me (it had extra additives, too) and upsets my stomach but liquid doesn't. and is pure.

    I was doing the Stevia in the Raw packets. But I'll try the liquid if that doesn't upset your stomach! :)
  • bwayxlaura
    bwayxlaura Posts: 10 Member
    What kind of coffee are you drinking? Coffee made from high-quality beans with a light or medium roast has enough natural flavor that you may not need to add anything beyond a small splash of milk. Part of the reason we end up dumping so much stuff in our (commercially produced) coffee is to mask the taste of low quality beans and/or over-roasted beans.

    If you have one nearby, try buying your coffee at Trader Joe's - you can get very, very good coffee at a surprisingly low price.

    I've been drinking Folgers Medium Roast, but I actually have New Mexican Pinon Coffee from Trader Joe's that I haven't tried yet! I'm obsessed with Trader Joe's, so I'll definitely try a few different kinds! Do you have any recommendations
  • edilla
    edilla Posts: 5 Member
    The Peaberry is EXCELLENT, especially the Ethiopian one. But in general, I think the the light and medium roasts are nicer for drinking black than the dark roasts.
  • Links2
    Links2 Posts: 1
    I question the comment about using protein powder. If I understood the question correctly, she is trying to eliminate sweeteners from her coffee(artificial in particular). Frustose corn syrup is in just about everything these days because it is easy to produce and it is cheaper than sucrose, etc.. It is also terrible for you. I believe that sugar in general is not good for anybody. Our world population(even third world countries)is becoming more and more obese just from the intake of sugary products, of which corn syrup is usually involved.
    Natural forms of sugar is obviously better for us than any man made product.
    My point is basically to just be careful with the type of sugar and the amounts we consume. Coffee is only one means of sweetener intake. If you aren't looking out for the other items you are consuming throughout the day(everyday), then that little amount you use in your coffee won't make a lick of difference.
  • wakingdreamer
    wakingdreamer Posts: 12 Member
    I do unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or chocolate) and Sweet & Low.

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