Whole30 Coffee Creamer

[kate2]

Hello,

I really want to make my own coffee creamer. I know it is preferred to drink our coffee black, but I just prefer to add something extra to my coffee to make it a little fancier. Does anyone have any good recipes? I tried just plain unsweetened coconut milk but that didn't do much for me. 

I've also heard that "Nutpods" are compliant, but some of the ingredients make me skeptical. Are these ingredients okay? Purified water, coconut cream, almonds, natural flavors, acacia gum, sunflower lecithin, dipotassium phosphate, gellan gum, sea salt. 

 

 

[ladyshanny]

The ingredients you list above are fine.

[ElizabethG]

16 hours ago, kate2 said:

Hello,

I really want to make my own coffee creamer. I know it is preferred to drink our coffee black, but I just prefer to add something extra to my coffee to make it a little fancier. Does anyone have any good recipes? I tried just plain unsweetened coconut milk but that didn't do much for me. 

I've also heard that "Nutpods" are compliant, but some of the ingredients make me skeptical. Are these ingredients okay? Purified water, coconut cream, almonds, natural flavors, acacia gum, sunflower lecithin, dipotassium phosphate, gellan gum, sea salt. 

 

 

I actually started buying nutpods about 1 month ago, and they have been life changing! I don't use them all the time, but keep one at work to help make the not-so-great hospital coffee bearable. It has the thickness of creamer, without leaving a weird aftertaste. I would also suggest experimenting with different coffee beans/grounds. I find that with the right coffee, black is just fine. 

[CWHogg]

I take a can of coconut milk or coconut cream and blend it with about 2/3 to 3/4 of the can filled with compliant carton almond or coconut milk to use as creamer. It has a creamier feel to it and more coconut flavor that nutpods, in my opinion. 

I also have a question re: nutpods. I know that canned coconut milk in coffee is considered a plated fat, but would a creamer like nutpods count? It doesn’t have nearly the fat content that canned coconut milk has, so I would need to be sure to add another plated fat, correct?

[ladyshanny]

1 minute ago, CWHogg said:

I take a can of coconut milk or coconut cream and blend it with about 2/3 to 3/4 of the can filled with compliant carton almond or coconut milk to use as creamer. It has a creamier feel to it and more coconut flavor that nutpods, in my opinion. 

I also have a question re: nutpods. I know that canned coconut milk in coffee is considered a plated fat, but would a creamer like nutpods count? It doesn’t have nearly the fat content that canned coconut milk has, so I would need to be sure to add another plated fat, correct?

Depends how much you're using. If you're putting a quarter cup in your coffee, you might be alright. I often have coconut milk in my coffee and just consider it a bonus. Assess how you're feeling when you only use the creamer as your fat. If you're starving in 3 hours, probably it's not enough.

[CWHogg]

That makes sense. I drink at least 2 cups of coffee, so when I use it, I probably get a fair amount to account for at least part of my plated fat. Thanks so much!

[Carizzoarch]

Where are the moderators? Aren't we supposed to be breaking habits, not recreating treats? You might as well be making pancakes or eating homemade chips.  I know that nutpods are approved now but making your own creamer has a major SWYPO vibe to it. For anyone that says that creamer isn't an issue for you then I have one question: why are you trying so hard to recreate it? If you don't need it, you can live without it for 30 days. If you need it, then you NEED to cut it out for 30 days. That's the whole concept of SWYPO. Don't misunderstand me either - I used to freak out about the idea of no creamer. I was in your shoes - but what is going to happen after 30 days?  You're not going to keep doing the hard thing and make an overly complicated, compliant creamer. The refridgerated section in the grocery store is just too convenient. Do yourself a favor and try it black for 30 days. I did and now I can't stand creamer. You can taste the artificial flavors which tells you just how bad it is for you. You won't regret eliminating it for 30 days but if you choose to recreate it, you may wish you took my advice when you find yourself slipping back into old habits. I hope that everyone has success in their W30 journey! 

[kate2]

13 hours ago, Carizzoarch said:

Where are the moderators? Aren't we supposed to be breaking habits, not recreating treats? You might as well be making pancakes or eating homemade chips.  I know that nutpods are approved now but making your own creamer has a major SWYPO vibe to it. For anyone that says that creamer isn't an issue for you then I have one question: why are you trying so hard to recreate it? If you don't need it, you can live without it for 30 days. If you need it, then you NEED to cut it out for 30 days. That's the whole concept of SWYPO. Don't misunderstand me either - I used to freak out about the idea of no creamer. I was in your shoes - but what is going to happen after 30 days?  You're not going to keep doing the hard thing and make an overly complicated, compliant creamer. The refridgerated section in the grocery store is just too convenient. Do yourself a favor and try it black for 30 days. I did and now I can't stand creamer. You can taste the artificial flavors which tells you just how bad it is for you. You won't regret eliminating it for 30 days but if you choose to recreate it, you may wish you took my advice when you find yourself slipping back into old habits. I hope that everyone has success in their W30 journey! 

3

Hi Carizzoarch! I've completed the Whole30 two other times before now and have gone the black coffee-route. I don't mind black coffee, but I am always looking for new recipes for anything that I put into my body. We may not need the creamer, but there shouldn't be any harm in wanting to mix in compliant ingredients. Melissa Hartwig explains in an Instagram post that it's totally fine if you prefer your coffee a little "milkier". She explains that while some people might use "creamers" to drink more coffee, it's important to be careful so you don't drink so much that it will detriment your health. Just be responsible and use compliant ingredients. You're not supposed to recreate a creamer for the sweet taste it can give coffee, but only to make your coffee in a way that you prefer. Saying you can't add compliant ingredients to your morning beverage is similar to saying that you can't add spices to your soup or Frank's hot sauce to your eggs. I hope this helps you understand where I was coming from! Good luck to you too! 

[SugarcubeOD]

13 hours ago, Carizzoarch said:

Where are the moderators? Aren't we supposed to be breaking habits, not recreating treats? You might as well be making pancakes or eating homemade chips.  I know that nutpods are approved now but making your own creamer has a major SWYPO vibe to it. For anyone that says that creamer isn't an issue for you then I have one question: why are you trying so hard to recreate it? If you don't need it, you can live without it for 30 days. If you need it, then you NEED to cut it out for 30 days. That's the whole concept of SWYPO. Don't misunderstand me either - I used to freak out about the idea of no creamer. I was in your shoes - but what is going to happen after 30 days?  You're not going to keep doing the hard thing and make an overly complicated, compliant creamer. The refridgerated section in the grocery store is just too convenient. Do yourself a favor and try it black for 30 days. I did and now I can't stand creamer. You can taste the artificial flavors which tells you just how bad it is for you. You won't regret eliminating it for 30 days but if you choose to recreate it, you may wish you took my advice when you find yourself slipping back into old habits. I hope that everyone has success in their W30 journey! 

I don't see anyone here making an overly complicated creamer? one poster said they use canned coconut milk and the other poster said they use a mix of canned coconut milk and the refrigerated boxed stuff.  The rule about not making SWYPO creamer is not taking dates, banana, egg and coconut milk, mixed with magic and making someting that resembles International Delight.

Yes, people can try drinking their coffee black but say for someone like myself, it's too acidic for my stomach to drink it black so I put a splash of coconut milk in... congratulations to you for drinking it black for 30 days.  We don't require that.

ETA: there was already a moderator in this thread... now there's two

[Carizzoarch]

“I really want to make my own coffee creamer...I just prefer to add something extra to my coffee to make it a little fancier. Does anyone have any good recipes? I tried just plain unsweetened coconut milk but that didn't do much for me. “

The original post post is about making a fancier coffee. I see that a a way to reproduce a non compliant food. 

[ladyshanny]

Right....but if by "fancier" she means w/ nutpods or a different nut milk, she is free to do that. I drink black coffee almost all the time but when I feel like I want a "treat", I'll pour full fat coconut milk into it. 

There's no need to make this program any harder than it has to be. There's no award at the end for the person that did it the most perfectly ever and sacrificed the most enjoyment of all the things. Putting nutpods or a combo of canned/carton coconut milk into coffee is fine. 

If the original poster finds that she doesn't like nutpods and she doesn't like coconut milk and she wants to mix blended date paste and vanilla to make it more palatable and more like a conventional sweetened creamer, we'll step in and say no. 

[SugarcubeOD]

3 minutes ago, Carizzoarch said:

“I really want to make my own coffee creamer...I just prefer to add something extra to my coffee to make it a little fancier. Does anyone have any good recipes? I tried just plain unsweetened coconut milk but that didn't do much for me. “

The original post post is about making a fancier coffee. I see that a a way to reproduce a non compliant food. 

And if this person had suggested or had had suggested to them that they could make some sort of concoction, we would have said absolutely not.  To some people, a dash of something creamy makes coffee special... it's okay to make things taste the way you like them and if 'milky' coffee is something that someone wants, we're happy to give them recommendations to try different kinds of nut milk (no sweeteners)... personally I can't stand the taste of warm almond milk but other people might like that better than coconut milk.

[Carizzoarch]

I’m not saying you can’t enjoy your food and drink on Whole30. She said “make my own creamer”. If SWYPO is in the eye of the beholder then there are no rules. It creates opportunity for exceptions based on perception. Perception is a dangerous thing during Whole30. 

[SugarcubeOD]

2 minutes ago, Carizzoarch said:

I’m not saying you can’t enjoy your food and drink on Whole30. She said “make my own creamer”. If SWYPO is in the eye of the beholder then there are no rules. It creates opportunity for exceptions based on perception. Perception is a dangerous thing during Whole30. 

Okay well if soaking nuts, blending them in a blender and then straining them through a cheesecloth or nut bag is problematic for you in YOUR context, don't do it.  The official ruling is if you want a compliant milk alternative in your coffee, as long as it's not some sort of sweetened concoction, then it's allowed.  We appreciate when people reach out to understand why some rules are the way they are, so thank you for wishing to understand why milk alternatives (home made or storebought) are not SWYPO.

 

[Carizzoarch]

Just now, SugarcubeOD said:

Okay well if soaking nuts, blending them in a blender and then straining them through a cheesecloth or nut bag is problematic for you in YOUR context, don't do it.  The official ruling is if you want a compliant milk alternative in your coffee, as long as it's not some sort of sweetened concoction, then it's allowed.  We appreciate when people reach out to understand why some rules are the way they are, so thank you for wishing to understand why milk alternatives (home made or storebought) are not SWYPO.

 

And someone said that it wasn’t complicated... 

I’m done. I’m going to break the rules and eat some plantain chips because rules can be changed. 

[ladyshanny]

1 hour ago, Carizzoarch said:

And someone said that it wasn’t complicated... 

I’m done. I’m going to break the rules and eat some plantain chips because rules can be changed. 

It totally is complicated though, you're right! This whole business about trying to change our relationship with food is complicated. But in this case, no one has broken any rules, implied or called out.

It's all so personal on what is and is not your personal demons to manage. For example, if someone has a massive rice habit and cannot imagine giving it up for a day let alone 30, we would probably counsel them that making fried cauli rice is not the best way forward for them, given their context. But for most people, using cauli rice is fine, it's not SWYPO. 

In this case, if the person is used to having 2 tbsp of actual coffee and half a container of international delights and is trying to jam that old habit into a new framework then ya, we would counsel them against doing that. We'd probably tell them they probably don't really like coffee to begin with so to maybe consider just breaking that habit altogether or at the least, trying it black. None of that is the case here though. HERE the lady just wanted a creamy coffee and she didn't like coconut milk. Maybe because it was too oily or she doesn't like the flavour of coconut. She didn't say so we can't put words in her mouth. Just because she wants to "make" something doesn't mean she's doing more than making her own nut milk or combining two flavours of nut pods or a combo of compliant almond and coconut milk. We wouldn't tell someone they couldn't blend ghee  or coconut oil with their coffee to get a frothy, creamy coffee, so this really is no different.

I understand wanting it all to be perfect but in this case, there's nothing going on that is even remotely against the rules OR recommendations. I hope you can read this and understand where we and the program is coming from.

[saminseattle]

On 1/10/2018 at 9:09 PM, Carizzoarch said:

Aren't we supposed to be breaking habits, not recreating treats? ...  I know that nutpods are approved now but making your own creamer has a major SWYPO vibe to it. For anyone that says that creamer isn't an issue for you then I have one question: why are you trying so hard to recreate it? 

1

New to these boards, but a W30 veteran. I found this thread when googling to try and understand how these could possibly be compliant. I agree with Carizzoarch 100%! Nutpods - especially the flavored ones - are completely SWYPO! I adore W30 and NutPods but they don't belong together. NutPods are 1) sweet; 2) comprised of several "technically compliant" but not-found-anywhere-in-nature ingredients; 3) a re-creation of a non-compliant food; and as a result, 4) sustaining an unhealthy habit (sweet creamy stuff in coffee) and therefore undermining one of the major tenants of the Whole30. I mean, if that's not SWYPO I don't know what is. This W30 stance on flavored coffee creamers really strikes me as hypocritical and makes me skeptical of the direction W30 has gone/is going. It's a complete anathema to the principles, science, and psychology set out in It Starts With Food.  What ever happened to "drinking your coffee black is not hard!!"