Monday, April 13, 2015
By: Stacey Gretka - TNT Health Educator
For many of us Starbucks has become a staple in our day. But if you aren't careful - those calories can add up! I have put together some better ways to order your favorite drink than simply choosing what Starbucks displays on their menu. Look at menu like an ingredients list, not a required, pre-made selection. Besides, if you keep ordering Skinny you're temporarily saving calories while you're not working towards your ultimate goal of making new and better habits in general. Therefore, I give you my Ordering-at-Starbucks tips:
1. You could always go Old Fashioned and order a "Tall Cafe Americano with Room" - add your dairy and sugar types and amounts that best suits your needs and goals. You have total control and you get to enjoy the strength and bitterness of a good brew.
2. Ordering "Skinny" doesn't lead to skinnier jeans: in Starbucksland, the term skinny actually means they're using a sugar-free substitute, it does not mean they're leaving the sweetener out. As many of us know by now, these sugar subsitutes can be worse for us in the long run by causing or adding to a sweetness addiction. Pro tip: cut the calories without losing the yum by asking for "Half the Pumps." This little trick will cut your sugar intake in half and you'll not even notice the taste difference! Over time, you may even find yourself ordering a "Grande No Whip Nonfat Pumpkin Spice Latte with One Pump," only needing a hint of the flavor without all of the extra calories. Who knows, if we all switched to less pumps, we might get that Pumpkin Spice Syrup to last year round!
3. "No Whip" for coffee's sake. You don't need it, it just takes up room in your cup that coffee could be filling and it takes up room in your pants, too. Give yourself a little breathing room, and skip the whip.
4. Nonfat or Soy. Whole milk is the orig - so if you don't make a substitution, that's what you're getting. Compare a whopping 11g of fat when your order a Grande Caramel Macchiato. Choose Soy and you'll only get 5g, while Nonfat milk leaves you with only 1g of fat. For your records, 2% contains 7g of fat and the newest milk option at Starbucks, the Sumatra Coconut Milk, still has 8g of fat in that grande beverage.
5. Putting it all together: "Original Grande Iced Caffe Mocha" contains about 360 calories, 19g of Fat, and 39g of sugar (for those of you who are following exchanges, that's 1 Dairy, 2 Starches, and 3.5 Fats). Use these tips and order a "Grande, Nonfat, No-Whip Iced Caffe Mocha with Half the Sauce" and you'll get a drink that's got all the deliciousness and contains only about 110 calories, 1g of fat, and 16g of Sugar (that's only 1 Dairy and 1/2 Starch)! Plus, you don't end up with an addition to your addiction.
Happy Sipping!
What is your Starbuck favorite?
