Environmental Nutrition: Lifting the lid on coffee shop drinks
Long gone are the days when your only decision to make when ordering coffee was "cream or sugar." Now you need to think about what type of milk (whole, low-fat, skim, soy or almond), cream (whipped or plain) and even temperature (hot or cold). In addition, there's an array of flavor pumps to choose from, such as hazelnut, cinnamon, pumpkin, mocha, peppermint and white chocolate.
All of these choices may make ordering your morning cup of Joe more complicated, but how do they impact your healthy eating? Nutritionally speaking, a cup of black coffee is void of calories, carbs and fat. A splash of cream or sprinkle of sugar may add a few calories but nothing that can't be worked into a healthy diet.
However, many of today's decadent coffee options can cause the saturated fat, carbohydrates and calories to skyrocket. Depending on how it's made, a coffee shop drink can provide more calories than a fast food bacon double cheeseburger -- and 32 teaspoons of sugar, which is more than you'll find in a liter of soda. But with some wise ordering, you can still get a flavor-packed caffeine fix without breaking your nutritional bank.
Consider these suggestions next time you belly up to the coffee bar:
Size matters. Large sizes may have 100-plus more calories per serving, as well as more fat and sugar. By ordering a small, you can enjoy your favorite flavors, with less saturated fat, calories and sugar.
Skip the whip. While it may look fancy, whipped cream can add an extra 100-plus empty calories to your drink.
Skinny it down. Soy and skim milk can cut the saturated fat and calories by a lot. With all the extras added to your coffee, you may not even notice the difference between whole and skim.
Skip the toppings. Flavored syrups and toppings can really up your sugar consumption. Consider requesting a smaller flavor shot in your drink and skipping the syrup drizzles.
(Environmental Nutrition is the award-winning independent newsletter written by nutrition experts dedicated to providing readers up-to-date, accurate information about health and nutrition in clear, concise English. For more information, visit www.environmentalnutrition.com.)
