{"id":53132,"date":"2016-10-10T07:15:45","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T11:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=53132"},"modified":"2021-11-18T11:11:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T16:11:08","slug":"starbucks-coffee-menu-health-hacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/starbucks-coffee-menu-health-hacks\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tricks to Slim Down Your Starbucks Order"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"7
Photo by\u00a0Taylor Franz<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that some coffee shop drinks can seriously break the calorie<\/a> and sugar<\/a> bank. America\u2019s fall favorite is no exception: Starbucks pumpkin spice latte<\/a> with whole milk packs 270 calories, five grams of saturated fat and 37 grams of sugar. That\u2019s more than a Snickers bar \u2014 and it doesn\u2019t even include whipped cream. Of course, that doesn\u2019t mean you have to order a boring cup of black coffee to avoid the unhealthy trap. We scoped out sneaky, healthy ways to boost the benefits of your caffeinated beverage<\/a>. Some hacks go off-menu, so don\u2019t be afraid to speak up to slim down your drink.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>16 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for Every Meal<\/a><\/p>\n

7 Secrets to Slim Down Your\u00a0Coffee Order<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. Make Your Own Flavors
\n<\/strong>Obviously, coffee beans don\u2019t grow in hazelnut, vanilla, blueberry or coconut varieties. The flavored syrups used to give your morning brew some zing can rack up extra calories, not to mention artificial sweeteners<\/a>, colorings and \u201ca slew of other ingredients that are hard to pronounce,\u201d says Marjorie Nolan Cohn<\/a>, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>. \u201cWhile these ingredients have been deemed safe by the FDA, I like to err\u00a0on the side of caution and avoid them completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

“You\u2019ll slash 70 calories ordering down from a 12-ounce tall whole milk regular latte to a short.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Instead, Cohn suggests skipping the syrup and choosing spices, like cinnamon, clove, ginger cardamom or even cocoa.<\/p>\n

Another option (at least at Starbucks): chile pepper. Studies<\/a> show<\/a> that capsaicin \u2014 the component of chile peppers that makes them firey \u2014 might contribute to weight loss and improved heart health. And thanks to Starbucks\u2019 new chile mocha<\/a>, it\u2019s now available behind the counter.While the whipped cream-topped espresso drink is more of an indulgence, you can ask your barista to add a dash of chili powder to your basic Starbucks brew.<\/p>\n

2. Keep It Short
\n<\/strong>Many coffee shops have a smaller size than what\u2019s on the menu. It may sound crazy to specifically order less<\/em> of something in our supersized country, but hear us out. Referred to as a \u201cshort\u201d at many shops (like Starbucks), the eight-ounce cup helps with portion control<\/a>. That\u2019s especially beneficial if you tend to get the caffeine jitters, says Cohn. Plus, it can help you cut back on calories and sugar. For example, you\u2019ll slash 70 calories ordering down from a 12-ounce tall whole milk regular latte to a short. You\u2019ll also feel tr\u00e8s European with small cup in hand.<\/p>\n

3. Know Your Sugars
\n<\/strong>Trying to cut back? Artificial sweeteners<\/a> unfortunately won\u2019t get the job done. Some research suggests that non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet\u2019N Low) and sucralose (Splenda), which are 180 to 300 times as sweet as sugar, may actually trick your brain into craving more dessert-like foods and drinks.<\/p>\n

Cohn recommends avoiding sugar substitutes<\/a> altogether, stressing that table sugar is fine in moderation. Organic agave and honey \u2014 which are popping up on more and more public coffee counters \u2014 are also OK, says Cohn. (Just remember, women shouldn\u2019t exceed six teaspoons of added sugar a day and men nine teaspoons, according to American Heart Association recommendations.<\/p>\n

Another good bet that won\u2019t leave you missing the sweet stuff: Dark chocolate. At Peet\u2019s Coffeee & Tea, you can order a dark chocolate latte and the barista will steam unsweetened cocoa powder (hello, antioxidants!) right in with the milk before adding it to espresso, according to a company spokesperson.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Are You Addicted to Sugar? Here\u2019s How to Break the Cycle<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Ask About Your Milk Options
\n<\/strong>Not everyone can stomach dairy, but many coffee shops don\u2019t advertise all their non-dairy \u201cmylk\u201d options, either. Take Dunkin\u2019 Donuts, for instance, who introduced almond milk in 2014 at a majority of its stores, but only recently made the milk substitute available at all of the chains nationwide. Some java outposts\u00a0offer lesser known milk alternatives, like La Colombe<\/a>, where you can enjoy your coffee the hippy way \u2014 aka with hemp milk<\/a>. Other healthy options available upon request are coconut and rice milks, says Cohn.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have a dietary restraint, feel free to sip cow\u2019s milk though. \u201cReal milk is OK \u2014 in fact, you can even add the fat back in,\u201d says Cohn. \u201cIf there were an option for organic cow\u2019s milk, that would be best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"7
Photo: Lukasz Kowalewski<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Sip on a Cold Brew
\n<\/strong>Once reserved for small, trendy coffee shops, cold brew<\/a> is now a drink for the masses. Starbucks, Peet\u2019s and Dunkin\u2019 Donuts have all jumped on the bandwagon. While iced coffee is generally just a chilled version of the hot stuff, cold brew coffee is steeped for 12 hours or more, giving it a smoother, less bitter taste. In fact, cold brew\u2019s slightly sweeter flavor makes it a good option for enjoying without added sweetener or milk. Plus, it packs 10 calories or less in 12 ounces.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 7 Worst Iced Coffee Orders<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Stick to Low-Cal Options
\n<\/strong>Speaking of low-cal, Starbucks offers a range of drinks<\/a> (some special order) for under 150 calories. Drinks like the Caff\u00e9 Americano (espresso and hot water) obviously cut down on your energy intake. But order a short, skim peppermint mocha and it\u2019ll satisfy your taste buds without shooting your daily calorie count<\/a> up 300 points. Other solid, flavorful options: a caramel macchiato with skim milk, nonfat chai tea latte and a skinny mocha Frappuccino.<\/p>\n

7. Upgrade Your Whip
\n<\/strong>If you\u2019re used to ordering a \u201cno whip\u201d latte<\/a> or blended drink, now you don\u2019t have to. At Peet\u2019s, you can get any drink topped with dairy-free whipped coconut that has about a third less fat and calories than traditional whipped topping. It\u2019s also made fresh at the shop, using coconut cream and a bit of simple syrup, charged with nitrogen dioxide. The whipped coconut cream was originally a limited-time offer, but it became so popular they kept it around. All you have to do is ask!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your Starbucks, Dunkin’ or favorite coffee drink could rack up your sugar and calorie intake \u2014 unless you use these health hacks. Consider your order upgraded!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11,18],"tags":[147,148,44,59,222,71,341,388],"class_list":["post-53132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","category-weight-loss","tag-caffeine","tag-coffee","tag-drinks","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-low-carb","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}