Better Options at the Coffee Shop

Many of us may find ourselves making daily trips to the coffee shop to get our favorite drinks, especially during these cold winter months. Some drinks at coffee shops can be fairly high in calories, and it's very easy to overlook or forget about the calories we've consumed from such drinks. In general, it's more healthy to eat our calories rather than drink them, but I also understand that we need to be realistic, and for many people, the drink from the coffee shop is what emotionally or mentally helps them get through the day.

I recently came across an article giving advice about how to save calories at the coffee house (click the link). The tips were very simple and practical, and included the following:

• Switch to non-fat milk
• Use less sweetener
• Flavor your coffee with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to reduce the amount of sweetener
• Go easy or light on the syrups
• Leave off the whip cream
• Use the nutrition facts to make decisions (most chain coffee shops have this information available online)
• Don't be afraid to make modifications or special requests

It's amazing how many calories you can save by making just a few of these simple changes. Here are some examples from Starbucks of how making a few changes can save calories:

Instead of this:

16 oz mocha with 2% milk and whip cream = 330 calories

Choose this:

16 oz mocha with skim milk and no whip = 220 calories

Instead of this:

16 oz flavored latte with 2% milk = 250 calories

Choose this:

16 oz plain latte with skim milk = 130 calories

Instead of this:

16 oz hot chocolate with 2% milk and whip cream = 370 calories

Choose this:

16 oz hot chocolate with skim milk and no whip = 240 calories

Instead of this:

16 oz caramel macchiato with 2% milk = 240 calories

Choose this:

16 oz caramel macchiato with skim milk = 190 calories

Making a few healthy modifications to the drinks we order can go a long way in helping us achieve our healthy eating goals.

Rachel Cope MPH, RC, CD