What’s not to love when it comes to coffee? It tastes great. It smells amazing. And it provides that boost of energy we all need early in the morning. I love coffee and personally drink it every single day.
There’s quite a lot of health benefits provided by coffee. In fact, enjoying a cup a day is actually pretty good for you. Black coffee, that is. Unfortunately though, most people don’t drink their coffee plain black.
There are a lot of drinks out there that are drowning in sugar and so calorically dense that they could basically be equivalent to eating an actual meal (or dessert, to be more exact).
Take a venti white chocolate mocha at Starbucks as an example. This drink is a whopping 530 calories, containing 67 grams of sugar. This drink also holds 69 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of fat, and about 19 grams of protein.
The standard person follows a baseline 2000-calorie diet. This drink is a little over a fourth of that daily calorie allotment. The recommended daily amount of sugar is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. This drink alone is almost double each of those amounts.
Knowing these facts, you can now be aware—but that doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite mocha or crafted beverage for good. Instead, it's really as simple as making a few small changes in your order to make it a bit healthier.
Next time, try switching out 2% milk for nonfat milk, as well as asking for no whipped cream. This reduces the drink all the way down to 390 calories. Although this may still not be the greatest for you, this proves how just a few small changes in your drink can save you a lot of calories. Another small change you could make to your order is to ask for one less pump of syrup. This will shave off even more calories and some extra sugar.
Another fan favorite is Caribou Coffee’s "Campfire Mocha." In a medium size, this drink contains 640 calories in total, with 67 grams of sugar. It has 69 grams of carbohydrates, 34 grams of fat, and 11 grams of protein. Again, a few subtle changes to this drink (such as swapping full fat milk for skim and asking for no whip) help reduce it to 460 calories.
You can use these easy swaps for any of your favorite drinks to make them a little more calorie friendly, or to simply leave more room in your calories for other foods you want to enjoy throughout the day.
These different combinations below are some of my own go-to orders. When it comes to drinking coffee (which I drink a lot of), I always try to keep it healthy with what I order. However, it’s important to me that they’re still enjoyable and actually taste good! Whether Starbs is your place or you love Caribou, try these out for a healthier coffee fix that still tastes great.
At Caribou Coffee:
If you like iced coffee...
Order a cold press
1 shot sugar free caramel
Add almond milk
If you like hot coffee…
Order a light roast coffee
Half shot of sugar free vanilla
Add your own light skim milk
(This drink is also very budget friendly, so it’s a win-win)
At Starbucks:
If you like iced coffee...
Order a double shot on ice
Substitute sugar-free vanilla syrup in place of classic syrup
Substitute 2% milk for skim
If you like hot coffee...
Order an Americano
Half shot of sugar free cinnamon dulce syrup
Half shot of sugar free vanilla syrup
1 shot of almond or coconut milk
