Is Coffee Creamer Bad for You?

If you start your day with a piping hot cup of coffee, you're in good company. An estimated 62% of American adults drink at least one cup of coffee each day. Not everyone enjoys the taste of black coffee, so sweeteners and creamers are often added to cut the acidity and make this caffeinated beverage more pleasing to the palate.

Studies tell us that black coffee has some major health benefits including increased focus, more energy for your workouts, and a 5–12% decreased risk of heart disease per cup compared to people who skip this popular morning beverage.

So, does adding creamer to your coffee cancel out these positive effects? Or worse—is it actually bad for you? Here's the scoop on coffee creamer and its effects on your health, according to dietitians.

coffee creamer

Most conventional coffee creamers are made with a long list of ingredients including water, sugar, vegetable oil, stabilizers, and flavors. Milk or cream is often added in small amounts, and the bulk of the creaminess comes from oil.

"Many coffee creamers have around four grams of sugar and one and a half grams of saturated fat per serving," says Haley Bishoff, RDN, owner of Rūtsu Nutrition in Las Vegas.

While this isn't an outrageous amount of sugar or fat, keep in mind that one serving is only one tablespoon. If you're adding multiple tablespoons of creamer to multiple cups of coffee per day, it can start to add up. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommends everyone over age 2 limit added sugars to less than 10% of total calories. For a 2,000 calorie diet, you should be aiming for less than 50 grams of sugar in a single day. When it comes to saturated fat, the American Heart Association wants you to keep it under 13 grams per day.

"Coffee creamer can be good alternative to many coffee house drinks that can contain more than a day's worth of sugar and saturated fat," says Sarah Anzlovar, MS, RDN, LDN, intuitive eating dietitian for Moms at Sarah Gold Nutrition.

If you're making your coffee at home most days, a splash of creamer isn't going to make or break a healthy diet. And if adding coffee creamer to your daily cup of joe brings you comfort and happiness, then there's no reason to skip it altogether.

"Enjoyment is an important part of eating and drinking, and allowing satisfying foods and drinks in your diet can support a healthy relationship with food," adds Anzlovar.

Plus, there could actually be a significant benefit to adding creamer to your coffee.

"Coffee creamer that contains some healthy fat can help slow down the absorption of caffeine. This makes it easier on your adrenals and results in more balanced energy," explains Anya Rosen, MS, RD, LD, IFNCP, CPT, functional medicine practitioner and founder of Birchwell Clinic.

Choose a coffee creamer with high-quality ingredients like organic dairy or plant-based milks and creams. Jennifer Fiske, MS, RDN, LD, suggests even mixing your favorite creamer with dairy or plant-based milk and extra seasonings like cinnamon for more creaminess and flavor with less fat and added sugar.

The post Is Coffee Creamer Bad for You? appeared first on Eat This Not That.

Eat This Not That

These 5 Grocery Items Are Cheaper Than Ever Right Now

The grocery industry has been facing major disruptions. The combined effects of the pandemic, climate change, and economic uncertainty over the past couple of years have culminated in a series of supply chain breakdowns. For the consumer, this means supply shortages , shipping delays , and temporary store closures are becoming more commonplace – and all of the added production cost to suppliers is driving up food prices . The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index report for January 2022 was released on Feb. 9, and it tells the story of cost trends for every spending category over the past year. Now the numbers are in, and since January 2021, "food at home" spending has increased 7.4%. Consumers should use this number as a benchmark, Phil Lempert, the consumer behavior analyst and founder behind Supermarket Guru , told Eat This, Not That! "Anything that's substantially less [than the 7.4% increase] is a deal," said Lempert. "When you

When Should I Take Creatine?

Creatine is probably the most well-researched supplement on the market today. Numerous studies have found positive adaptations in strength, power and muscle mass thanks to creatine supplementation—especially when it's combined with resistance training. Although the benefits of creatine are well-known to lifters, the best time to take it isn't common knowledge. Which leads us to some important questions: Does an optimal time for consuming creatine exist? If it does, should you take it before or after your workout? According to a new study published in the Journal of Exercise and Nutrition, the timing of creatine ingestion does indeed play a role in getting bigger and stronger. Creatine supplementation before resistance training increases muscular strength and lean muscle mass. Interestingly, taking creatine immediately after lifting weights results in greater muscle growth than taking it immediately before. However, in terms of strength gains, no difference betw

Reentry Anxiety Is Real - Why You May Experience It as Stay-at-Home Measures Ease

When the coronavirus stay-at-home orders began in March, most people's lives changed in immeasurable ways. At the time, we were bombarded with (admittedly, very helpful) advice on how to cope with anxiety , should we experience it during this time of social distancing and sheltering in place. But with restrictions slowly starting to ease in many parts of the world, there are many people who have seen an increase in anxiety all over again, this time about leaving their homes and reentering society. Posts about people's growing anxiety have been popping up around social media for the past couple of weeks, and it's given rise to the term "reentry anxiety." We wanted to find out exactly what reentry anxiety is, whether it's normal to be experiencing trepidation about leaving your stay-at-home orders, and how to cope if you are feeling anxious. What Is Reentry Anxiety? The short answer is that "post-lockdown anxiety is real," said Dr. Balu Pitchiah ,

Weight Loss Tricks

Search This Blog