Coffee enthusiasts who appreciate their beverage with some flavor enhancers such as milk can benefit from adding milk-based creamers to their morning cup of joe. Unfortunately, however, most conventional creamers contain significant amounts of added sugars, unhealthy fats and additives – exposing you to weight gain as well as health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.

As simple adjustments to your coffee-making routine can help reduce calories without compromising taste, a few modifications could help you make significant strides toward cutting back calories without compromising flavor. A simple steam or froth can give skim milk its signature creamy texture while simultaneously decreasing added sugar content. You could even make homemade creamer that’s free from additives and contains less added sugars!

As a registered dietitian, I studied many coffee creamer labels to select the ideal options. All the top choices shared one characteristic in common: they were minimally processed and low in sugar content per serving. To select my favorites, I considered saturated fat content, total amount of sugar per serving as well as presence of additives like carrageenan, gelatin or dipotassium phosphate thickening agent as factors when selecting winners. Finally, artificial sweeteners can often be more difficult for individuals to digest than natural sweeteners such as Stevia extract.

The top five choices all contain no more than 2 grams of saturated fat and 4 grams of added sugar per tablespoon, the standard for one cup of coffee. They’re also free from artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulfame potassium as well as carrageenan which may aggravate digestive sensitivities.

Full-fat dairy creamers contain more saturated fat than nondairy alternatives, yet their calorie counts are lower and offer more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than their nondairy counterparts. If you don’t mind the extra dietary fats, try organic grass-fed heavy cream or half and half for your favorite creamer choice.

Plant-based creamers tend to contain more sugar and less saturated fat than dairy alternatives, yet may include oils or gums to maintain a creamy texture – thus raising overall calories. However, this category also includes MCT oil which offers various health benefits like improved energy and mental clarity. To limit how much oil is added when selecting non-dairy options.