Find out Why We Stopped Drinking Coffee Creamer – And why hydrogenated oils are bad for your health. Learn what we use for our coffee instead, and try this delicious recipe for Homemade Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer.
Are you starting off your day with a hot cup of plastic?
Sometimes I wish I had an IV hooked up to me with coffee running through the tubes.
Yes, I like coffee and I like all kinds. I’m not a coffee-snob. It doesn’t have to be a particular brand or a particular strength. Sure I have my favorites, but if a cup of brewed coffee is offered, I won’t say no.
I sometimes drink it black, but my perfect morning cup includes one cup of coffee and one tablespoon of coffee creamer.
Ack! I’m craving a hot cup as I type this!
Back when I started to seriously re-think what my family was eating, I started to read more labels. When I asked myself, “What’s this stuff made of?,” I realized that 98% of my coffee creamer was made up of 3 ingredients: water, sugar (many also have high fructose corn syrup), and partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil.
What are the Hydrogenated Oils found in Coffee Creamer?
In terms we can all understand, hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated and shortening are the “friendly” terms for trans fat.
Manufacturers try to trick us into thinking we’re not consuming trans fat (because why would we think that these differently named items are really the same thing?) and just about every medical organization agrees that trans fat is bad for you.
New York City banned trans fats, back in 2008, from all of its restaurants. But what exactly is the stuff?
How are trans fats made?
A trans fat is a perfectly good (and healthy) fat that’s forced to morph into something icky and in some ways, deadly.
Trans fats are created in a lab. Manufacturers take an oil (palm, kernel, soybean, corn or coconut oil), inject it with a metal (nickel, platinum or aluminum) and this causes the molecules of the oil to rearrange themselves. At room temperature, the end result is either a semi-solid (a.k.a. partially hydrogenated) or solid oil (a.k.a. fully or just hydrogenated).
Can you imagine what your body has to do in order to process this almost-plastic substance through your bloodstream?!
It’s no wonder why trans fat causes all sorts of health problems. It raises your bad cholesterol (LDL), lowers your good cholesterol (HDL), clogs your arteries (imagine soaking up dry flour with a sponge), is a major contributor to type 2 diabetes, and it’s been linked directly to coronary heart disease.
Wowzers.
Now I need to pause for a moment and interject some common sense here. I am not saying that if you drink coffee creamer you’ll get heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol. I’m not saying that at all.
What I am saying is that coffee creamer is comprised of a key ingredient THAT DOES cause heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.
And I do know this: Cutting it out can only be good for your body!
Why We Stopped Drinking Coffee Creamer
And consuming all other hydrogenated oils.
Do I sound a little crazy? Am I going overboard?
I don’t think so. This battle isn’t just about me. I have a family to take care of. The decisions I make today, the decisions I make in the grocery stores, affect these guys.
Here are some of the items I found in my pantry that contained some form of hydrogenated oils:
- granola bars
- cookies
- hot chocolate
- peanut butter (the sweetened kind with more than just peanuts and salt)
- microwave popcorn (even labeled “healthy!”)
- saltine crackers
- butter crackers
- graham crackers
- salad dressings (several brands!!)
- BBQ sauce
- sriracha sauce
Yikes! Eliminating these items also eliminated a lot of processed foods from my pantry. This means that we started to rely on whole real foods to fill us up instead.
What can I use instead of store-bought coffee creamer?
When I first discovered the nasty truth hidden in my cup of coffee, I stopped drinking coffee creamer and I simply went to black coffee. I usually do like it like that. However, there are some days when you need to mix it up.
So I created my homemade vanilla bean creamer. Made with vanilla bean powder, or vanilla extract, and only natural sweetener (maple syrup), this stuff even tastes better than the store bought stuff! You can even make it dairy free with almond milk, for example!
How do I replace store-bought coffee creamer and other hydrogenated items with real foods?
If you’re going through your pantry and removing items with harmful ingredients, then anything with hydrogenated oils needs to go. When you’ve stopped drinking coffee creamer, your best bet is to go black, make a homemade creamer, or simply use ‘cream and sugar,’ (a natural sweetener preferably).
Other items, like tortillas and peanut butter, can either be made from scratch (these tortillas are SO GOOD) or purchased if you are diligent to double check the ingredient list. Here is a list of 25+ real food snacks that are easy to make to help you avoid the processed foods!
Sometimes healthier options are hard to find locally, so online grocery shopping is a good alternative. You can still price check, and ingredient check, when you shop online. I’ve found these sources to be pretty good on price and ingredients:
- Amazon – if you try one month free of Amazon Prime, you get free 2-day shipping and access to Prime Pantry for groceries.
- Thrive Market – Click here to see the Exclusive Offer for Crumbs readers!
- Vitacost – They often have good sales that include free shipping. Click on this Vitacost link to see what’s on sale.
Lizzy
Any tips for making homemade hazelnut coffee creamer? My husband LOVES his hazelnut coffee creamer but I’d like to have a healthier option for him. Thanks!
Tiffany
I haven’t made this one yet, but I’d start with hazelnut milk (bought or homemade) and hazelnut extract, maybe vanilla stevia!
Steve
Good news buy the European version it does not have trans / hydro in it !
Sheri Whitehead
Any reliable information on the use of Stevia?
Tiffany
None that I’ve found yet Sheri!
NoniB
Hey, Jim. Coffee can be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for each of us, depending on a lot of variables. I’ve gone three months without any as an adult when hospitalized and on TPN only, but also enjoy it in varying quantities the rest of the time. As with so many other things, the medical community goes back and forth on the good or bad thing. I guess coffee consumption is one of those areas where you do best by listening to your own body, sort of like the issue with St. Johns wort; it works well for some folks as a calming substance but makes me, my daughter, and one son near-raging Tasmanian Devils. 🙂
Allen
I drink Bulletproof coffee every morning and skip breakfast. This holds me to 2PM when I have my first meal of the day.
Melissa
I’m so thankful I’ve found your website. I’m slowly transitioning to a whole foods diet and the recipes and articles have been a great help and encouragement. I love love love vanilla creamer but I can’t stomach the ingredients in the store bought products anymore. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. What brand of vanilla bean powder do you use? I’m having a hard time finding it. Thanks!
Tiffany
Thank you for the kind words Melissa! I just bought this vanilla bean powder: http://amzn.to/2bs6GSl. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but it’s the best deal per ounce I’ve seen. Plus it keeps FOREVER. I’m also a big fan of using it in baked goods to bring out the vanilla flavor. 🙂
April
I’ve been a coffee mate addict for a LONG time. Recently I decided to give it up for reasons similar to what you’ve described here. I’ve switched to a half-and-half mix of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and heavy whipping cream (actually it’s 3/4 almond milk, 1/4 cream), and some Stevia. I feel better about this…but not really physically better, yet. Hopefully that comes with time. I’m drinking less coffee now, too, so I’m feeling the withdrawal effects…. definitely a process..
Roberta
Any advice on how to give this a little more flavor? I wanted to love it but it just want what I expected. Im very newly switching to a more natural home. Started with makeup and beauty products and am now looking for cheaper but healthier alternatives in the kitchen. Like I drink/buy a disgusting amount of creamer so making my own saves money and is healthier, that’s a win for me!
Tiffany
Roberta – here’s a recipe for vanilla bean coffee creamer: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/01/homemade-vanilla-bean-coffee-creamer/
Jeff R Waterman
Coffee mate makes a natural blend that doesn’t contain the partially hydrogenated soybean oil, just buy that, it’s good.
Jeff
This is a concluding statement regarding partially hydrogenated soybean/ cottonseed oil taken directly from the FDA website:
“In the light of the foregoing, the Select Committee concludes that:
There is no evidence in the available information on hydrogenated soybean oil that demonstrates, or suggests reasonable grounds to suspect, a hazard to the public when it is used as a direct or indirect food ingredient at levels that are now current or that might reasonably be expected in the future.”
I have to think that this report is unbiased as it is based entirely on empirical data collected on both humans and laboratory animals, but nevertheless, it couldn’t hurt you to cut it out of your diet. I personally will not be doing that, as I do love coffee creamer containing PHSO, I will simply continue using it in moderation.
Sheri Whitehead
I mean no disrespect. You cannot trust the FDA. Watch the documentary called ” The devil we know 2018 ” and a Matthew McConaughey movie called “Dallas Buyers Club” based on true events. The FDA is not a reliable resource.
Anna
This website is amazing!! I’ve been on it for the past hour, writing down a shopping list only to realize that I already own 90% of the ingredients!
Also, I tried coffee creamer once (the powdered kind and the little tubs, yuck) and despised it. Something about it made me queasy…
I’m looking forward to visiting this site more!
Love from Texas!
sumyungai
I used to make my coffee the night before and put it in the fridge to save time in the morning. When I got my coffee out in the morning, I would find these odd white lumps floating at the top and I knew it had to do something with the coffee creamer. It was disgusting, yet typically this would not show up when the coffee was warm.
After this, I set out to make my own coffee creamer and the attempt was sucessful:
3/4 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Milk
Mix 1/4 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar over low heat until the sugar melts, then turn up the heat and cover to brown the mixture. When the mixture becomes a golden-amber color, remove from heat and add the rest of the water and cool. You can mix it with the milk or keep it separately; either way, the mixture shouldn’t separate when cooled.
Asif
I just wonder why the FDA allows such items to be sold? Companies make them cheap and yet they charge the consumers heavily while the consumers are not only paying so much money, they are also being prepared for their healthcare bills. I just don’t get it. Why is it allowed? This is just one example of 1000’s of other items that are allowed with “hidden” ingredients that only scientists could understand. I know I am exaggerating but then again if we are all to look out for ourselves then this is even more messed up. I know I sound like I am fed up with these things, that’s because I am. It’s not fair to consumers like all of us here that have to simple “deal with it”. You could dodge one thing or another, but you cannot avoid eating and escape such ingredients completely.
Asif
Oh, and forgot to mention, great article, and thank you for looking out for us 🙂
Sheri Whitehead
The FDA does not have the public’s best interest as it’s priority. Money is the decision maker for the FDA. DuPont and 3M are the companies that created and still manufacture the chemical “C 8”. C 8 is the primary chemical used to make Teflon. Teflon gave the world the convenience of “Non stick skillets” Since then it’s hard to find anything that doesn’t have C 8 in it, including new born babies globally. C 8 has been proven to cause severe birth defects, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and the list goes on. With this knowledge DuPont decides the cost of creating a non health risk replacement for C 8 and law suits that would follow would not be beneficial for DuPont and stockholders. DuPont dictated to the FDA the content of the health reports concerning the manufacturing and use of C 8. Teflon is in plastics, cooking spray, clothing pretty much everything now. The entire world has been knowingly poisoned by DuPont, 3M and the FDA. Researchers searched the world for clean blood not contaminated with C 8. Finally they found stored blood from 1945 World War II soldiers that was C 8 free. If the FDA went along with poisoning the entire world with C 8 for money, they’re certainly not going to concern themselves with coffee creamer.
Elizabeth Hill
Any suggestions for those of us who are lactose intolerant? Cream and, even half and half give me fits. Ideas other than giving up coffee or drinking it black? 🙂
Elizabeth
Found something! The Label Readers Healthy coffee creamer. Satisfying, healthier and non-dairy. 🙂
Wanda
You can make a pretty good coffee creamer with almonds. If you have a high speed or even a food processor. All you have to do is soak the almonds overnight, then blend with 2 parts water (say 1/2 cup almonds to 1 cup water), strain and you have coffee creamer. You can add vanilla or whatever you want in it I just like it plain. The only drawback is that it won’t keep in the refrigerator very long, just about 3 days, so I make a very small amount at a time. I’m going to try freezing it in an ice cube tray so I can just thaw out once cube at a time but don’t know yet if that will work or not. Anyway, this makes a really good dairy-free creamer with no chemicals or preservatives.
Nikki
I enjoyed your post Tiffany! I also wanted to add something that you, and your readers, might find interesting. Or if you’re like me, disturbing.
As I was enjoying my cup of coffee this morning, doctored with a little fat-free (I know, I know…shame on me!) Coffee-Mate creamer, I took the opportunity to read the ingredients. In addition to the yucky stuff you pointed out, coffee-mate creamer also contains “dipotassium phosphate” which is made up of Phosphoric Acid!! Needless to say, no more Coffee-Mate for me…….
Thank you for the wonderful information!
Tiffany
Yikes – what a way to ruin a good cup of coffee! Glad you found it sooner rather than later. Thanks for sharing Nikki!
Rob Adams
Came across this blog entry whist researching non dairy creamer ingredients, thanks for the interesting read, its also quite interesting that some of the prime ingredients vary between USA and Europe and the Oceania region (ie: Glucose over High Fructose Corn Syrup)
Personally I switched to a ‘healthier’ coffee just on a year ago and was so impressed that I got involved in the marketing of the product. A six year old company with about $500 Million annual turnover and available in close to 40 countries worldwide (and growing).
Happy to provide you more info if you like.
Tiffany
Hi Rob! Thanks for chiming in here. If you’re interested in discussing products with me, I encourage you to email me directly. Thanks!
Heather
Before I even opened this up, just by reading the link from the homemade coffee page, I already had a feeling it was about partially hydrogenated soybean oils and monodiglycerids(sorry, I don’t know how to spell it lol).. my mom stopped using coffee creamer for the same reason and now she watches the ingredients too to make sure they’re not in what she eats, since our family has a history of heart problems and all it does it clog your arteries. I’m still trying to give to coffee creamer 🙁 I’m only 20 though, so my chances are slimmer for any heart problems.. for now at least.
Tiffany
You’re right – for now at least. Getting used to a different way to lighten your coffee while your young will do you good… before you have to fight a few decades worth of a daily habit! 🙂
Jodi
I’m confused – the nutrition label says Trans Fat is zero doesn’t this mean that the amount is so small it’s negligible?
Tiffany
Hi Jodi! The numbers on the nutrition label are per serving, and companies can put “0” if the amount is equal to or less than 0.5g per serving. What usually happens is that the serving size is manipulated smaller so that the trans fat per serving can be listed as zero. Skip the nutrition labels and read the ingredients instead. If you find “hydrogenated” in any form, it has trans fat, and in my opinion, that stuff is so bad that there’s no amount considered negligible.
Jodi
Thanks for the quick reply Tiffany.
I am sad now, very very sad, I’ve given up sugar, white flour and Splenda – for several years – a cup of coffee (with way too much powdered creamer) has become my reward, the only treat left (besides almond butter). I’ve tried all the alternatives but I don’t like any of them. Honestly, I’m not sure it’s worth it.
Tiffany
A cup of coffee used to be my reward too, but I’ve found alternate ways to enjoy it. My favorite is vanilla stevia with heavy cream – HEAVENLY! I’m a former Splenda and creamer girl too, but one thing at a time fell by the wayside and now I don’t even notice. Try heavy cream first, with a flavored sweetener. If that won’t cut it, there are one or two natural creamers on the market that are a bit better than traditional that might be worth the extra pennies. 🙂
Jodi
Thanks Tiffany – I’ll give that a try
Heather
HI! I just found out my HDL is high. This isn’t normal and I haven’t changed my eating habits too much. I eat lots that are good and SOME butter and ok. cheese. I do love cheese. And I am getting older, but it’s so sudden. THen I thought about the coffee creamer that I now u se several times a day and did a search and saw this site. Hard to imagine half and half is BETTER for me, but I can do that. It lasts quite a while in my fridge so shelf-stable isn’t so important. Thanks for depressing (I mean..enlightening) me. 😉
–Heather, random stranger from the internet
Tiffany
Hi Heather! I’m sorry to hear about your HDL, but I know there are several dietary changes that can effect it (both up and down). I hope eliminating the trans fat from the coffee creamer helps you out! I’m happy you’ve found Crumbs Heather, and I hope you stick around so I can get to you know you, and not call you stranger! 🙂
carole davis
From a Nurse’s view: Be happy your HDL is high. That is the good cholesterol that pushes the bad LDL out of your arteries. Keep doing what your are doing.
Wanda
HDL is the so-called “good” cholesterol. LDL is the one they tell us to watch out for. From what I have read on the subject, and I am no expert, the ratio of HDL & LDL can help tell you how great your risk of heart attack is. The higher the HDL the lower the risk is my understanding.
Gary Balkam
Just a few comments here.
What, exactly, is the parts per million of these “metals” you are using as a scare tactic to make your point? Are they higher than the same ppm of the same metals in common air? Should we all stop breathing to be healthier?
2nd, in which way exactly, is a 0 cholesterol PLANT oil worse for you than an animal fat oil found in dairy milk, cream, and lard (not shortening).
3rdly, one molecule is a huge amount to consider. It is basically the difference between life or death. o2 is one molecule of oxygen, which we breath quite nicely. H2-0 is water.. considerably harder to breath.
Saying that coffee whitener is akin to plastic is like saying oxygen is akin to water… it just isn’t so. A major proof to this, is coffee whitener is organic and will break down, unlike plastic which is pretty much with us forever. I have been using coffee whitener for years, and to this date, I have never pooped out a lego block.
Tiffany
Hi Gary,
Animal fats like those found in dairy milk, cream and lard are actually very good for you as they are direct from nature. The vegetable blended oils are modified in labs, created through chemical reactions and cannot be found in nature as-is.
I don’t know the PPM of the metals they use to make coffee creamer, because that’s not my point. The fact that these ingredients are not real, created through chemical reactions in a lab, is. I simply don’t want my family to eat these types of foods. Also, just because you don’t see any immediate illness, doesn’t mean the food you eat doesn’t effect your body.
Sarah
Hi,
I just found your website today and have been reading through many of the articles. I think you have some really good ideas and set an excellent example for people trying to eat more “real food” and feed their kids a healthier diet.
However, I think Gary and Bob Marley above him have a good point, even if they could have stated it in a way that doesn’t force you into a defensive position. When I read several of your posts, you, intentionally or not, portray yourself as very anti-lab, which most people will take to the next step, that you are anti-science. Trans fats aren’t made in labs. I’m a scientist and I work in a lab. Trans fats are made in factories, just like the stevia sweeteners you use. They use natural ingredients, just like your all natural sweeteners. They are subjected to chemical and physical processes to turn them into a convience product, processes that were invented in experimental food labs (just like stevia sweeteners). I’m not saying trans fats are good (they’re not) or stevia is bad (Meh), but labs and food science aren’t inherently bad. You know the commercial “fake food” industry publishes biased or even fake science to sell their products for money. Think about this: “real food” has become a HUGE industry too. Frequently they sell fear, because that sells “natural” products, regardless of whether or not they’re better. The vast majority of studies are deeply biased and written to “prove” something, rather than discover the truth. Science is like a small child, it is easy to manipulate or abuse, but not inherently bad. There are no (or very few) evil scientists. All scientists try the best they can with the resources and information they have. Question everybody, even the “natural” companies. They’re for profit too.
Chem Engg
I wish these grammar correcting people also had some training in Chemical Engineering or science in general. In the same sense, have you ever thought how are the clothes you are wearing now have all those fancy colors. I have never seen cotton in any color than white. Have you ever thought how the pizza or that popcorn bag never gets soggy from water vapor. Have you every though how are those dry cleaning solvents can take out so much grime and also smell funny…or that new car smell…. Or for that matter, all those room fresheners or most deodorants? Heck the pots and pans that are used for cooking in a restaurant…. I can go on and on …
They all are chemicals, Human are chemicals made of molecules.
Just sometime people should not comment on things they have no clue about just like some of you are going to point to my grammar… Just saying…
Kristy
You are wrong about cotton. Natural cotton comes in a wide variety of natural colors. I have a “beginners” cotton spinning kit and it came with 6 different colors (and breeds) of cotton sliver to spin. Most colored cottons have a shorter staple length than the commonly used Pima or Egyptian white cottons, and so are not suited to most commercial use, but are still heavily favored by hand spinners.
“Just sometime people should not comment on things they have no clue about” indeed!
Ron
Stumbled upon your website while searching for a healthier coffee creamer. I’ll have to give some of these suggestions a try. BTW, we switched to a “healthy” coffee as well to reduce our acid intake, which is vital for overall health. Provides a variety of specific health benefits as well. Let me know if you’d like more info.
Tiffany
“Healthy” coffee… Hmmm… sure, go ahead and send me more info. Thanks Ron! I hope you enjoy the creamer options!!
Ron
Here ya go Tiffany – NaturesHealthyCoffee.com
Scott
Hey everyone, I’m glad I stumbled across this site in my google search for “how bad are coffee whiteners”…we are not wanting to give up coffee at all, but are killing ourselves finding a non dairy alternative for cream or whiteners because of lactose issues…also wanting to eliminate white sugar but not wanting to do the artificial sweetener thing….help?
CATRYNA
Scott, are you really lactose intolerant with regards to cream? I don’t mean half and half. Most people can tolerate cream or cream that does not have milk and other thickening additives, in it.
Tiffany
Hi Scott – raw cream is generally tolerated well by lactose-intolerant folks. If that’s a no-go still (for whatever reason), try coconut milk, cashew milk or almond milk. All of those are milk in flavor and can be made from scratch, allowing you to determine the thickness (for cream, or for milk) without any additives or junk. For the sweetener, try coconut palm sugar, maple syrup or stevia. The first two are natural sweeteners, with maple syrup being the most affordable. Stevia is extracted from a plant and the NuNaturals brand has a very mild taste to it (this vanilla variety is my FAV).