Are your coffee drinks packing on as many calories as your meals?

Possibly.

Recently my dad was telling me about his new favorite coffee drink from a popular fast food chain.  He wanted my opinion on the drink and to make sure it wasn’t “that bad” for him.

In case you don’t know, like my dad, the majority of restaurants have their nutritional information online so you can determine if the meal or beverage really is that “bad” for you.  So right away I went online to look up the nutritional information on his favorite drink.  Much to my alarm I found out that his new favorite drink reached over 600 calories!  Over 600 calories is more than a meal and yes it really is that bad for him.  Ideally a meal should provide somewhere between 350 and 500 calories, depending on how active you are.

After my initial shock wore off I decided to investigate the caloric content of other popular drinks.  Here are some of the worst picks I found along with better picks for a healthier alternative:

Starbucks

Bad Picks:

Venti Tazo Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Creme

540 calories, 3.5 g total fat, .5 g saturated fat, 95 g sugar

Comparable to: 3 chocolate bars

Venti Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha

590 calories, 15 g total fat

Comparable to: 2 chocolate croissants

Better Pick:

Venti Tazo Shaken Iced Tea

130 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 31 g sugar

Tall Caramel Macchiato with nonfat milk

140 calories, 1 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 23 g sugar

McDonald’s

Bad Pick:

Large Caramel Frappe

680 calories, 32.5 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 88 g sugar

Comparable to: Big Mac with vanilla reduced fat ice cream cone

Large Mocha with whole milk

400 calories, 14 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 49 g sugar

Comparable to: Southern Style Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Better Pick:

Medium Iced Nonfat Caramel Latte

150 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 32 g sugar

Large Nonfat Latte

120 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 18 g sugar

Dunkin’ Donuts

Bad Pick:

Large Coffee Coolatta with Cream

800 calories, 46 g total fat, 29 g saturated fat, 86 g sugar

Comparable to: 3 jelly filled donuts

Large Mocha Spice Latte (Iced or Hot)

450 calories, 12 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 64 g sugar

Comparable to: 2 chocolate frosted donuts

Better Pick:

Large Iced Coffee with skim milk

30 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 3 g sugar

Large Latte Lite (Iced or Hot)

160 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 20 g sugar

Short and small black coffee, cappuccino with nonfat milk, and unsweetened tea are always great options as well.

Please take advantage of the online nutritional information and check before you order.  Not only because excess calories cause weight gain but because you deserve to give your body the healthiest choice.

Have a great week!

Renee