Although I do certainly enjoy an occasional Starbucks visit, I'm not one of their regulars that every worker knows by name as soon as they see me. However, I'm sure a lot of you are known by your local Starbucks crew, so it's important that you know how to successfully navigate the menu here and at other coffee shops to avoid consuming 500+ calories every morning.
Skip the Whipped Cream
Did you know that the whipped cream on a Tall Starbucks Frappuccino adds 8 grams of fat and about 80 calories? And that’s the small size - on a Grande it adds 12 grams of fat, coming to about 120 calories. Considering there's really no difference between whipped cream among various coffee shops, you can assume those numbers will be approximately the same wherever you go. In my experience, the whipped cream always melts into the drink to the point where it isn't noticeable anyway, so ask for your drink without the whipped cream and you'll save a handful of pointless calories and fat.
Skip the Sugar and Cream
Or at least cut back. This one seems obvious, but if you truly don't think you can drink your favorite coffee beverage without sugar and/or cream, do your best to limit it. Remember, even if you only cut a little bit, that small difference will contribute to your weight loss over a long period of time.
Order "Light" or "Skinny"
Starbucks actually makes it very easy for you to order a lower calorie option of your favorite drink. By ordering your drink "light," the workers will know to automatically hold the whipped cream and they'll use skim milk if applicable. If you're at another coffee shop, simply ask if they can substitute skim or reduced fat milk for whole milk and you'll cut another 60-120 calories or so. Your drink may lose some of its original thickness, but I've never had a problem with taste.
Be Careful of Tea
A lot of people have tried drinking green tea for its caffeine as a healthy alternative to coffee. Green tea does have a host of amazing health benefits, including a good dose of Vitamin C. If you can drink straight green tea, go for it. However, most coffee houses, Starbucks included, will add a lot of sugar to their green tea beverages to make it taste better, and it’s difficult to tell what they’re sweetening it with and just how much sugar they’re adding. My recommendation: drink green tea at home and sweeten with organic honey for a healthy alternative to coffee, but skip it at the coffee shops.
Practice Portion Control
This is true regardless of where you’re eating out: don’t ever get the biggest size of anything. Trust me, you don’t need it and it won’t be friendly on your waistline. Ideally, always order the smallest size or at a maximum the medium size – you’ll save money and pounds in the long run.
Do Your Homework
This is also true of any dining out experience. Almost every restaurant has their nutritional information posted online, so you can check just how many calories and sugar you’ll be getting before you hit your favorite coffee house (you can always pull it up on your smartphone too if you forget). Also, by law, restaurants are required to have nutritional information in the restaurant, so don’t be hesitant to ask if you’re not sure which option will be best for your diet.
No comments:
Post a Comment