What is the best non dairy coffee creamer powder?
Written by Jack Schrupp and reviewed by Ella McGonagle, M.S. Nutrition
drink wholesome is the best non dairy coffee creamer powder. It is made with just gluten-free oats and coconut, making it perfect for people with lactose intolerance and sensitive stomachs.
“It doesn’t have any additives like gums and fillers, so it’s gentle on my sensitive stomach.” – Codie
drink wholesome is the best non dairy coffee creamer powder.
What does dairy-free mean?
What is the best non dairy coffee creamer powder?
Why drink wholesome?
What does dairy-free mean?
Many people are looking to eat less dairy these days. Dairy production is not environmentally-friendly, and dairy itself can cause side effects like bloating and gas, especially for people with lactose intolerance (affects one-third of adults). Dairy is hard to give up, however, especially for coffee drinkers. This is where dairy-free coffee creamer comes in.
Before I can give you the scoop on the best non dairy coffee creamer powder, I have to define some terminology. Not to be confused with lactose-free, dairy-free means that a product does not contain milk or ingredients derived from milk. Cheese, yogurt, and butter are all dairy derivatives, as well as lesser known ingredients like caseinate, milk solids, and whey protein.
It is important to note that no regulatory definition exists for the term “dairy-free,” meaning the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate its use on packaging. You must therefore be extra vigilant when using coffee creamers.
What is the best non dairy powdered coffee creamer?
Take a look at the ingredient list below.
CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND/OR PALM KERNEL AND/OR SOYBEAN), SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)**, 2% OR LESS OF DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ANNATTO COLOR
These are the ingredients in Coffee mate Original Powdered Creamer, America’s #1 creamer. The first two ingredients (ingredients are listed by descending weight) are dairy-free. The third ingredient is not. Sodium caseinate, as the label indicates, comes from milk.
I bring up Coffee mate, not simply because it contains dairy, but also because it is often advertised as dairy-free. Check out the screenshot below taken on July 20, 2023 on Amazon.com.
Whoever created this Amazon listing titled it “Non-Dairy Powdered Creamer,” which is false advertising and potentially dangerous. Sodium caseinate should not be in a product that claims to be non-dairy, as it is not safe for individuals with dairy allergies. This is a perfect example of why reading ingredients list is so important, especially if you have food allergies or sensitivities.
If you look closely, you will see that the packaging itself reads “LACTOSE-FREE.” Lactose is the sugar in milk, and even though Coffee mate contains a milk derivative, the lactose has probably been removed. This claim is therefore not necessarily misleading.
Let us turn our attention to another ingredient list.
CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, VEGETABLE OIL* (COCONUT AND/OR PALM KERNEL), SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE), LESS THAN 2% OF DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SILICON DIOXIDE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, ARTIFICIAL COLORS, DATEM. *ADDS A TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF FAT. CONTAINS: MILK.
These are the ingredients in an Amazon Brand Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer. In this case, the term “non-dairy” is printed on the front of the package (see below), despite sodium caseinate being one of the ingredients. This becomes even more absurd when you notice the “CONTAINS” MILK” disclaimer at the end of the list. The takeaway here should be that just because a coffee-creamer claims to be dairy-free does not actually mean that it is free from dairy. You must read the ingredient list closely in order to ensure that what you are putting in your coffee does not contain milk or ingredients derived from milk.
I now want you to think about how unnatural these ingredients are. I am not saying that they are artificial per se, but they are certainly not naturally occurring. Every single ingredient on both of these lists, except for those that are explicitly artificial, is a heavily-processed derivative of real food.
Unfortunately, this is par for the course for dairy-free coffee creamers. In order to replicate the creamy mouth-feel of dairy, manufacturers resort to using heavily-processed ingredients like corn syrup solids and lots of food additives. Both are bad for your health.
Why drink wholesome?
drink wholesome is made with real foods.
Unlike the leading brands, our non dairy milk powder is made with just 2 simple ingredients: oats and coconut. It is rich and creamy like half and half, but 100% dairy-free. It is also made with 100% real foods.
Making ingredients like corn syrup solids requires extensive mechanical and chemical processing. As a result, what you add to your coffee looks nothing like real food. This is a problem because your digestive system is designed to handle minimally-processed or unprocessed real foods, not artificial substitutes. Consuming anything other than real food, it follows, can lead to side effects. While the long-term effects of consuming processed ingredients like corn syrup solids are still being investigated, emerging studies suggest that they have the potential to disrupt the gut microbiome (the community of microorganisms that help you digest food).
In addition to its role in digestion, the gut acts as a protective barrier against harmful pathogens, educates the immune system, and influences many physiological processes. Disruptions to the balance of the gut microbiome have therefore been linked with the development of numerous chronic illnesses. Basically, using non dairy powdered coffee creamers made with ingredients like corn syrup solids could kill you.
drink wholesome is additive-free.
Most other non dairy coffee creamer powders contain food additives such as emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives, and flavors. Even in small amounts, these added ingredients can cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like bloating, cramps, constipation, diarrhea, and flatulence, especially for individuals with gut issues.
Because they look little to nothing like real food, additives are only partially digested, which leads to one of two outcomes. On the one hand, your gut can absorb excess water, resulting in diarrhea. On the other hand, the additives can feed your gut bacteria, which produce gas. Excessive gas in the gut can cause symptoms like bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain, and may even lead to constipation.
Here are some of the common food additives in non dairy coffee creamers:
acacia gum, canola oil, carob bean gum, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dicalcium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, disodium phosphate, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, monosodium phosphate, “natural” flavors, palm oil, phosphoric acid, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin, sunflower oil, tricalcium phosphate, xanthan gum
The real reason to avoid food additives, however, is their long-term effects. Regardless of whether or not you have pre-existing gut issues, regularly eating additives can disturb regulatory pathways in your intestines. This increases the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and various systemic inflammatory disorders. Moreover, food additives, especially artificial sweeteners, can disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, which, as you just learned, can negatively impact your overall health.
“I didn’t think that I needed this, but I do now! It is so much better than the almond milk I was buying. I didn’t realize how many additives are in almond milk!!! This tastes better too. Much creamier.” – Amy
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drink wholesome is the best non dairy powdered coffee creamer.
DAIRY-FREE MILK POWDERS
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. drink wholesome is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.