According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), non-alcoholic beverages account for almost one quarter of Americans’ calorie intake and half of all their added sugar - and not just from the typical soda and juice as you might assume. The latest “calorie budget” (calories in your weight maintenance bank account) hogs are coffee beverages.
I’ll highlight a couple examples here… but before I start let me just say I love espresso drinks. Iced lattes on a warm afternoon or a cappuccino after a Saturday morning yoga class is a little slice of heaven to me. My hope is that I can highlight strategies for selecting a beverage that won’t wreck a balanced, healthy diet.
Dunkin’ donuts gingerbread latte, a small 10 oz size with set you back 400 calories, 9g fat, 5g saturated fat and 66g sugar!
Starbucks caramel frapuccino with whip, a tall 12 oz size will set you back 320 calories, 12g fat, 8g saturated fat, and 40g sugar!
And these are the small sizes so if you get a medium or grande you are getting much more. So, what’s happening here? Fat and saturated fat is in the whole milk and whip. Sugar is in the whole milk and flavor shots. The calories are in all the ingredients, but very little comes from the espresso, around 10-20 calories. So, the tips should be obvious…. go with a small size, skim milk (you’ll still have the milk sugar but you will lose the fat, saturated fat, and some calories), and no whip. Even better, if you love these sweet drinks, choose a sugar free flavor shot.
My two faves: Dunkin’ donuts latte light, a small 10 oz size has only 70 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, and only 6g sugar (milk sugar). Starbucks cinnamon dolce latte with skim milk and sugar free flavor shots, a tall 12 oz size has only 90 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, and only 12g sugar (milk sugar). What a difference! These are the drinks I go for… if you haven’t tried them, do and let me know what you think.
(Kudos by the way to DD and Starbucks for making their coffee beverage nutrition facts easy to find and customize on their websites!)
Moderation is always the key. So, if you find you have to have a latte with whole milk or you just love a certain flavor shot, go for it. Don’t deprive yourself, but make another change, such as ordering the smallest size possible (a short - yes, Starbucks has shorts, they just aren’t on the menu) or recognize that the high sugar, fat, calorie beverage is a dessert so cut down the frequency in which you order it and on days you have that “treat” avoid other desserts.
I just love this article “Don’t be a latte fatty: the awful truth about your daily caffeine hit” by Daily Mail. It highlights the calories, fat, and sugar you may be consuming while trying to get your caffeine buzz without knowing it. It also offers tips for turning a fatty drink to a skinny one.
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), non-alcoholic beverages account for almost one quarter of Americans’ calorie intake and half of all their added sugar - and not just from the typical soda and juice as you might assume. The latest “calorie budget” (calories in your weight maintenance bank account) hogs are coffee beverages.
I’ll highlight a couple examples here… but before I start let me just say I love espresso drinks. Iced lattes on a warm afternoon or a cappuccino after a Saturday morning yoga class is a little slice of heaven to me. My hope is that I can highlight strategies for selecting a beverage that won’t wreck a balanced, healthy diet.
Dunkin’ donuts gingerbread latte, a small 10 oz size with set you back 400 calories, 9g fat, 5g saturated fat and 66g sugar!
Starbucks caramel frapuccino with whip, a tall 12 oz size will set you back 320 calories, 12g fat, 8g saturated fat, and 40g sugar!
And these are the small sizes so if you get a medium or grande you are getting much more. So, what’s happening here? Fat and saturated fat is in the whole milk and whip. Sugar is in the whole milk and flavor shots. The calories are in all the ingredients, but very little comes from the espresso, around 10-20 calories. So, the tips should be obvious…. go with a small size, skim milk (you’ll still have the milk sugar but you will lose the fat, saturated fat, and some calories), and no whip. Even better, if you love these sweet drinks, choose a sugar free flavor shot.
My two faves: Dunkin’ donuts latte light, a small 10 oz size has only 70 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, and only 6g sugar (milk sugar). Starbucks cinnamon dolce latte with skim milk and sugar free flavor shots, a tall 12 oz size has only 90 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, and only 12g sugar (milk sugar). What a difference! These are the drinks I go for… if you haven’t tried them, do and let me know what you think.
(Kudos by the way to DD and Starbucks for making their coffee beverage nutrition facts easy to find and customize on their websites!)
Moderation is always the key. So, if you find you have to have a latte with whole milk or you just love a certain flavor shot, go for it. Don’t deprive yourself, but make another change, such as ordering the smallest size possible (a short - yes, Starbucks has shorts, they just aren’t on the menu) or recognize that the high sugar, fat, calorie beverage is a dessert so cut down the frequency in which you order it and on days you have that “treat” avoid other desserts.
I just love this article “Don’t be a latte fatty: the awful truth about your daily caffeine hit” by Daily Mail. It highlights the calories, fat, and sugar you may be consuming while trying to get your caffeine buzz without knowing it. It also offers tips for turning a fatty drink to a skinny one.
Filed under: adult health, calories, food, health, nutrition