Healthy Coffee Creamers Suggestions
ITSpartan
Posts: 3 Member
Hey Everyone. About a month in but updating my food diary. I am currently using about 400 to 500 calories on sugar free coffee creamers that apparently have awful ingredients. Any recommendations? Thank you!
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Replies
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Skim milk is my go-to.2
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Personally, I'd be more worried about "spending" 400 to 500 calories on coffee creamer than I would about the "awful ingredients."
But, to address the ingredient issue, you could switch to milk or half and half or light cream* and, if "sugar free" means artificially sweetened, combine with whatever your favorite artificial sweetener is. If artificial sweetener is one of the ingredients you object to, use your favorite non-artificial sweetener (sugar, honey, etc.).
If you want to reduce the calories, gradually cut back on the amount you're adding until you're OK with the calories you're spending on coffee.
*If you don't do dairy, you could look for an unsweetened, unflavored3 -
It may not appeal to you, but since I prefer my coffee non-sweet, I go with hot skim milk, frothed with this hand frother. Heat the milk for a minute in the microwave, pump about 20 times, and it turns all creamy and luxurious. I use a lot of milk, so it even makes a small but useful contribution to my protein goal, with about 6g of protein in the 5 oz. of milk I use in each cup of coffee. (One could add a sweetener of choice, or a flavored extract or calorie-efficient flavored syrup, of course.)
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I use coconut milk if I really want a creamer because I'm lactose intolerant and also allergic to almonds. It's considerably less than 400 calories. But if you're up for trying it, something that helped me was switching to better coffee where I actually enjoyed the flavor black. I never really considered myself a coffee drinker or a coffee snob, and didn't think that I would ever enjoy black coffee. I get beans that I grind myself, which helps significantly, and I look for better quality coffee. I'm fairly frugal, so I don't have to go that expensive. 8 O'Clock brand is the cheap one around me and okay enough for me to drink black. If you don't want to grind your own beans, it's good enough to use the grinder that the store has, if it has one, and just grind the whole bag there.
Coffee has like two calories, which is a significant reduction. When it doesn't taste like burnt death and instead like nutty, fruity, and smoky tea, it's something I don't want creamer to interfere on.
But black coffee aside, maybe try getting some monk fruit packets and skim milk.1 -
I use 6 g of sugar, 1 teaspoon half & half, and 70 g 1% milk for 59 calories per one cup of coffee.
I have one cup of coffee in the AM, then switch to tea, for which I need half the sugar, 1/4 of the half & half, and no milk.2 -
For me? I skip the creamer and just use an entire cup of almond milk with coldbrew coffee and a pack of reduced calorie swiss miss (hot chocolate). that gives me a fairly large mocha for 70 calories.
Or well I was doing that. At this point I use 2% milk for the protein/fat contributions to my diet, but when I was trying to reduce calories it was unsweetened almond milk and low cal hot chocolate.6 -
I may be weird, or it may be a UK thing, but I’ve only ever used milk. Semi skimmed (2%), about 50ml. Adds 25cal per mug.3
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I use vanilla protein powder! The kind I use is already rather sweet, and one day I tried it and I’ve never gone back to creamer. Nice bonus of protein for the day!3
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I only drink cold brew (unless I'm sick I just don't enjoy drinking hot things) but I add about 18-22 g of half and half to my coffee each morning, or regular whole milk if I'm out. When I started weighing my usual pour was closer to 40 g, but I've worked it down over time and it tastes mostly the same. Lately I've been having two cups so the total calories for my coffee daily is about 50, and they are well worth it.2
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A quick Google tells me that most sugar-free coffee creamers come in around 20 cal per tbsp. 400 calories' worth of that is more than a cup. If you're using half a pint of creamer in your coffee, at least one of these three things is true:
- You don't actually like coffee, if you need to use that much creamer to make it drinkable. You don't have to drink coffee if you don't like it, you could stop doing that thing.
- The coffee you buy sucks. I'll second @PopGoesTheCoyote, buy better coffee. If the grocery store is your only source for beans, whole bean will always be better than pre-ground, even if you do grind the bag at the store.
- You're drinking way, way too much coffee - if 10 fl oz of creamer is working out to a sane proportion of creamer to coffee, you must be drinking close to a quart of coffee per day. I'm not a doctor but that seems like it's probably bad for you.
There is also a fourth possibility that just occurred to me. If you have a drip coffee maker, where the carafe sits on a warmer/hot plate after it's done brewing, like most people probably do...You're making too much coffee at one time, it's sitting on the warmer for hours and hours, and by the time you reach the end of the pot it's gotten really bitter and unpleasant so you need to load it up with creamer to make it palatable. Make less at a time, or get a different kind of coffee maker. (I highly recommend a French press.) If you continue to heat brewed coffee it gets really bitter and gross - this is why diner coffee is Like That, because they have the carafes sitting on hot plates after it's brewed.5 -
I drink my coffee as a protein shake in the morning. A scoop of protein powder, some cold brew (or day-old refrigerated) coffee, a cup of unsweetened almond milk. I usually blend it with some ice and it's a decent breakfast/meal replacement for me.3
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I just use heavy cream in my coffee. And then if I want it sweet and/or flavored, I use the Skinny Mixes Syrups.1
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I drink my cold brew with no sugar coconut milk.. if I want a bit of sweetness I add a 1/2 tsp of maple syrup0
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5% cream, 1 tbsp. is 15 cal. I drink tea and that's all I add to it.0
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This community is insane. I appreciate the love and support. I will check these all out.5
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Sorry for the information. So my 400 - 500 calories is 3 x 20oz Cups a Day. I use 5 Tablespoons of Non-Dairy Creamer which is 20 to 25 cals per Table Spoon. So the calorie amount was not in one cup
I think I gave goal06082021 a panic attack. Thank you for the response! 0 -
I have one cup a day and I have it the way I want it. Life's short. 3
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goal06082021 wrote: »A quick Google tells me that most sugar-free coffee creamers come in around 20 cal per tbsp. 400 calories' worth of that is more than a cup. If you're using half a pint of creamer in your coffee, at least one of these three things is true:
- You don't actually like coffee, if you need to use that much creamer to make it drinkable. You don't have to drink coffee if you don't like it, you could stop doing that thing.
- The coffee you buy sucks. I'll second @PopGoesTheCoyote, buy better coffee. If the grocery store is your only source for beans, whole bean will always be better than pre-ground, even if you do grind the bag at the store.
- You're drinking way, way too much coffee - if 10 fl oz of creamer is working out to a sane proportion of creamer to coffee, you must be drinking close to a quart of coffee per day. I'm not a doctor but that seems like it's probably bad for you.
There is also a fourth possibility that just occurred to me. If you have a drip coffee maker, where the carafe sits on a warmer/hot plate after it's done brewing, like most people probably do...You're making too much coffee at one time, it's sitting on the warmer for hours and hours, and by the time you reach the end of the pot it's gotten really bitter and unpleasant so you need to load it up with creamer to make it palatable. Make less at a time, or get a different kind of coffee maker. (I highly recommend a French press.) If you continue to heat brewed coffee it gets really bitter and gross - this is why diner coffee is Like That, because they have the carafes sitting on hot plates after it's brewed.
I mean. I arguably don't like coffee. I use 8 ounces of some kind of creamer (actual milk or milk replacer) per 12 ounces of coffee.. Except I like it that way a lot. If I used the 20 cals per tbsp that'd get me to 600 calories with a couple of cups. I won't because that amount of sweet would not be my favorite).
I also only do one caffeinated cup a day and another couple of decaf.).0 -
Had a lot of oat milk left over from a visitor. 120 calories a cup. Ack!!!!
Til I realized it makes a great, creamy, slightly sweet creamer for coffee and tea and only requires 1/4 cup (60gr on my scale).
I can live with 30 calories.
BTW have begun using decaf coffee granules as a flavoring in smoothies, pancakes, BBQ, etc. really brings depth to the flavor for no calories.2 -
I may be weird, or it may be a UK thing, but I’ve only ever used milk. Semi skimmed (2%), about 50ml. Adds 25cal per mug.
I only use milk as well. I'm in the U.S., and it is not as common here. A co-worker who is from Ireland was shocked to see me putting milk in my coffee. he says everyone else thinks he's weird for doing it.1 -
I usually drink a Colombian medium roast, which I prefer black...but occasionally we do a dark French roast and I enjoy that with a little half and half.1
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I like whole milk. It is just enough richer than 2% or skim that I like it a LOT better. I have a shot glass sitting out by the coffee pot and so can easily add 1 ounce at a time.0
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Hey Everyone. About a month in but updating my food diary. I am currently using about 400 to 500 calories on sugar free coffee creamers that apparently have awful ingredients. Any recommendations? Thank you!
I typically drink coffee black.. but when I want a little cream.. I use vanilla beans and unsweetened flax milk.. and I add a little cinnamon.
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SuzySunshine99 wrote: »I may be weird, or it may be a UK thing, but I’ve only ever used milk. Semi skimmed (2%), about 50ml. Adds 25cal per mug.
I only use milk as well. I'm in the U.S., and it is not as common here. A co-worker who is from Ireland was shocked to see me putting milk in my coffee. he says everyone else thinks he's weird for doing it.
I'm in the U.S. I've been drinking my coffee black for maybe 10 to 15 years (it wasn't a cold turkey thing, so it's hard to put my finger on exactly when I completely made the switch), but back in the day, at home we mostly used milk in our coffee. Sometimes we'd buy half and half for a holiday or company meal to serve with after-dinner coffee, and on the odd occasion there might be cream leftover from some recipe and we'd use it in our coffee.
Even snooty coffee shops usually put out some type of milk out alongside the half and half and sweeteners and napkins and what-not (well, they did before covid), so it can't be that much of an outlier behavior to put milk in one's coffee.
Edited to make the last sentence a little clearer.1 -
Safari_Gal_ wrote: »Hey Everyone. About a month in but updating my food diary. I am currently using about 400 to 500 calories on sugar free coffee creamers that apparently have awful ingredients. Any recommendations? Thank you!
I typically drink coffee black.. but when I want a little cream.. I use vanilla beans and unsweetened flax milk.. and I add a little cinnamon.
My fave is to add a little cinnamon, a little ground chocolate nibs, and a dash or two of cayenne* to the ground coffee for pour-over, but I still drink it black. It is sooo good. To me, anyway.
*not sure if that's a term used in all English-speaking countries. If not, I'm talking about a powdered spice made from dried hot chili peppers.2 -
Generally, I'm a black coffee drinker.
However, I've been experimenting with collagen powder for the past week and have read that people mix in onto their morning coffee.
It does have a whitening effect but I didn't like the taste there for this morning I added 1/4 cup of powdered skim milk: 90 calories, 0 fat, 9 grams of protein 🙌🏿
While I'm lactose-intolerant we'll see how my stomach reacts lol The coffee was good though and nullified the collagen taste.
TLDR: powdered skim milk1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »I may be weird, or it may be a UK thing, but I’ve only ever used milk. Semi skimmed (2%), about 50ml. Adds 25cal per mug.
I only use milk as well. I'm in the U.S., and it is not as common here. A co-worker who is from Ireland was shocked to see me putting milk in my coffee. he says everyone else thinks he's weird for doing it.
I'm in the U.S. I've been drinking my coffee black for maybe 10 to 15 years (it wasn't a cold turkey thing, so it's hard to put my finger on exactly when I completely made the switch), but back in the day, at home we mostly used milk in our coffee. Sometimes we'd buy half and half for a holiday or company meal to serve with after-dinner coffee, and on the odd occasion there might be cream leftover from some recipe and we'd use it in our coffee.
Even snooty coffee shops usually put out some type of milk out alongside the half and half and sweeteners and napkins and what-not (well, they did before covid), so it can't be that much of an outlier behavior to put milk in one's coffee.
Edited to make the last sentence a little clearer.
This is purely anecdotal, so it might just be a matter of who I know, but I wonder if the preference for half and half in coffee over milk has to do with most people buying lowfat milk. We drink whole milk now, but growing up it was 1% or skim and lowfat milk was pushed heavily by just about everybody. I don't think I ever visited a home that served whole milk - and I was a weird kid who always read food labels so it is the kind of thing I would have noticed, heh. Obviously some people here are content with lowfat milk or with other milk substitutes for a variety of reasons, but my suspicion is that half and half might be preferred generally because people who add it want a bit of richness that really isn't provided by lowfat milk. My husband strongly prefers half and half, which is why we buy it, and I use it so it gets used before it goes bad - I will even sub it for milk in recipes sometimes - but whole milk would definitely satisfy me in a way that lower fat milk would not.
As an aside, a few years ago I attended a cooking demonstration by a chef who had spent a lot of time in the UK, and he spent a fair bit of it explaining the differences in dairy products there and here in the US. I had always just assumed milk is milk and the differences in products, fat content, etc. would be standard worldwide at least as far as cow's milk went, but that was apparently a very wrong assumption!3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Safari_Gal_ wrote: »Hey Everyone. About a month in but updating my food diary. I am currently using about 400 to 500 calories on sugar free coffee creamers that apparently have awful ingredients. Any recommendations? Thank you!
I typically drink coffee black.. but when I want a little cream.. I use vanilla beans and unsweetened flax milk.. and I add a little cinnamon.
My fave is to add a little cinnamon, a little ground chocolate nibs, and a dash or two of cayenne* to the ground coffee for pour-over, but I still drink it black. It is sooo good. To me, anyway.
*not sure if that's a term used in all English-speaking countries. If not, I'm talking about a powdered spice made from dried hot chili peppers.
@lynn_glenmont This sounds awesome! Must try! Reminds me of Aztec hot chocolate! My fav place is Maribelle in Soho. It’s hot chocolate with chili pepper. will try my coffee this way! 3 -
There aren't many low sugar/calorie dairy coffee creamers. I honestly gave up on the popular sugar free ones because they are filled with crap. And my fridge was full of hardly used non-dairy alternatives that taste horrid.
So, I use the Natural Bliss vanilla/sweet cream in my coffee & measure out with 3 tablespoons. "NONFAT MILK, HEAVY CREAM, CANE SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR". Simple ingredients. I will add a dropper of stevia to make it sweeter. My lazy *kitten* cannot be bothered to do some crazy paleo home made coffee creamer. Then for some froth, I put 1/4 cup half and half in a small tupperwear with a dropper of stevia and shake it by hand for a bit until it froths & pour on top.
Vualah! A cup of coffee that is about 185 calories, is easy to make, and is sweet as hell & creamy!1 -
staylitlove wrote: »There aren't many low sugar/calorie dairy coffee creamers. I honestly gave up on the popular sugar free ones because they are filled with crap. And my fridge was full of hardly used non-dairy alternatives that taste horrid.
So, I use the Natural Bliss vanilla/sweet cream in my coffee & measure out with 3 tablespoons. "NONFAT MILK, HEAVY CREAM, CANE SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR". Simple ingredients. I will add a dropper of stevia to make it sweeter. My lazy *kitten* cannot be bothered to do some crazy paleo home made coffee creamer. Then for some froth, I put 1/4 cup half and half in a small tupperwear with a dropper of stevia and shake it by hand for a bit until it froths & pour on top.
Vualah! A cup of coffee that is about 185 calories, is easy to make, and is sweet as hell & creamy!
I know each to their own, but my goodness, 185 calories for a cup of coffee would gobble up too many snack calories.
The horror!!!!6
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