Hi, Friends!  How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty laid back; the highlight was our Sushi date at a local place called Temari Sushi, I haven’t had sushi in FOREVER, it was incredible!

Mr. Hungry spent all day helping a friend move, so it was nice to spend the evening together!

I also got new glasses because the naughty puppy did this to mine…

Went back to aviators, courtesy of Target… I think I’ll wait a while on another expensive pair…

As you guys know, last week I gave up coffee and sugar, twas a BRUTAL few days but now the fog is lifting, and I’m so glad I did it.  That doesn’t mean I’m not counting down the days till I can bring coffee right back, 14 to be exact.  To be honest, I love black coffee, but the problem is I drink it like water, hence the need to detox from it for a while.  When I go back, I’m going to steer clear of black coffee, simply because it has little nutritious value and I drink it too fast.  I find that a little bit of milk or creamer helps me to savor it.

The question of coffee creamers is one of the most common questions I get from clients, friends and on grocery store tours so I thought I would put together a post on it.  Apparently, because I want to torcher myself dreaming of coffee, glutton for punishment apparently!  If it helps you guys, then it’s all worth it!

What to avoid:

Most store-bought coffee creamers (think coffee mate) contain a multitude of items I usually coach my Hungry Hobby RD clients to avoid including:

• Artificial sweeteners 
  • Recent research shows that artificial sweeteners (mainly Splenda) may change the gut microbiome in unfavorable ways potentially promoting insulin resistance.
  • Also, diet soda drinks are consistently found to have greater BMI’s and more weight around the waist than those consuming regular soda.
  • Not to mention, they are thousand times sweeter but don’t provide any energy, so some experts theorize this leads to increase cravings for sugar, but that hasn’t been proven.
• Refined sugar
• Chemicals you don’t understand (see my post on How To Eat More Real Food)

Better Options:

Remember healthy fats are an essential part of your diet, and getting some in your morning cup of joe is a great nutritious start to your day!

• Sweetener
  • Low Calorie—-> Stevia/Truvia or Monk Fruit – a low-calorie natural plant extract.  Although the preliminary research on it is promising and this is the sweetener I most often recommend, keep in mind there is no proof it won’t have the same effect as the artificial stuff.  However, if I’m placing my bets on something it’s going to be an extract instead of something artificial.
  • Coconut sugar, sugar in the raw, or maple sugar are natural but still contain trace minerals as they haven’t been refined.
• Creamer
  • organic half and a half (not fat-free which is loaded with chemicals)
  • organic heavy whipping cream
  • whole or 2% milk
  • canned coconut milk or coconut cream
  • other nondairy milk
• Flavor
  • flavored stevia drops (I like vanilla or English toffee)
  • 1/4 tsp flavor extracts – you can get anything you want almond, coconut, vanilla, etc…

Want to try making your own?  You can try my vegan pumpkin maple coffee creamer or my mega healthy date cashew creamer!

[Tweet “The most nutritious coffee creamers you could start your day with via @hungryhobby!”]

52 HEALTHY HABITS IN 52 WEEKS SERIES:

The 52 Healthy Habits Series is about ditching the diet mindset and making small changes to improve health overall naturally leading to a healthy body composition, increased energy and improved health. Please follow along and check out the past weeks!

• Week 52: Healthy Habits Wrap Up
• Week 51: Nightly Reflection
• Week 50: Limit Harmful Chemicals
• Week 49: Find Your Tribe
• Week 48: Cultivating Positivity
• Week 47: Healthy Thanksgiving Tips
• Week 46: Check In
• Week 45: Mobility – Foam Rolling
• Week 44: HIIT Training
• Week 43: LISS or Steady State Cardio
• Week 42: Limit Alcohol
• Week 41: Eat White, Wait What?
• Week 40: Eat Blue & Purple
• Week 39: Eat Green
• Week 38: Eat Yellow/Orange
• Week 37: Eat Red
• Week 36: Learn Which Foods to Purchase Organic
• Week 35: Read the Ingredient List!
• Week 34: Focus.
• Week 33: Chew Your Food!
• Week 32: Meditation
• Week 31: Gratitude Journaling
• Week 30: Plan & Revamp Dessert- 20 Healthy Ideas
• Week 29: Two fistfuls of veggies per meal
• Week 28: Get In Veggies At Breakfast
• Week 27: Healthy Veggie Snacks
• Week 26: Nourishing Fats for the Gut (Healthy Digestion Part 4)
• Week 25: Keeping Regular – The Other Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 3)
• Week 24: Feed The Probiotics With Prebiotic Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 2)
• Week 23: Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics (Healthy Digestion Part 1)
• Week 22: Check In
• Week 21: What You Will Learn From Recording Your Meals (Intuitive Eating Series Part 4)
• Week 20: Eat Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu) (Intuitive Eating Series Part 3)
• Week 19: Limit Distractions While Eating (Intuitive Eating Series Part 2)
• Week 18: Gaging Your Hunger Cues (Intuitive Eating Series Part 1)
• Week 17: 10,000 Steps Per Day
• Week 16: Assess Your Caffeine Intake
• Week 15: Decrease Sugar Intake
• Week 14: Healthy Coffee Creamers (upgrade yours)
• Week 13: 3 Month Check In
• Week 12: Sleep Enough & Sleep Better
• Week 11: Schedule Your Workouts
• Week 10: Pack A Healthy Lunch (5 Ways to Create Endless Combinations)
• Week 9: Prioritizing Protein
• Week 8: How and What to Meal Prep
• Week 7: Create & Stick To Your Healthy Meal Plan
• Week 6: Get Enough Omega-3’s (Fight Inflammation)
• Week 5: What Is A Healthy Fat & How To Get Enough (Include Healthy Fats)
• Week 4: How to Spot A Healthy Carbohydrate (Upgrade Your Carbs)
• Week 3: Tips to Increase Veggie Intake (Eat Veggies)
• Week 2: 15 Healthy On the Go Breakfast Ideas (Eat BF Challenge)
• Week 1: Tips to Drink More Water