Unsweetened Soy Milk Makes a Great Coffee Cream for Diabetics.
There is a lot of debate lately about whether coffee and coffee creamer tends to increase or decrease the blood glucose levels of diabetics. There is evidence to support both sides of the argument at this time, and there is just no clear cut answer. It doesn’t affect every person in the same way, either, which adds to the confusion.
Some studies suggest that only black coffee reduces your risk for developing diabetes, and that coffee taken with creamer does not have the same beneficial effects. But that hypothesis is up for debate too.
I happen to prefer my coffee with cream, mainly because it blunts the high acidity level of the coffee and makes it taste better. With cream, the taste is softened and much of the bitterness seems to be removed from my taste buds.
If you’re diabetic, please be vigilant with blood sugar monitoring when testing out coffee creamers. Because even creamers that are labeled “sugar-free” tend to raise blood glucose levels much higher than expected. I believe the reason is because many of the chemicals and artificial flavors these creamers substitute for sugar.
Avoid artificial, chemical-laden coffee creamers
Artificial creamers may have an advantage from a convenience standpoint, since they have a shelf life of close to eternity. But there are too many health drawbacks to those products to make them worthwhile.
Have you ever looked at the ingredients label of an artificial coffee creamer? The are so many chemicals used to create those products that it would take a chemist to understand what kind of effect they have on our body.
Many of them contain artificial sweeteners with chemical compounds that mimic the effect of sugar on our taste buds. This may give the product an artificially sweetened taste, but their effects on our long-term health are largely unknown.
In addition, I have found that using those kinds of coffee creamers tends to elevate my blood sugar levels. It may not have the same effect on everyone, but I can certainly testify to my own experience. And my readers are backing me up on this. If you check out my readers comments below this article, you will see their testimony that artificial coffee creamers are spiking their blood sugar about 30 minutes after consumption.
I don’t know about you, but personally I’d rather consume any natural ingredient over something created in a lab. The food marketing geniuses may have created a great tasting chemical that is also low in sugar, but I worry about possible side effects. So I avoid artificial creamers like Coffee Mate because of the health risks.
All-natural creamers are best
Do yourself a favor and stick with all-natural coffee creamers such as cow’s milk, cream, half-and-half, or soy milk. The natural creamers tend not to spike my blood sugar like some of the artificial brands can. And I trust them as they have been safely used for thousands of years.
Soy milk is a great choice, and that is what I use. But you do need to be careful to choose the sugar-free brand of soy milk because the regular brands tend to have up to 7 or 8% sugar, which is obviously a no-no for diabetics. If you’ve never tried soy milk, it probably sounds gross to you but only because you’ve never been exposed to it.
Trust me when I tell you that soy milk tastes great in your coffee, and it is also certainly very healthy for you. It doesn’t contain any of the hormones present in cows milk or cream. It’s also good for the environment as well, in that it’s derived solely from plant sources. Unopened soy milk has a long shelf life also, usually months into the future.
Broaden your horizons a little and give it a try. I think you’ll thank me later.
I also want to mention that many people find ganoderma coffee helpful for diabetes. Studies suggest that ganoderma improves the body’s ability to process glucose and stabilize blood sugar. Just another idea for you.
For the Coffee Connoisseur
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| Krups Coffee Grinder | French Press Coffee Maker | Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug |
Photo credit: “•Cappuccino with Soy Milk•” by debbietingzon is licensed under CC BY
Dr. K
Your statement that cow’s milk and cream contain hormones in INCORRECT. There are no hormones in cow’s milk and cow’s milk products. Not even when rBGH is given to dairy cows to increase milk production. And rBGH has Absolutely No Effect on the human body. Soy products DO however contain phytoestrogens that mimic the effect of endogenous (means produced by your own body) estrogens. This can have an adverse effect on individuals with hormone responsive cancers. I was looking for info on the glycemic index of powdered coffee creamers when I found this article. Please do not pass false info as fact. Those of us newly diagnosed with diabetes looking for info on different foods need science fact not science fiction.
Tony
Just came from the doctors appointment and a little dissapointed. My sugar level is 111 an increase from 94 last year. I enjoy drinking 1 cup of coffee every morning with Almond creamer. Not sure if this is what caused my sugar to go up. What creamer should I start using that won’t increase my sugar and has a great taste?
Carole
I never had problems with blood sugar. I’m now 65 and tend to not eat breakfast. My get going regime is coffee with Coffee Mate and a packet of the pink stuff, Sweet N Low. Recently had a blood test, showing fasting blood sugar was 115 – I had cheated and drank that before test. Doc said I need to watch out now. Have been testing in AM, one test was right after my coffee with my usual creamer/pink stuff. Clearly, this artificial stuff RAISES blood sugar. Also read that artificial sweeteners CAN raise blood sugar because it reacts with gut bacteria to do so. You are right about the ingredients list on Coffee Mate. 1st ingredient is water, 2nd is corn syrup, a sweetener, and a lot of other chemicals. Going to lay off it and use half and half, try Stevia. I’ll also try soy milk and see how this affects my blood sugar. Thanks for the info.
Ryan McCaffery
Thanks for the comment. I’m still using unsweetened soy milk as my creamer. Let us know which one you settle on.
Britaigne
We are creatures of habit. Use half and half for 30 days and then you will love it instead of just tolerating it. Coffeemate is amazing but not a healthy food.
Colleen
I am looking for alternatives to Coffee Mate. I really enjoy its flavor. Several years ago, the TV show Myth Busters had a segment where they wanted to see how explosive coffee creamer was. It created one of the shows greatest explosions ever. Besides spiking my sugar, it probably isn’t a great food choice.
HealthClover
Really? That’s funny. One more reason not to use artificial coffee creamers.
Sampao Murphy
Thanks for the info. For years I have been telling my doctors I think it’s the creamer I put in my coffee they all keep saying no its what your eating. Well I just recently fasted for three days, did not think that was possible being type 1 diabetic. The third day I got a migraine so I drank a cup of coffee to try to get rid of the migraine. Before I drank the coffee my sugar levels were 95, but around 45 mins later after drinking one cup of coffee with Dollar Store creamer and 2 packs of Stevia my levels shot up to 495. Shocking, and now I know for sure that it is not the food I am eating but the coffee creamer that keeps shooting my levels up.
HealthClover
Wow, thanks for relating your experience.
Linda Sherrill
I use sugar free hazelnut creamer from coffee mate but corn syrup is the second ingredient in it. Time for me to change.
Barbara
Wow! I just came across this article for the same exact reason that my sugar free coffee creamer spikes my sugar up through the roof! I’m now 36 and have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 7 yrs old. (yes I know, just shoot me) So needless to say that I’ve had several years of trial and error on what works and doesn’t work and it wasn’t until recently that I figured out that my creamer was the culprit on my morning sugar spikes. So I switched to coffee with almond milk and raw 100% honey and it works. No sugar spikes anymore! I will probably switch to the half and half just because I like more of the creamy milky texture that I can’t get from the almond milk. So yes, I totally agree that although it says sugar free on it, it still elevates my sugar. And so does Splenda so I’m also trying to get down to barely using any Splenda at all. It’s tough but it’s the life I was given and I must deal with it the best way I know how! Thanks for this article and good luck to my fellow diabetics. Stay strong on your journey.
HealthClover
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
Denise
I was wondering to try coffee and unsweetened almond milk. My doctor said only black coffee but I don’t like the taste. I didn’t see why not try the two together, thanks for the tip.
John
My doctor told me to use Steria instead of Splenda. And it seems to work for me.
Ryan McCaffery
Thanks for the info.
Dipsy
Have you tried using Truvia? It doesn’t seem to have any affect on my sugar readings.
Marvin
What can a diabetic use as a sweetener in coffee and on pancakes?
Dipsy
Try Truvia. It does not affect my sugar readings.
Cherri Hairston
I buy the carton of unsweetened coconut milk and add a pack of Splenda or Stevia. It’s delicious if you like coconut.
HealthClover
Thanks for the tips!
David Lee Skaggs
Call Splenda’s lab and they will tell you it is sugar. They told me to stop using it. I am a diabetic.
Janet Jose
I have diabetes type 2 and I control my sugar levels very well. I drink every morning a cup of coffee with French vanilla sugar free (I checked the label and is no sugar and only 1 gram of carbohydrates). Do you think that will be dangerous for my diabetes? Can I switch that for soy milk sugar free? I only drink coffee one time every morning. What you recommend? Thank you.
HealthClover
Many people find that artificial coffee creamers increase their blood sugar levels, even if they are sugar-free. You will have to test out your brand and see how it affects your body. Try to use the most all-natural that you can find. Sugar-free soy milk is a good choice.
MJ
Oh my, me too! Used to use the Sam’s Choice powdered coffee creamer, it was causing horrific results with my blood sugar spiking out of control. Switch to Centrella Brand powdered, results were some better. Found Nnjoy Brand at Sam’s Club, well the price was great, but the results were horrific for my gut! Did not elevate my sugars as bad as the Sams choice, however I have been having multiple issues with weight loss — 17 lb in 5 months, bad gas, bloating, distended abdomen, pain under the left side of my ribs near my abdomen, horrible bowel movements, my stuff floats in the toilet, after doing some reading found out that this may be some sort of malabsorption.
Went to the GI doc, and after having a discussion decided to stop using all powdered creamers 2 days ago. Oh my gosh to my surprise, with using half and half refrigerated product, my blood sugars have been the absolute best in about 10 years! I didn’t even have to take any insulin to cover my lunch. I’m a huge coffee drinker, and we’ll keep on this regimen for a period of time. At least it’s helped my blood sugar, and hopefully it will help what’s going on in my gut. I will post a reply to let anyone know the results. Hopefully this will be helpful to someone else, because I just couldn’t believe that powder creamer would cause so much havoc!
Rebekah
Hello. I have type 2 diabetes and so does my male friend. I have been using agave nectar and Coffee Mate creamer with no issues with my diabetes. He on the other hand has used the liquid hazelnut coffee creamer in restaurants. But, when I used the Coffee Mate hazelnut creamer and agave nectar for him he seems to not be feeling well. What can I do to help him enjoy his coffee with some flavor?
Scott
I’m diabetic and with good diet and exercise I was able to come completely off all meds less than 4 months after being diagnosed. I thought sugar free coffee creamer was okay. My blood sugars have been consistently in the 85-110 range for several months. I happened to just check it after having coffee and lots of creamer. After 30 minutes of drinking it, my blood sugar was 177. No mas.
HealthClover
A lot of my readers have been saying the same thing. Even though coffee creamer may be “sugar-free”, it is still causing a spike in their blood sugar levels. Diabetics need to be careful of the various chemicals and other ingredients in the creamers.
Teresa Foss
I am really struggling with implementing a diabetic diet. What did you eat to get off meds?
Linda
My diabetic friend just called me to tell me her sugar level before and after drinking one cup of decaf coffee with coffeemate in it (her usual morning routine).
Before coffee—sugar was 115
30 minutes after— sugar was 170
Rebecca
I use organic soy creamer. You can find it at Whole Foods and such. Trader Joe’s has a good one too but it might be a tad sweet.
Karmen
Hi, Is the soy milk kind of sweet? I like a sweet creamer or sugar and cream. I have type 2 diabetes and I was wondering about the sugar-free creamer as well.
HealthClover
There are all kinds of soy milk to choose from. Since you are diabetic, would be best to use sugar free, but there are sweetened and even vanilla flavored, too.
Krescenda
What about sugar free flavored creamer? Those are okay for us, right? I love my coffee in the mornings. The reason I ask is because I was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. I drink decaf coffee sometimes, and like my coffee with flavor.
Granted my pregnancy is almost over, however, I know that this may stay or it may be a precursor.
HealthClover
Sugar free coffee creamer is fine for diabetics, but it still best to use all-natural cream or half and half, as the artificial creamers usually contain various chemicals that are not healthy and may still affect blood sugar.
Brenda
I am pre-diabetes and I love vanilla coffee creamer, and I like it a little sweet.
Richard Martinez
I’m a diabetic and love my coffee, too. Thank you for the advice of trying sugar free soy milk and other creamers. It’s not easy but I have to change my eating habits.
HealthClover
Glad I could help, Richard. I love using soy milk as my coffee creamer because it is all-natural, tastes great, and doesn’t raise my blood sugar.