post-whole30 coffee sweetener?

[Runnermama]

I'm about to finish my first whole30 (and it's been so awesome by the way, so thank you and yay!) and I find I'm still missing sweetener in my coffee. I was really hoping I'd be one of those people who just likes it with just cream (I've been using nutpods), but no. Two related questions: 1) if I stick with another month of no added sugar do you think I'll develop a taste for unsweetened coffee? 2) what do whole30 lifers use in their coffee as a sweeter if they use one? I could never go back to fake creamer. Maybe just plain old sugar? Are sugar substitutes a no-no in the post-whole30 lifestyle?

 

[MeadowLily]

Or you could really flip the switch and simply quit drinking coffee. That would show it who's boss.  

Post-whole 30, you can swill gallons of it with cream and sweetner and sugar and nutpods. You decide. 

[sunnytropic]

I love my coffee and have no interest in giving it up, I drink one serving daily, no more, and am struggling with this too as I finish up reintroductions this week.

I used to put Equal in my coffee but in the last 2 years switched to regular sugar or, if at a coffee shop, caramel sauce. Sometimes at home I made my own caramel sauce (sugar + butter + cream) too.

I only drink iced coffee/lattes.

Drinking unsweetened coffee wasn't as hard for me as I expected, we have a coffee shop at work that makes a great cold brew that satisfied me without needing anything added, when I get that I plan to continue drinking it black or adding some cream or nutpods only on occasion. This work coffee shop also makes great lattes, as part of my dairy reintro I got a whole milk iced latte with 1 pump of caramel (1/2 what they usually add) and I want to have this for the occasional treat going forward. I just need to be careful not to make this a daily or multiple times per week thing.

At home I have a nespresso machine and really like iced lattes. I got through drinking it with only nutpods but it wasn't my favorite. I plan to add 1/2 - 1 tsp regular sugar going forward and again, adding some cream, or occasionally a full serving of whole or 2% milk. At home I only buy organic milk.

[ShannonM816]

Post whole30 it's up to you. There are recipes for paleo creamers with dates in them, to me they seem less sweet than ones with sugar, but sweeter than not using anything, so that might be an option. If you're just having a cup a day and you're healthy and not having problems with insulin resistance, sweetening your coffee may not be a big deal. Just pay attention and if you find you're craving sweets the rest of the day, or your coffee consumption goes way up, or you're just not feeling great anymore, it might be time to look at your options again and figure out what's best for you at that moment.

[MeadowLily]

The day I quit drinking coffee was the day that I really started kicking insulin resistance in the hindend. Coffee messes with your blood sugar and hormones. Quitting coffee was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  

I used to swill about 4-6 cups in the morning just to get myself going. With heavy whipping cream.  Maybe 3 shots of espresso later on in the day with heavy whipping cream. The day I quit was the day I started turning T2 around. It's not the caffeine but the actual coffee bean itself that messes with the blood sugar and digestive tract. I don't drink decaff either.

Before I started drinking coffee, I didn't have insulin resistance to the degree I had with coffee. There were sugar problems but the combo of the two were a total sucker punch to the gut.

[Eccentrica]

5 hours ago, Runnermama said:

if I stick with another month of no added sugar do you think I'll develop a taste for unsweetened coffee? 

Maybe. It's certainly worth a shot, if that's your goal. Our tastes can change so much.

I used to drink my coffee with cream and sugar. I drank it that way years. Then in 2014, I cut out the sweet stuff. I drank it with cream alone for about 6 months, before I finally gave up the milk, too.

Now I drink it black, and I truly *love* it that way. If you would have told me that I'd be a black coffee drinker one day, I would have sworn it could never happen. But it did!

I also recommend buying high quality fresh-roasted coffee, if you're not already doing so. The better the beans, the less you miss the add-ins.
 

[sunnytropic]

3 hours ago, Eccentrica said:

Maybe. It's certainly worth a shot, if that's your goal. Our tastes can change so much.

I used to drink my coffee with cream and sugar. I drank it that way years. Then in 2014, I cut out the sweet stuff. I drank it with cream alone for about 6 months, before I finally gave up the milk, too.

Now I drink it black, and I truly *love* it that way. If you would have told me that I'd be a black coffee drinker one day, I would have sworn it could never happen. But it did!

I also recommend buying high quality fresh-roasted coffee, if you're not already doing so. The better the beans, the less you miss the add-ins.
 

Totally agree about the high quality beans! It definitely makes a difference, I think that's why I can do the cold brew at work that way!