Monthly Archives: October 2016

A cup of steaming coffee gets you started for the morning and the rest of the day like nothing else can. Either you prefer it black or have it laced with some coffee creamer. Though you may have disposed of all those processed blends from the kitchen larders, you just could not bring yourself to throwing out the container of coffee creamer that you had bought a couple of days ago.

Acutely aware that the coffee whiteners or non-dairy creamers are replete with some toxic chemicals, you keep gulping down those cuppas safe in the belief that your health is not at stake after all as you’re doing fine. The following categories of insalubrious ingredients and preservatives ingrained in your coffee creamer will compel you to sit up and take notice.

1. Synthetic flavors or essences

It is only the heady aroma of the mocha, hazelnut or tawny caramel wafting from your espresso that can wake you up when it’s still dark and freezing cold outside. If you’re under the impression that the added flavors have been naturally sourced then you’re only fooling yourself. Reach for the container and go through the ingredients listing on the label. Chances are that the flavors have an artificial or synthetic base and that’s surely not good news for you as far as your health is concerned. Sure, these added flavors make your coffee smell strong and leave behind a lingering aftertaste, but do you have any idea as to how damaging these could be for your wellbeing?

2. Bizarre Thickeners

The terminology ‘coffee creamer’ is actually a misnomer. For a start, these coffee creamers don’t contain cream at all. The thickness or denseness of the liquid is due to emulsifiers and/or thickening agents like ‘carrageenan’ and ‘Irish Moss’ which are seaweed extracts. Emulsifiers find widespread use in food processing industry due to their stabilizing, thickening and gelling properties. Most such thickening or gelling agents have an adverse impact on an individual’s ‘health’ if he or she consumes processed foods laced with these additives almost every day.

3. Trans fats or partly hydrogenated oils

The creamy texture of the liquid is not solely due to the thickeners. Trans-fats or partly hydrogenated oils, another toxic ingredient, also contributes towards the creamer having a gelatinous form. There is an abundance of medical data or statistics to corroborate the assertion that trans-fats can trigger LDL (bad cholesterol) levels putting you at grave risks of suffering a stroke or heart attack, and surely these excessively processed fats are not conducive to health.

4. Synthetic sweeteners

So that your cup of creamer-laced coffee tastes sweet and savory and at the same time doesn’t cause your blood sugar or calorie levels to shoot up inordinately, producers add artificial sweeteners like stevia, sucralose, aspartame, saccharin or neotame. Nevertheless, these sweeteners are not without their side-effects and if consumed on a regular basis can make you suffer from type 2 diabetes.

5. Not so healthy preservatives or additives

Manufacturers in order to make sure that your coffee creamer container remains palatable for a long period of time, put in preservatives or additives like dipotassium phosphate. Though these preservatives don’t pose serious health hazards, you’d be better off adding milk or cream to your coffee. You can even go DIY with coffee creamer.              

Picture Credit : websuccess