Starbucks for Less- Calories

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Ok, so laying it all on the table, I have had Starbucks A LOT in the past few weeks. Like once a day A LOT. Why?! You ask with mild concern and fear in your voice (unless you are one of my Starbucks loving friends who does not understand why this is a big deal)- Well, there are many bits to this Starbucks coffee storm.

In part, it is because I have has a ton of meetings there and you do not go to a place without getting something. That's just manners. Second, I keep having this pesky issue with forgetting my wallet at home and wanting food while out. Until recently I did not know that Apple Pay was up and the only way I could get food without stealing it was to go to Starbucks and pay through the app (also, let's just gloss over the whole driving without a license thing. Ok? Ok!)

And finally, it has gotten about as cold as Florida gets and I will take advantage of that with hot yoga, wearing scarfs, wearing scarfs at hot yoga (yes, I did), and drinking copious amounts of hot yummy coffee beverages. Oh, and as far as drive thru coffee is concerned, Starbucks averages the lowest calories between McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts.  All of this together and you have a Starbucks fiend on your hands.

Thankfully, there is a way to lower the super high amount of sugar and calories in your super yummy drink. Keep reading for the big, three part reveal! Drums roll.

The Easiest Way

Warning, the easiest way may not always be the healthiest or yummiest option. But, it can work in a pinch. For this, all you need to do is read up on the 200 calories or less menu at Starbucks. All of the drinks are Tall options (gross) and most are teas. If you are wanting a coffee,  the Skinny Vanilla Latte will run you 100 calories, the nonfat Cappuccino will only set you back 60 calories, and the nonfat Caramel Macchiato is only 140. Not too shabby, especially considering that a tall coffee is about the average person's cup.

But, what if you are not the average person and a cup of coffee is not a cup of coffee unless you need both hands to hold it and your cup could be confused with a bowl? Well, your in luck!

Soy and NonFat

Getting ready, a whole milk grande latte has between 150 (cafe latte) and 460 calories (Eggnog Latte)!!?! If you want to avoid some unneeded calories this coffee season, avoid whole milk. When it comes to dairy in your drink, Nonfat is the best with Soy coming in at a close second. This will shave between 10 and 100+ calories off your drink. Even better, many of these calories would be from fat.

To get a good idea, here is the run down on the Hazelnut Macchiato (my favorite), the Gingerbread Latte, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Whole Milk Hazelnut Macchiato

• 270 calories
• 10 grams fat
• 35 carbs
• 10 grams protein

Nonfat/Soy Hazelnut Macchiato

• 190 calories (NF)/ 230 calories (Soy)
• 0 grams fat/ 4.5 grams fat
• 35 carbs/ 39 carbs
•  11 grams protein/ 9 grams protein

Whole Milk Gingerbread Latte

• 290 calories
• 10 grams fat
• 37 carbs
• 11 grams protein

Nonfat/Soy Gingerbread Latte

• 200 calories (NF)/ 250 calories (Soy)
• 0 grams fat/ 5 grams fat
• 38 carbs/ 42 carbs
• 11 grams protein/ 9 grams protein

Whole Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 340 calories
• 10 grams fat
• 50 carbs
• 14 grams protein

Nonfat/Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 260 calories (NF)/ 310 calories (Soy)
• 0 grams fat/ 5 grams fat
• 50 carbs/ 54 carbs
• 14 grams protein/ 12 grams protein

Less Sugar

Less sugar equals less calories. The goal, even beyond fewer calories is to have it be healthier. There are always ways to make things fat free or sugar free, but sometimes, what we are replacing it with is even worse than the fat or the sugar. That is, unless we are simply something away. To get less sugar in your Starbucks drinks, the best way is to ask them to put less in from the start. This has been my go-to for YEARS and I have probably already mentioned it on the blog once or twice before.

A flavored grande drink from Starbucks will have 4 pumps of syrup in it. That is a lot. Usually, it is very hard to tell the difference in taste between three pumps and four pumps, but the health benefits are vast. Each pump of Pumpkin Spice Syrup has 33 calories and 5 carbs. If you were to cut out 1-2 pumps, you would be saving about 66 calories and 10 carbs, bringing the total down to less than 200 calories and 40 carbs. That is still a TON of carbs, but it is a whole lot less. Although these numbers are quite high, the average flavored Starbucks syrup has 20 calories and 5 carbs but the Gingerbread has 80 calories per pump and 19 carbs.

Syrups to Avoid

Unfortunately, not all Starbucks flavors are created equal. To avoid unwanted calories, avoid the Starbucks flavors that have far too many. These include the Eggnog which is one of the least healthy and calorie loaded drinks Starbucks has. Next up is Gingerbread which is incredibly high in the calorie count.

Say No to Fluff

The Starbucks whipped cream and drizzle may be tasty and pretty, but is adds on plenty of useless calories to any drink. That whipped cream will set you back 80 calories, 2 carbs, and 8 grams of fat. Drizzle varies but will be 20+ calories. Just. Say. No.

Avoid the Skinny

You may think that ordering the Skinny option of anything is your best bet at Starbucks. Yes, that is true if you are only looking at carbs, fat, and calories, but reading the label tells a completely different story. The Starbucks Skinny syrups are the sugar free options. These use Sucralose, a sugar replacement that has been linked to plenty of nasty things. Sucralose has compounds that the human body cannot break down, much like trans fat. These compounds are mainly sotred in our kidneys and liver and will accumulate over time.

Although the absorption rate of Sucralose is only 10%-40% depending on research facility, you are still absorbing 10%-40% of something in your body that will never break down. Even worse, Sucralose has been linked to causing birth defects, shrinking of the thymus gland (needed for T-cell growth and proper immune function), enlarged liver and kidneys, and a reduced growth rate.

Sure, you may not be getting extra calories, but the side effects are just not worth the Skinny name.

Beer, Wine, or Liquor, Which is Healthiest: Beer and Wine

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Does anyone else feel like the first part of the year was made for party and the second half is for business? I mean, we start of the year with New Year's where champagne is handed out like candy way before they ball drops until way after. Then, we move to Valentine's Day for the wine lovers followed up by St. Patrick's Day with it's green beer, Irish beer, and any other kind of beer available anywhere. Thankfully, we get a month off until Cinco de Mayo strikes. These holidays can leave any waist-watching human in a bit of a lurch. We all know that alcohol packs on the pounds, even for those who are only have a glass or two a week (some models swear it off months before big shows).

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, it seems like the perfect time to talk drinks- which are good, which are bad, and which we should avoid like the plague. Surprisingly, beer is not one of those that need be avoided.

When I started this article, I planned for it to be one, super informative bit with recipes, health benefits and risks, and nutritional information for beer, red wine, white wine, and liquors. But, it was going to be the longest article ever written on P+K by a long shot. Instead, we will have two segments of drinks over the next three days. Today, we will start with beer and wine and tomorrow will be the hard stuff

Beer

Beer drinkers rejoice. New research shows that beer can help lower cardiovascular disease and has more protein and B vitamins than red wine. The hops actually help reduce bad cholesterol from the polyphenols found in hops naturally. The yeast that comprises beer is also a probiotic that aids our body in digestion, much like yogurt. Even better, new research has also found beer to have the same amounts of antioxidants as red wine. As a rule of thumb, the darker the beer, the richer it is in antioxidants.

Unfortunately, the health benefits end after 12-ounces so keep your intake low to get all the benefits with fewer of the beer pitfalls known as a beer belly. Here is the nutritional info of your average beer:

• Calories: 140-270 depending on the beer. Craft beers tend to have a higher calorie content than your Michelob or Bud counterparts. Color does not make a difference for calories. Light beer has under 100 calories
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 10-15 grams, depending on the beer.
• Protein: 1 gram, on average

Red Wine

It is a common known fact that red wine is better for us than white. Red wine has antioxidants that help increase the good cholesterol and fight against heart disease. This is mainly due to the antioxidant, Resveratrol. Resveratrol could also be linked to decreasing the risk of blood clotting and inflammation. Other polyphenols in red wine could also help protected the lining of our blood vessels and heart. Just like beer though, red wine's benefits are not seen after one glass.

The average red wine has among the fewest calories, fats, and carbs compare to most other alcohols. An average serving, or 5 fluid ounces of wine has:

• Calories: 125 (25 calories per ounce)
• Carbohydrates: 3-5 grams depending on the red wine
• Fat: 0 grams
• Protein: 0 grams

White Wine

White wine is among the least beneficial drinks when it comes to nutritional content, but, is better in the form of calories. On average, white wine has four calories less per ounce than red wine. Dessert wines tend to have a much greater calorie count at 45 calories per ounce. The average 5 fluid once glass of white wine contains:

• Calories: 121
• Carbohydrates: 4 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Protein: 0 grams

Why Eat Kale

1. Flat Belly Kale Smoothie from Fitsugar 2. Lemony Kale Salad from Marthe Stewart 3. Spicy Tahini Baked Kale Chips from Pumps and Iron 4. Best Fish and Kale Recipe from P+K

Kale is a great way to get plenty of vitamins and nutrients along with fiber. Most of us know this already, and most of us eat is already. Here are just a few more reasons why we should all have some kale in our diets. Raw kale is 72% carbs, 12% fats, and 16% proteins. One cup of uncooked kale has:

• 33 calories
• 6.7 grams carbs
• 1.3 grams dietary fiber
• More omega-3 fatty acids than omega-6
• 206% the daily recommended vitamin A
• 134% the daily recommended vitamin C
• 684% the daily recommended vitamin K
• 26% the daily recommended manganese

We try to add kale to as many things as possible. Baby kale is great in smoothies with strawberries, bananas, and spinach. Cooked kale is incredible with fish, salt, and garlic, and kale chips are one of the yummiest splurge treats ever!