Drinking coffee is an activity that we might be doing every day. It’s an act that you probably repeat over time, and actions that you repeat over time add up really quickly and have a really powerful impact on our lives, and truly shape who we are.
If you want to go with a healthy diet then you must audit every corner of your life, everything you eat, and everything you consume. And coffee from Starbucks is not an exception.
The good news is that you can still enjoy having coffee from Starbucks, but you will have to make some edits and tweaks to the type of coffee that you order in order for it to become a healthy choice that fits with your diet.
How to order a healthy coffee choice from Starbucks
There are three basic components in your coffee drink that determine if it’s diet-friendly or not, these are fats, sugars, and carbs.
By keeping those components as low as they can be you can enjoy your coffee drink from Starbucks without having to worry about your diet being ruined.
In this article, we are going to guide you through how to pick a coffee drink from Starbucks in a healthy way.
There are lots of tips regarding how you can order a healthy coffee from Starbucks, but to track and measure the progress you will need to have a strategy for your order.
Track the Sources of Trouble
First, we are going to track the sources that make your coffee drink not a diet-friendly one. Milk contains a great amount of the things we want to reduce.
Artificial sugar is also one of the sources that increase the calorie count in your cup of coffee. Cream, although it adds taste and flavor, is one of the main things that contribute in a negative way to your waistline.
You might think that by sacrificing those three components you are strapping away flavor out of your coffee cup, but it’s actually not the case. There are healthy alternatives that will keep the balance between being healthy and being tasty.
Use Alternative Milk
Almond milk is the healthiest choice you can make when it comes to ordering coffee from Starbucks. It contains two calories only compared to 38 calories from whole milk. That’s a drastic reduction of the number of calories you are adding to your cup of coffee and you are still keeping the flavor.
There are other healthy alternatives to whole milk that you could also use such as 2% milk, nonfat milk, soy milk, and coconut milk, but almond milk is the healthiest option you could go with because it has the lowest calorie count.
If you have never had Organic Valley milk, this is another great way to make your coffee healthier. They have so many choices in milk with 13 essential nutrients and its certified organic. Their milk is from cows who are well cared for and get to exhibit their natural behaviors. This is one of the main reasons that I have chosen their milk for years now is because I know that they are known for bringing ethically-made organic food to families and that is really important to my daughter and I.
Another great thing about Organic Valley is that they have rigorous quality standards that ensure you’re getting the best, most delicious milk. In fact, Organic Valley exceeds the organic standards to bring the best to families everywhere. What I will do is if I order a coffee from Starbucks, I will ask for no milk and I will bring it home with my to put my own Organic Valley milk in.
This is our favorite one:
Reduce the Creamer
We are going to attack next to the creamer, the cream adds 120 calories and 12 grams of fat to your cup of coffee which makes it in the eyes of health an unhealthy choice, but in the defense of cream it tastes delicious and it adds a lot of flavor to your coffee, so basically we won’t sacrifice it unless it’s your choice.
If you have decided to stick with cream then ask the barista for a lite whip, this is a healthier version of cream that will still keep your coffee taste the way you are used to. It contains only 20 calories comparing it to the 120 calories of the standard cream, so by ordering lite whip you are reducing the calorie count of your coffee cup, enjoying your coffee the way you are used to, and making healthier choices that will keep your diet plans successful.
Control the Amount of Artificial Sugar
According to AHA women should consume 25 grams of sugar a day while men should consume 36. Going beyond that limit is an unhealthy tactic and is going to impact your diet in a negative way.
When ordering your coffee from Starbucks ask for one pump of sugar instead of the standard 4 pumps they add to every cup of coffee. This way you are reducing the amount of sugar that gets into your body and you’re making healthier choices that will help you succeed with your weight loss plan.
Check The Calorie Count of the Starbucks Drink You are Ordering
All Starbucks stores in the United States now have to list nutritional information for the standard versions of their drinks on the in-store menus. So make sure to check the calorie count on the drink you are going to order and try to pick drinks that have lower calories.
Build a Habit of Enjoying Espresso
Espresso has only 9 calories so if you get your daily caffeine dosage by only drinking espresso this would be one of the healthiest choices that you could make. You could also make espresso at home by buying an espresso machine and having the taste of coffee at your disposal.
About Americano
Americano, alongside espresso, is one of the healthiest choices that you could pick in Starbucks. It contains only 15 calories making it at the top of the list of the healthiest coffee drinks.
The problem with americano is the taste, the flavor. It straps away what you love from your cup of coffee and it can be a bit bitter and it might not have the best taste.
If you are serious about being healthy then you could gradually decrease the amount of Artificial sugar, milk, and cream in your coffee until you reach the level of americano and dark coffee, this way you will get your daily dosage of caffeine in the healthiest way possible.
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