High Calorie Coffee Drinks - Just in Time for the Holidays

With the Holidays fast approaching we tend to drink more coffee and eat a lot more desserts. Its gets really bad on the waistline when our coffee starts to have as many calories as a dessert, but unfortunately many specialty coffee drinks are like a dessert, not something you should consume on a daily basis unless you give them the caloric respect they deserve.

How much damage can your favorite coffee drink do in additional calories added to your diet? The fancier the drink, the fancier the calories - especially when you opt for the whipped topping.  An extra 200 calories a day can add up to 21 extra pounds added to your body per year!

If you can't give up your daily gourmet guzzle, know what calories you are adding to your body before you make your decision on which coffee drink to purchase. You don't need to give up your favorite coffee drink, but just adjust your coffee order to make it more calories conscious.

Try the following tips to make your next coffee drink more guilt-free:

• Black Coffee - It is not the coffee that makes you gain weight, but all the extras that go in the drink. A medium-size regular cup of coffee has about 10 calories and 0 grams of sugar. You can control how much of those extras you put in your coffee. So order a black coffee and ask for the extras on the side and pour them in yourself.
   


• Whipping Cream - By saying NO to whipped cream, you can reduce your calories of the drink about 80 to 130 calories. This will also reduce the fat content of your drink by about 8 to 12 grams.
   


• Sweeteners - Request that whey use a calorie-free sweetener like Sweet'N Low, Splenda, or Equal instead of sugar.
   


• Sugar-Free Syrup - Usually the coffee shop will have some sugar-free syrup. The sugar-free syrup adds no additional calories or fat to your drink.
  
  Chocolate - A tablespoon of chocolate syrup is 50 calories. Some coffee drinks with chocolate contain as much as 1/4 cup (1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons = 200 calories). A light version of chocolate syrup gives you about 1/2 the calories.
   


• Milk - User reduced fat or skim milk instead of cream when ordering your drink. You can save up to 140 calories by using this in your coffee drinks.
   

Coffee Drink

Serving Size

Calories

Carmel Frappuccino Coffee, no whip

16 fluid ounces

280

Carmel Frappuccino Coffee, whip

16 fluid ounces

430

Carmel Frappuccino Coffee only

16 fluid ounces

260

Caffe Latte, non-fat milk

16 fluid ounces

165

Caffe Latte, whole milk

16 fluid ounces

260

Caffe Latte, whole milk

16 fluid ounces

140

Caffe au Lait, non-fat milk

16 fluid ounces

90

Caffe Americano

16 fluid ounces

15

Caffe Mocha, whole milk, whip

16 fluid ounces

400

Caffe Mocha, non-fat milk, whip

16 fluid ounces

330

Caffe Mocha, non-fat milk, no whip

16 fluid ounces

220

Mocha Malt Frappuccino Coffee, whip

16 fluid ounces

570

Coffee, Mocha, white chocolate, non-fat milk, whip

344

Cappuccino, whole milk

16 fluid ounces

150

Cappuccino, non-fat milk

16 fluid ounces

100

So unless you are careful that great tasting calorie drink can be killing your diet. And if you combine it with a cheese cake you are really asking for. Have a great Holiday but watch those caloric coffee monsters.