Texans love coffee creamer. Two refrigerators dedicated to just this junk.

Wow…that’s a lot of coffee creamers!

A little photo I snapped while visiting a local Houston grocery store. I waited for about 5 minutes before snapping this photo. The constant stream of Texans picking out their favorite creamer blocked my view.  My grocery store only sells 4 creamer flavors. I don’t know what they are as I don’t use the stuff. Too much sugar for me. I prefer full-fat heavy cream for my java.

Curiosity got the better of me and I had to look. So many flavors — Coconut Creme, Creme Brulee, Extra Sweet & Creamy, Girl Scouts’ Thin Mints, Peppermint Mocha, Nestle Tollhouse Snickerdoodles, La Lechera Dulce de Leche, and so much more.

What really struck me about the favors wasn’t the variety. It was the sweetness. Every flavor is designed to up the sugar response once it hits your taste buds. The only reason to use Girl Scouts’ Thin Mint creamer is the thin mint taste without the guilt. Well, 1 tablespoon of the stuff is 5 grams of sugar. But how many people actually measure out 1 tablespoon of this stuff?

As a former fattie who never measured anything, I don’t buy that people measure this stuff out. I guarantee they pour a minimum of 2-4 tablespoons (that’s 1/8 – 1/4 cup) into their coffee and think it’s a teaspoon.  As my grandma use to say, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.”

So that 5g of sugar is suddenly 10-20g (at best!) for a cup of coffee. Add a second cup of Joe and your looking at sugar equaling a can of Coke. Of course, this doesn’t include those folks who add sugar to their coffee too.

By the way, Texas ranks 15th in the nation for obesity. My neck of the woods (with our piddly 4 types of creamer) ranks 32nd.

Hmmm…..

Oh, and don’t get me going on the sheer number of donut shops I spotted. During an 8-mile trip to a store for mom I counted 15 donut shops. 15!

Oh my.