More Americans start their day off with a cup of coffee than not, and that number is growing by the year. In 2018, it was reported that as high as 64% of men and women over the age of 18 drink at least one cup a day. While the caffeinated morning beverage is seemingly harmless for you – given you don’t consume too much of it – that doesn’t mean your cup of joe is completely in the clear. Without realizing it, we add ingredients to our coffee that could be ruining our diet.
Very few people drink their coffee black and most prefer to doctor it up with ingredients like milk, creamer, sugar, and other sweeteners. In moderation, adding a teaspoon of sugar isn’t going to pack on the pounds to your waistline, but pouring in that coffee creamer may. Depending on what type of coffee creamer you use, your morning coffee could be sabotaging your diet without you even knowing it.
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The aisles of your local supermarket house a wide variety of coffee creamers; from classic half-and-half to more extravagant flavors like french vanilla, gingerbread, and cinnamon bun. The problem with these sweet creamer options is they’re loaded with artificial ingredients and added sugars. These flavored syrups or dairy products are loaded with fake sugars and other processed ingredients--AKA chemicals.
But that’s not the only thing you have to watch out for. Flavored creamers are loaded with sugar. If you read the label of your favorite creamers you’ll find they contain anywhere from 6 to 40 grams of sugar per tablespoon. To put that into perspective for you, the daily recommended intake is capped at 25 grams. That means just two tablespoons of even the low-sugar options puts you at half of your day’s allowance.
Now, we’re not recommending you drink your coffee black but you should opt for healthier alternatives to sweeten up your coffee. Try a splash of almond, coconut, or oat milk to lighten it up or even add a pinch or two of cinnamon in your cup for flavor.
