A Hidden Source of Coffee Calories
By Editorial Staff
You skipped the sugar. Maybe you even switched to a zero-calorie sweetener. So, your morning coffee is practically calorie-free, right? Check the creamer.
Research suggests the extra calories Americans are drinking with their coffee increasingly aren't coming primarily from the spoonful of sugar we've been taught to watch. Non-dairy creamers have quietly become an even bigger contributor.
Researchers analyzed dietary information from more than 30,000 U.S. adults collected between 2003 and 2018. Americans weren't drinking substantially more coffee by the end of that period, but the average number of calories consumed from coffee increased from about 43 to 60 calories a day.
What changed wasn't the coffee. It was what went into it. Non-dairy creamers contributed approximately 19 calories per day on average, compared with 16 calories from sugar and 11 from dairy milk. In fact, researchers concluded that the overall increase in calories from coffee was primarily attributable to increased use of non-dairy creamers.
While that doesn't make creamer "bad," and 19 calories by itself isn't going to make or break your diet, the more useful lesson is how easily we can overlook what's going into something we consume every day.
Consider your own cup. Do you measure the creamer or pour until the color looks right? Is the serving size on the label one tablespoon while you're actually using three? Do you have one cup each morning or do you refill it several times?
A seemingly small difference can become considerably larger when it's repeated cup after cup, day after day.
And don't assume "non-dairy" means calorie-free or necessarily lighter. Depending on the product, non-dairy creamers can contain fats and added sugars that contribute calories even if you're not adding a spoonful of table sugar yourself. Researchers specifically noted that the saturated fat content of some creamers may help explain their growing calorie contribution.
None of this means you have to start drinking your coffee black. Instead, take a look at what you're actually putting into it. Check the serving size and calories on your creamer. Measure your usual pour once; you might be surprised by how much you're using. And if you're trying to reduce calories or added sugar, compare products rather than relying on words such as "non-dairy," "sugar-free" or "zero-sugar" to tell you the whole story.
