Recently, International Delight released three new Elf-inspired coffee creamers including Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Waffle Cookie, and Frosted Sugar Cookie.

However, like other store-bought creamers, there are many unhealthy additives mixed in that could easily be switched out for nutritionally beneficial ingredients.

Not only do these substitutions retain the holiday spirit, but they allow you to indulge in your morning coffee without  over-indulging in your daily calories.  

You Are Ingesting Almost Your Entire Day's Intake of Sugar in Your Morning Coffee:

Although coffee itself has many nutritional benefits, the additive sugars in creamers makes it unhealthy and high in calories.

For example, I took a glance at the nutritional information for the Caramel Waffle Cookie coffee creamer and found that it contained 5g of sugar for 1 tablespoon of creamer. 

Now, I don't know about you, but I tend to use a lot more than one tablespoon for my morning (sometimes afternoon) brew. It's probably closer to a 1/4 cup, if I'm being honest. 

But those are just numbers on a label, right? Wrong. 

After doing some quick math (and Google searching), I found that 5 grams of sugar in one tablespoon of coffee creamer is equivalent to 1.2 teaspoons of dehydrated granulated sugar. 

Sugar

nillamaria on Flickr

There are 4 tablespoons in a 1/4 cup. 

That means if I were to pour a 1/4 cup of Caramel Waffle Cookie creamer into my coffee every morning, I would be serving myself 20 grams of sugar at the start of each day, or 4.8 full teaspoons of dehydrated sugar. 

According to the American Heart Association, women should only intake about 25 grams of sugar and men 37.5 grams of sugar throughout the entire day. 

Furthermore, as researched by Medical News Today, an excessive daily intake of sugar could lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, liver and heart disease, and many other health problems. 

I guess if there are two things Buddy is known for, it's Christmas and sugar, and International Delight will not forget the latter. 

Are There Any Healthy Alternatives?

You should always look for healthier alternatives to those high-calorie sugars, oils, and thickeners found in regular creamers for starters. This can be done by simply switching to almond milk and pure maple syrup. 

Many may argue that pure maple syrup is just sticky calories and excessive sugar, but that couldn't be further from the truth. 

According to Canadian Living, maple syrup is an "unexpected source of essential minerals, including calcium, zinc, magnesium and potassium... [it] provides half of your recommended daily intake of manganese, which is important for bone health, metabolism and brain and nerve function." 

Lastly, almond milk is a good substitute for unnatural thickeners used in creamers because it is "low in calories and sugar and high in calcium, vitamin E and vitamin D," according to Healthline

By swapping unhealthy additives for natural ingredients, you can fill those empty calories with nutritional benefits. 

How to Enjoy These Elf-Inspired Creamers in a Nutritional Way: 

The best way to transform these into nutritional creamers? Make them yourself!

Bonus: All three of these recipes are vegan friendly. 

1. Peppermint Mocha Creamer

Dairy Free Peppermint Coffee Creamer

paleodulce on Flickr

Compared to the Elf creamer provided by International Delight, I found myself in favor of this recipe, even if it isn't as sweet. I enjoyed how minty it was without it being too overpowering, and if I wanted to add sugar, I could do so without fear of adding too much.

My overall opinion? I thought it was absolutely delicious and very easy to make. Also, it made my small kitchen smell like a Holiday dream which was a huge bonus. 

For this Peppermint Mocha creamer, uploaded by Kitchen Treaty, you will need lite coconut milk (I substituted this for sweetened almond milk to make it thicker), pure maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, kosher salt, pure vanilla extract and peppermint extract.

2. Caramel Vanilla Coffee Creamer

coffee, cappuccino, espresso, milk, mocha
Amy Cho

This Caramel Vanilla Coffee Creamer, uploaded by Fashionable Foods, is a GREAT substitute for the Caramel Waffle Cookie creamer listed above. Not only is it low in calories, but it is just as sweet without the unhealthy additives. 

Additionally, I have never used coconut palm sugar before, but I thought it was pretty easy to cook with and tasted just like brown sugar, giving your coffee that desired caramel taste. 

For this recipe, you will need coconut palm sugar, water, unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk and vanilla extract.

3. Coconut Vanilla Coffee Creamer

milk, coffee, cream, espresso, cappuccino
Kristine Mahan

When I first had the Frosted Sugar Cookie creamer from International Delight, I immediately had a bad break out and did not have an acne-clear face for a week. Although it was tasty, it was so sweet that even Buddy would only use a little in his coffee. 

After this incident, I knew I had to try this Coconut Vanilla Coffee Creamer by A Mind "Full" Mom. 

Overall, I thought this creamer was delicious and made my coffee taste like a Christmas dessert. It was also very light and did not make my stomach feel queasy as it often does when ingesting too much sugar. 

For this recipe you will need a can of full-fat coconut milk, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract. It's that easy! 

And there you have it. Enjoy the world's best cup of coffee this holiday season with some delicious and nutritious coffee creamers that even Buddy himself would approve.