This Is the Healthiest Drink at Starbucks (Hint: It’s Not Black Coffee or Tea)
Updated: Oct. 12, 2017
A dietician gives the scoop on getting your caffeine kick—without damaging your diet.
More often than not, your daily Starbucks order comes with one major dilemma: Should you opt for a sugar and calorie-loaded caffeine boost, or suffer through a bitter (but healthy!) cup of black coffee or tea?
While it may be tempting to toss your diet in favor of your caffeine craving, you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. Fortunately, there are a few effective ways to make your coffee habit healthier—and no, that doesn’t mean you have to drink your coffee black. (But if you prefer your morning joe sans cream and sugar, it could say something about your personality.)
A tall caffè latte with almond milk is one of the healthiest pick-me-ups on the Starbucks menu, according to Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD. Order it iced, and you’ll knock back only 50 calories, with 5 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fat. You’ll even sneak in some nutritional benefits, too; one cup provides 25 percent of your daily calcium intake and 8 percent of the recommended daily value for vitamin A. And of course, don’t forget that hefty 75 mg of caffeine. (See how a Starbucks caffeine dose stacks up to your other favorite coffee chains.)
Meanwhile, a hot caffè latte contains just 80 calories, with 7 grams of carb and 5 grams of fat. It also packs in 35 percent of your DV of calcium and 10 percent of vitamin A, with the same amount of caffeine per cup as the iced version.
Why the difference between the iced and hot versions? “The space for ice takes away some of the milk and automatically cuts down on the calories,” Stephanie Greenspan, MS, RD, told Reader’s Digest.
If you’re still leaning towards a caramel Frap, we won’t tell. In fact, you now have an excuse to try the healthiest ways to hack the Starbucks menu.
[Source: Real Simple]
