Understanding Calories in a Thimble of Coffee Creamer: What You Need to Know

For some coffee drinkers, a drop of creamer is the most important part of their daily cup. Being rich, smooth, nice and indulgent for a drink is so basic. However, have you ever given thought to just how many calories are wrapped up inside your small dollop of creamer? And even though a small thimbleful might not account for much, those calories can add up over the course of a day  particularly if you’re drinking multiple cups of coffee a day

If you are all about calories that are in the thimble of coffee creamer and the types of coffee creamers available to you then read on to find out more, so your choices can align with your health and goals.

What Bothers A Coffee Creamer Cup?

So, we want to start by defining what we mean by a thimble of coffee creamer. A thimble’s worth, or 15 ml (1 tablespoon) means? This does not sound like a lot, because that is the standard issue portion for all those who like their coffee with some cream (a tiny quantity).

But the creamer you use can make a huge difference in how many calls your Joe adds up to. Coconut Creamer is yet another non-dairy alternative to traditional dairy creamers, and like most each offers its slight variation in nutritional profile. Well, here is a calorie breakdown of some of the most popular ones.

Coffee Creamer Calories Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice 35 Land o Lakes Fat-Free 30 Coffee Mate Original Fat Free 20-fat-free!

Whole milk can be a classic choice for someone looking for an all-natural dairy option in their coffee. 1 thimble [approx 15 ml] whole milk = 9 cal] This may not seem like much, but if you drink more than one cup of coffee per day or use more than a thimble-full each time, it can quickly add up.

Thimble: 9 calories

Other nutrients: 15 ml of whole milk has approximately 0.5 grams fat, 1.0 gram carbs and 0.5 gram protein

Half-and-half coffee creamer Half and half, a combination of milk and cream makes a great middle-of-the-road choice for someone who wants something less heavy than cream but richer than milk. About 10-12 calories for a thimble of half and half This puts it just above whole milk in calorie content, but for everyone else who would approach this as an everyday coffee drinker, you are fine.

Thimble, tablespoon 10-12 calories

Fat: 1 g Carbohydrates: 0.5 g Protein: 0.4 g Other nutrients Half-and-half contains approximately per 15 ml

Heavy cream coffee creamer If you like your coffee on the heavier side, thick and rich to have a real good experience; or heavy cream can be the right choice for you. But it’s also the most calorie dense. The heavy cream itself has negligible impact since it only amounts to about 25-30 calories per thimble when diluted in a gallon. Heavy cream (definitely delicious) should be used lightly for dieters.

Per thimble: 25-30 calories

It contains nearly the same amount of fat (3 grams), 0.3 grams net carbs and slightly more protein (0.3g) per every 15 ml of heavy cream.

Why to Use Non-Dairy Creamers If you avoid dairy, there are plenty of options available when it comes to non-dairy creamers: almond milk, coconut milk, and oat milk. It’s also extremely calorie dense because these creamer omissions can vary hugely depending on the brand and added ingredients.

A small serving of almond milk creamer has just 3-5 calories, which is one of the lowest options. A great low- calorie option for those who want to up the creaminess without bumping up calorie levels too much.

Coconut Milk Creamer: It has a higher fat content than almond milk, and 1 thimble is about 10-15 calories. It’s a little higher in calories, but is a great choice for those who like a creamier dairy-free option.

Oat Milk Creamer: Oat milk may be the sleeper hit of the summer, but it can go from delicious to disgusting sometime over August. Oat milk creamer has about 7-10 calories per thimble, which is on the lowerish side of all non-dairy alternatives.

Flavored coffee creamers Flavored creams such as vanilla, hazelnut or caramel may contain added sugars and artificial flavors. Though they can add immense flavor into your coffee, it would also give you extra calories. Twenty to 40 calories (brand and flavour dependant) per thimble of flavoured coffee creamer

Thimble: 20-40 calories

Other nutrients: Flavored creamers usually contain tons of sugar, which equals a lot of calories when consumed throughout the day.

In Defense of Thimble-Full Coffee Creamer Calories

That little bit of creamer you put in your coffee every day can really creep up on you. For instance, if you are using 3 heavy cream sized thimbles or flavored creamer sized cat tongues worth of cream a day in your coffee that really does add up. Here is how that breaks down over the course of a week

For instance, every day one thimble (30 calories) of cream in two cups of coffee works out to an extra 60 calories a day. So over a week and this ends up being 420 calories – that is the same as an extra meal!

Add a thimble(40 cal) Of flavored creamer to two cups of coffee a day, and you have an extra 80 calories/day or 560 calories/week.

It is pretty easy to see how simple it could be to tack on extra calories without noticing, relying on something that seems so minimal as an addendum to your morning regime. This is key if you are attempting to maintain or lose weight.

So, How Can You Safely Shave Calories without Sacrificing Taste?

If you appreciate the creaminess of coffee cream but want to keep track of calorie levels, what better way than to minimize the damage caused by coffee cream.

Use Lower-Calorie Creamer: Try Almond Milk Creamer Or Other Non-Dairy Low-Cal Versions. Out of hellman May I suggest trying these out, as they can offer a creamy taste with fewer calories.

Half a Charge: A thimble full instead of a charge. If you cut the amount in half, you can have your creamer and drink it without adding too many calories.

Opt For Sugar-Free Versions Many flavored creamers can be found in a sugar-free version, which has reduced calories. However do be warned, many of these sugar free varieties are flavored with chemical-based sweeteners which might not suit everyone.

Homemade Creamer: When you make your own coffee creamer at home, you are in control of what goes into it and this way no added calories. For a tasty and low-calorie creamer, use almond milk, lightly sweetened with vanilla extract and stevia.

High-Quality Coffee: Creamer can cover the bitterness of bad coffee so you need to up your game and drink better quality coffee. For example, if you are brewing coffee with high grounds-to-water ratios (which tends to be bitter and therefore taste worse;) ) adding a little creamer might make sense as a workaround, but that is not what I am talking about. What I mean is purchase the perfect coffee beans so that you can learn to enjoy kávffee without any sidekicks. By investing in those delicious Ethiopian or Columbian coffee beans (you get it) creamer might end up being one of these things: unnecessary, undesirable. Why You Need to Eat a Balanced Diet.

At the end of day, coffee is a part of our everyday normal lives and counting those calories we add with hardly one thimbleful of creamer, is fine but don’t obsess about it pigging out on some Halloween junk arity Solid points right here… I have been heavy for half my life and on many diets so that can get me to the scary famine mode but believe in moderation. Having your coffee with a little creamer is nothing to worry about or feel guilty over. Instead, strive to create balance in the context of your holistic nutrition approach so that indulgences, when they occur, are also positioned cohesively with the broader scope of better health.

Portion control is totally fine So, if you want to use heavy cream or flavored creamer, just be mindful of your measurements. Just be sure to keep the portion size in check and account for it elsewhere in your diet if need be.

The obvious: Be mindful of how much creamer you’re using, and be damn sure they meant a tablespoon.

Appreciate Your Coffee: You should consider the fact that coffee has a lot of flavors and everyone definitely will have their special strengths over the way to drink it. Absolutely, whether you choose to go whole milk or almond milk, or even flavored creamer…. do let it be what makes your relationship with coffee an enjoyable one.

Conclusion: A Little Goes a Long Way

Sure, the calorie quantity in a thimble of coffee creamer may not seem like much, but it adds up fast seems higher if you have multiple cups of coffee! With a little nutritional knowledge and some thoughtful decision making, you can sip on your coffee with creamer the entire way through maintaining your health and fitness goals.

Whether you swap to a lower calorie product, use less creamer than normal or are more aware of your portion sizes in the future, these little changes can have a huge effect on your diet and health. So, next time you want to put that little bit of creamer in your coffee, now you know what you are pouring into your cup.