- One of the first things people do when they go keto is look for substitutions for their sugary morning coffee, which is essentially candy in a mug, depending on what you put in it.
- Keto coffee creamer powders seem convenient and it probably fits into your daily carb count, but there are some issues with it.
- Here are some of the problems that come with conventional keto creamers and what to do instead.
One of the first things people do when they go keto is look for substitutions for their sugary morning coffee, which is essentially candy in a mug, depending on what you put in it.
So, you have a few choices. You can take your coffee black, but that’s not much fun. You can make Bulletproof Coffee, which keeps you full with quality fats and tastes like a creamy latte. Or you can pick up one of the many versions of keto coffee creamer you find on store shelves.
It sounds convenient and it probably fits into your daily carb count, but read this first before you decide to stir it into your cup. Here are some of the problems that come with conventional keto creamers and what to do instead.
Keto coffee creamer contains dairy, which may cause inflammation
Keto creamer is often conveniently packaged powdered heavy cream, plus other ingredients. A large portion of the population cannot tolerate the proteins in dairy — to the tune of 90% of people, depending on what region of the world you live in.[1]
That means there’s a good chance keto creamer will upset your digestion in some way or another. Even if it doesn’t, it may cause a low-level sensitivity that contributes to damaging inflammation in your body. It’s probably not a big deal if you have a small amount of dairy creamer once in a blue moon, but a hit of inflammation every morning in your coffee is a bad idea if you don’t tolerate it.
Sugar-free coffee creamer is full of artificial sweeteners
Manufacturers want keto creamers to taste good, so most often, they come sweetened. The cheapest low-carb sweeteners are chemical sweeteners, which can put the brakes on your health goals.
Chemical sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and acesulfame potassium don’t have any sugar or carbs, but wreck you in other ways — they mess with your digestion and gut bacteria, making it harder for you to lose weight. They’ve also been shown to disrupt the nervous system of mice,[2] [3] so it’s possible you’ll miss out on the brain benefits of keto.
It’s not easy to find a powdered keto creamer that has a high-quality, natural, low-carb sweetener. The toxic stuff is cheaper to use large-scale.
Manufacturers use low-quality fats in keto coffee creamer
The fat in keto creamer typically comes from either powdered heavy cream, which can cause inflammation, or powdered MCT oil, which can come from questionable sources like palm oil or contain toxic chemical solvents like hexane.
If you’ve ever used a subpar liquid or powder MCT oil, you may have experienced the digestive upset that comes with it. When it comes to MCT oil in your coffee, don’t skimp. Blend in the good stuff, like Bulletproof Brain Octane oil. It’s sourced from coconuts and triple-distilled without solvents and chemicals, which means you get the purest MCT oil possible.
Thickeners, anti-caking ingredients and other weird additives
If you scan the ingredients list, you may also find anti-caking ingredients to keep keto creamer looking powdery, fresh and clump-free. You may see silicon dioxide, cellulose, corn fiber or other ingredients listed as anti-caking agents or flow agents. Some flow agents can irritate the gut, and others haven’t been studied extensively so you don’t know what effects they may have.
Companies want their powdered MCT oils to be creamy and satisfying, so you may also find thickeners like guar gum or xanthan gum that can irritate the gut lining or cause digestive discomfort in some people. If you don’t tolerate it, you’ll feel it for hours.
Look out for “natural flavor”
“Natural flavor” is the catchall term for ingredients that originated in nature — along with whatever chemical solvents the manufacturer used to extract the flavor and whatever preservatives they use to keep it tasting okay. That’s a lot of extra stuff. The Environmental Working Group estimates that synthetic chemicals can comprise up to 80-90 percent of the volume of “natural flavor.”[4] Ew.
What to use instead of keto coffee creamer
When you want a low-carb coffee with quality fats to get your day started, look no further than Bulletproof Coffee. It will keep you full and focused for hours, and it’s just as convenient to make as it is to use keto creamer powder.
The best part is, you have options:
- Bulletproof Coffee Cold Brew: Bulletproof Coffee Cold Brew is already made for you. Just pull one out of the fridge and go.
- Instamix: Great for travel and camping. Start with a hot cup of coffee, open the packet, stir it in, and enjoy.
- Bulletproof Coffee: All you need is a blender, a few key ingredients and your favorite mug.
Moral of the story is, always read the label before you ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee. This is one of those times when it’s good to be a control freak. If you make your own keto coffee, you know exactly what’s in it. The best one around is Bulletproof Coffee, and it takes less than two minutes to make.
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