Have you ever looked at the nutrition information online at Starbucks? For many of their beverages, we are talking (empty) calories galore! If you are trying to stick to 1500 to 2000 calories per day, a trip to Starbucks could use a quarter or a third of your daily calories, and totally blow your diet. Being thoughtful about what you order can help you be smart about not consuming empty calories. You can still join your pals for a coffee date without breaking the caloric bank!
Here are the calorie counts for just a few of Starbucks popular beverages:
- A 16 ounce Carmel Macchiato with Whole Milk is 280 calories. If you think you’ll save a few calories with Soy Milk, you will, but only a few! That one is 250 calories. With non-fat milk or coconut milk, it is 200 calories.
- The 16-ounce Unicorn Frappuccino with whole milk is only 290 calories. With almond milk, it is 250 calories, and with non-fat milk, it is 260 calories.
- A 16-ounce Pumpkin Spice Latte with whole milk is 350 calories. With non-fat milk, it is 260 calories.
- The Mocha is not available with whole milk. A 16-ounce Mocha with 2% Milk is 400 calories. Make it with almond milk and you knock that down to 320 calories.
- A 16 ounce “Christmas Tree Frappuccino” blended with Whole Milk is a whopping 420 calories! You’ll only save 30 calories if you get the non-fat milk version.
Why not try a simple Americano? The 16-ounce size has only 15 calories. If you pour in a tablespoon of half and half, you’ll add only 19 calories and bump the total up to 34 calories, which is still within a very acceptable range. You could also choose a Passion Iced Tea. It’s a very pretty color and all or zero calories.
I got these numbers from the Fast Food Nutrition site.
I’m a coffee snob and I genuinely like the taste of coffee and espresso. Don’t hide that flavor with caramel, or pumpkins, or Unicorns!