I'm new to the site, forgive me if this isn't in the right area.
I am an avid coffee drinker. The way I drink my coffee now, with table cream and regular sugar, is costing me anywhere between 200 and 350 calories!
I'm wondering a) if there is a cream option that would be lower in fat & calories but not skimp on taste? and b) is there a sweetener that doesn't leave a horrible aftertaste and tastes like actual sugar?
I know changing theses 2 parts of my coffee will help imensely. I've tried sweet n low and found that I can not use it because it causes me to have migraines. We use splenda for our sweet tea and it doesn't bother me in the tea, but in my coffee it seems to have a really funky taste.
I know what worked for me, was switching to black. I actually find I enjoy it a lot more black. Back when I started coffee I was a double/double girl (double cream double sugar), then I cut back to just cream, then changed to 2% milk, then one day at a restaurant (waited twenty minutes for the milk) didn't want to wait any longer, server no where in sight, I drank it black, and found I actually liked it.
I never thought I'd be one to drink coffee black. But now I'll never go back. I can't even have an iced cap any more, they're too sweet.
I have switched to black as well. I never thought I could do it but I did it. Sometimes I will also do a packet of Truvia and a tinny bit of vanilla extract which just gives me a flavor of sweet. It's one of the best things I've ever done. Now I just need to kick the daily wine habit and all will be good.
I use the liquid flavored coffee mate. They have a fat free vanilla caramel flavor that is good, and I find I don't need to use sugar when I use it. Hope that helps!
Im struggling with sweetners as well. I'm a Splenda girl, but using mass amounts of artificial sweetner isnt cool to me, also the fact that Splenda has 4 calories a pack adds up when you use 10 or more packs (Hey! I like my coffee sweet!)
I just bought a Moka espresso maker in Italy, and have been making cappuccinos with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of skim milk. I only used 2 packs of Sweet n Low to sweeten mine today, so maybe mixing up the type of coffee you drink could work. I mean, true, I added 20-40 calories by adding milk, but I also cut out alot of my artificial sweetner calories as well.
I also agree with the coffee mate or sugar free syrups, although I find syrups in coffee really chemically tasting.
I slowly worked my way down from whole milk to skim in my coffee; now whole milk tastes weird and "spoiled" when I put it in my coffee. When I put whole milk in my morning oatmeal it's like dessert! My parents use fat free half and half.
I usually just stick to regular sugar because I use it in such small amounts, and the artificial sweeteners taste "off" to me. But occasionally I get a type called "Half Spoon" which is a British product. I've never seen it in the states but I was thinking the other day you could mix it up yourself; it's regular sugar with very small amount of an artificial sweetener (I think Aspartame but you could try others) so you only need half as much for the same sweetness. I can't taste anything but sugar in that.
I switched to black coffee as some of the others have said. I have developed a taste for flavored coffees like hazlenut, vanilla, and chocolate. The down side of those coffees is I hear they have a lot of chemicals.
Also, I think it would help to drink good coffee- the kind you wouldn't want to bury in sugar and cream.
I minimize the sugar and cream - I still have it but in smaller amounts. Skim milk with concentrated coffee (skinny latte) works for me, and vanilla soy milk works for my good friend.
Maybe start by halving the amount of sugar and cream in your coffee?
I guess as I read your post.. I had another thought...
It sounds like to me.. that you drink a lot of coffee...
I don't want to sound like I know what's best for anyone else because I don't. I'm here because I've got too many struggles to handle on my own.
But, I was wondering for you if it would be a better idea to cut back on the coffee itself instead of the additives? The additives are a problem only because the coffee is.
Are you drinking enough water? Would you be open to drinking green tea instead of coffee for some of your day?
I only drink one or two cups of coffee per day. But, if I do drink more for whatever reason, then I make myself have 8 oz of water before pouring the next cup. During the school year, I take hot tea in my thermos instead of coffee.
Anyway... I don't want to come off sounding like a know-it-all. I'm not really answering the question you posted. I just wanted to offer what came to my mind when I read your post. *smile*
And... if my words are complete bollocks... then there are lots of other suggestions here by other chickies!
I use skim milk and, although it took some getting used to, I don't even notice it anymore--it seems normal to me. I also recently discovered almond milk which is low in calories and tastes great in coffee. I also use stevia to sweeten my coffee.
I think the best thing to do is to step down slowly. I'm good now with Splenda and 1% milk, and I could probably do skim if I had to. But it would be too hard to go straight from cream to skim, maybe go from cream to whole milk, then to 2%, then to 1%. Once you've gotten used to the lower fat content of the milk, switch to a no-cal sweetener.
Thanks everyone for the input! I greatly appreciate it.
I don't know if I could switch to black coffee, but its definitely worth a try.
Its kinda funny how some of you mentioned using milk instead of cream. I honestly never thought about it. We drink 1% milk as a family, so its always around. I grew up with my parents and grandparents always buying/using cream for coffee, so that is just what I have done. Perhaps my first step should be to get rid of the cream - out of the frig and off the grocery list. I'm going to give this a try in the morning. The next step will be to tackle the sweet part...
What is the Stevia sweetener that was mentioned? I've never heard of it before.
oh gosh. When I first started, I'd use 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of flavored full fat creamer! Now I use 1/2-3/4 tablespoon of sugar and 2 oz 1% milk. I also switched to having it every other day, which I think helps. I looooooooove my coffee. Love it, and it is revolting to me black! I know it' still a lot of sugar, but I don't like sugar alternatives, not the taste or the ideas of the chemicals
Anyway, I just tried some creamer, and it tastes way too thick and chemically for me now, even at 1 tbs so I'm glad I switched to milk. Maybe skim milk is next on my list. It's funny how our tastes have to get used to the full fatty, high calorie foods!
Last edited by pinkflower; 07-12-2010 at 06:42 PM.
Sugar and cream alternatives?
