Whether you're #teamStarbucks or #teamDD, a lot of us are #teamcoffee. I love it, I love the way it tastes, I love to drink it in the morning and sometimes before bed! My mom let me have my first cup at 13 and I have never looked back! I've gone through seasons where I didn't drink it, but for the last 5 years it's been an almost daily dose. Sorry, not sorry.
When I'm at home, I drink my coffee black. But, when I make the trip to Starbucks, I usually get a latte or an iced coffee. I mean, I'm not paying $4-5 dollars for something that's not a little fancy. Amiright? If you're like me, how do you enjoy the fance without the extra calories, sugar, and carbs? Read on... I'll tell you what to stay away from and what's a better choice!
Let's talk DD, first. Want one of their addictive iced coffees? Stay away from the iced latte (without anything added, it already has 15g of sugar!) and instead order any of their iced coffee blends with cream (no sugar, less carbs. DD's almond milk has added sugar) and no flavor or sweetener. Any of their flavor swirls add at least 30g of sugar to a medium coffee (a small has 26g). That's 5g over your daily recommended amount as a women. If you do choose a flavor swirl, then go for a small (remember, DD's smalls are like a Grande at Starbs!) ask for them to give you just 1 pump of flavor instead of 2. This will reduce that sugar amount!
Want a hot coffee? Again, stay away from the latte and order a hot coffee with cream (0g of sugar) and no sweetener. If you do choose a sweetener, do the same as above and ask for 1 pump.
Headed to Starbucks? You know that Pink Drink you see all over Instagram as soon as summer arrives? A grande pops in at 24g of sugar. Is it worth it for the 'Gram?
Do you love their Frappuccinos? The Mocha Frap, grande, has... get ready... 61g of sugar! That is almost THREE DAYS worth of your recommended sugar intake. Help. Okay, so you see the "Light Frappuccino" option... seems better, right? It has a lot less fat, but the grande still has 26g of sugar - which, compared to 61 seems tame, but it is still over your daily limit. This is why I encourage you not to just look at calorie count or what the business is telling you is the "healthier" option.
A better option is their Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream. It has 4g of sugar for a grande. Even better is their regular Nitro Cold Brew with 0g of sugar and 5 calories for a grande.
Their iced coffee, sweetened, has 20g of sugar in a grande. Instead, order the iced coffee unsweetened (say "no simple").
A tall Toasted Coconut Cold Brew is another choice that is better with 8g of sugar and 40 calories. It's very refreshing!
The Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, tall, has 12g of sugar and if this is your "treat" for the day, then order and don't feel too guilty.
If you love hot Caramel Macchiatos, order it with almond milk instead. For a tall, it drops the sugar intake from 25g to 17g. Still a lot, but much better! Same thing with the iced version - order a tall with almond milk. Save even more sugar by skipping the caramel sauce drizzle!
I'm not recommending the skinny options because, while they have less sugar, they have fake sugar like sucralose in them instead of the processed sugar. It's like bad and worse, right? If you're getting a drink, get it with at least regular, processed sugar (Never thought you'd hear me say that, huh?!) instead of artificial, chemically made sugar that your body cannot even really break down!
Happy drinking!
