Enlightened Coffee Creamers

If you like your coffee black, your life is easy. But if you favor a hint of creaminess in your brew, you know the options have dramatically increased in recent years. While choices used to be limited to a few powdered creamers, liquid creamers, and half and half, you can now find entire rows of boxes and bottles filled with an array of flavors and varieties. But, what exactly do these creamers contain, and can they fit into a healthy eating plan?

Good old-fashioned cream is just that—cream. However many of the new-generation creamers, which likely don’t even contain real cream, include a variety of sugars and oils—often partially hydrogenated, which is a source of artery-clogging trans fats. Some products have cream or milk as their base, but several list only “a milk derivative” on their ingredients list. And many new creamers on the market are dairy-free, based on plant foods, such as soy or coconut. With so many choices, there’s a coffee creamer for everyone—and our guide will help you find the best one for optimal health, too.

Helpful hints. Use these tips when you’re looking to flavor and lighten up your coffee the healthy way.

• Keep it real. Try to choose a creamer made with real ingredients, such as milk, soy or coconut, instead of one that is a mixture of sugar, refined fats (especially partially hydrogenated oils), and artificial colors, flavors, and thickeners.
• Serving size awareness. The majority of creamers suggest a serving is 1 tablespoon, which doesn’t seem that much. However, even if you just double that amount you may be getting up to 90 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat—and that’s just in one cup of coffee! If you drink 2-3 cups per day, you’re potentially looking at the calorie and saturated fat equivalent of a fast food cheeseburger.
• Go old school. Consider going back to the basics. Use milk (dairy or plant-based) or half and half (less fat and calories than light cream). If you like flavoring, add pure extract like vanilla and just a teaspoon or less of sugar, which will give you less sugar than many pre-sweetened creamers.

—Heidi McIndoo, MS, RD

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