Yes, Healthy Coffee Creamers are a Thing: Try These Alternatives Today!
Are healthy coffee creamers a thing? The short answer: yes! Many coffee creamers contain low-quality ingredients such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, and artificial flavors, but healthy alternatives such as MCT oil, canned coconut milk, and even grass-fed butter will give you the creamy taste you’re after in your morning coffee, with added health benefits like lower inflammation and better energy and focus!
In this article you will learn:
- Coffee creamer ingredients to avoid
- The problem with low fat and low-calorie coffee creamers
- The best healthy coffee creamers
Want a Healthy Coffee Creamer? Avoid These At All Costs!
Have you looked at the nutrition label on the back of your favorite coffee creamer recently? If not, that’s a great place to start in your quest for a healthy coffee creamer.
While it’s important to know what healthy ingredients to look for, it’s also essential to know which ingredients aren’t doing your body any good.
Here are the top four toxic ingredients to avoid:
1. Sugar
Sugar can show up in sneaky places, your coffee creamer being one of them!
Popular coffee creamers, such as Coffee Mate, can include up to 5 grams of added sugar in a serving, which is not an ideal way to start your day.
Not only can sugar consumption put you on that horrible energy rollercoaster, but in the long run, it can lead to heart disease, type II diabetes, stroke, and weight gain, so it’s a smart choice to avoid it altogether in your coffee creamer.
2. Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame and Sucralose, are commonly added as a way to offset the amount of sugar in creamer. However, these substitutes can actually be more harmful to you than plain sugar!
Add artificial sweeteners to your morning cup of coffee and you’ll likely experience migraines, bloating, and even stomach distress (meaning, more trips to the bathroom!). Some studies even show that regular consumption can cause weight gain. Consume these chemicals over a longer period of time and you run the risk of long-term troubling health problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
3. Ingredients that Sound More Like Chemicals Than Food
You know the saying, “don’t eat anything your grandma wouldn’t recognize as food?” Well, it’s not a bad philosophy to live by and can be applied when searching for a healthy creamer!
Flip over to the label of your coffee creamer and it can quickly become apparent that it’s made up of several chemicals and artificial ingredients, rather than milk and cream alone.
Ingredients such as dipotassium phosphate, sodium sterol lactylate, and mono- and diglycerides are red flags when it comes to your health. These strange sounding ingredients translate to thickeners, buffering agents, and trans fat, which can lead to an array of health problems ranging from inflammation, to digestive issues, and even kidney failure.
4. Carrageenan
Carrageenan is a toxic thickening agent found in many foods, including your favorite organic coffee creamer. Although carrageenan is derived from (a seemingly healthy) red seaweed, it undergoes processing that produces an acidic solution which is toxic to health.
Numerous studies have shown that carrageen consumption can trigger inflammation and gastrointestinal ulcerations, as well as contribute to colon cancer. In fact, the evidence is so strong that Europe has banned carrageenan in many products!
The Problem with Low Fat and Low-Calorie Coffee Creamers
By now you may be thinking: what about low fat and low calorie creamers? Aren’t those healthier? The simple answer is no, and it has to do with sugar.
Although fat has been victimized for years, evidence now shows that many fats are actually healthy! Even with the significant evidence in support of healthy fat, low fat and low calorie foods are still common, as much of the public is not yet convinced.
Low fat processed foods (such as coffee creamer) compensate for the loss of fat (taste) by adding sugar, additives, and other toxic ingredients. In fact, the science backs it up: several studies have shown that low fat foods contain more amounts of processed and artificial sugar than products with regular fat.
That is why it’s best to avoid coffee creamers labeled at low fat or low calorie, and embrace healthy fats for all of it’s incredibly short and longterm health benefits!
The Best Healthy Coffee Creamers
Despite these troubling truths, there are healthy coffee creamer alternatives you can use! Here are our suggestions:
Organic, Full-fat Coconut Milk (without guar gum)
Yes, full-fat canned coconut milk can make an excellent alternative to conventional coffee creamer. Just be sure to look for coconut milk without guar gum, which is a food additive that can cause digestive issues.
Organic Coconut Oil
Simply throw in a tablespoon of organic extra virgin coconut oil and blend for a creamy addition that adds taste, texture, and healthy fats to your coffee.
MCT Oil
Want to go beyond coconut oil? Try brain-boosting MCT oil! Increased metabolism and improved mental focus are just some of the benefits you’ll find adding MCT oil to your morning coffee. Most MCT oils need to be blended to prevent separation so be sure you have a blender or frother on hand.
Grass-fed Butter or Ghee
You might be thinking, “butter in my coffee? You must be crazy!”. But hear us out: similar to the beneficial elements of MCT oil, adding healthy fat, such as grass-fed butter or ghee, can increase mental focus, decrease inflammation, and help you to feel fuller for longer!
Grass-fed Heavy Whipping Cream
Another healthy-fat spin on your morning creamer can be heavy whipping cream. Be sure to look for varieties that are grass-fed and contain no additives or added sugar. Plus, it creates a wonderfully creamy brew!
Creamy MCT Oil
Last but certainly not least, try our Creamy MCT Oil, which is a convenient and logical choice as it’s made with MCT Oil and is vegan and dairy-free. Unlike regular MCT oil, you can skip the blending as it is water soluble and can mix into both hot and iced coffee! Not only does it taste great, but it will give you lasting satisfaction and kill your sugar cravings.
With two different Creamy MCT Oil flavors to choose from (Vanilla and Caramel), it's easy to get creative with your morning coffee! Our favorite recipe? Keto Iced Coffee: Low Carb Salted Caramel Cold Brew with MCTs!
What's your favorite healthy coffee creamer? Leave a comment and let us know!
UP NEXT: What is Creamy MCT Oil? The Magic (& Our Mastery) of Emulsification
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