If you’re like me, nothing screams comfort more than a hot Starbucks drink on a chilly day.
And yes, I’m a California girl (aka temperature snob) and consider anything below 65 degrees to be chilly.
One thing I’m not the hugest fan of, though, is the amount of fat, sugar, and calories that tempt me on the menu when I’m ordering. While I definitely treat myself to unhealthy drinks occasionally, I try to make a habit of ordering lighter items most of the times so that the only thing getting damaged is my wallet!
Since the weather is getting cooler, I think that we all could use a guide to which Starbucks drinks provide a winning combination of flavor and healthier nutritional stats!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for hibernating in hoodies and sweatpants, gaining some extra fluff is not on my to-do list! Here’s how lightening up your drink can help:
Order nonfat milk: I personally barely notice the change from 2% (Starbucks standard) to nonfat milk in my drinks, especially with flavored lattes. By ordering your drink to be made with nonfat milk, you can cut around 1/3 of the calories and around 7 grams of fat in most tall drinks!
Go with a smaller size: As Americans, we’ve gotten so used to humongous portion sizes in both meals and drinks. By simply ordering a smaller size, you’re cutting unnecessary calories, fat, and sugar from your drink while still getting a pretty sizable treat.
Skip the whipped cream: Whipped cream can add around 120 calories and 11 grams of fat to your drink. What a ripoff! You could drink two nonfat lattes for the amount of calories whipped cream tacks on and save on all 11 grams of fat. If whipped cream is a must for you, though, order “light whip” so they go easy on the good stuff.
Add spices for flavor: I love adding a bit of cinnamon into my drink for a punch of delicious flavor and the soothing smell! In fact, spices such as cinnamon have been shown by studies to have positive health effects such as regulating your blood sugar, reducing LDL (the bad kind) cholesterol, and reducing inflammation. Win!
Now, let’s go hit up the ‘Bucks!
Also, I worked for a couple of hours today on coming up with a new subscription newsletter for when I update a post! It’s pretty and informative so you should…uh… subscribe.
(shameless self-promotion)
Question of the Day: What’s your go-to Starbucks drink?
xo Christine
So good! It’s all about making a few small changes; they can make all the difference and you don’t have to do without
And after all, doesn’t cinnamon make everything better? Haha.
I’m not sure if this is a sign of international differences, but I’ve never seen a pumpkin-spice latte in Australia. Ever. It seems like the worlds most genius combination with the exception of chocolate and peanut butter 😉
Think I might have to hit up a few recipes and make my own
haha – love your shameless self-promotion!!! Of course I needed to subsrcibe
HEYYYYYY buddy. You should add a new option- move to Australia. Your smallest size coffee is our largest!
And I think I subscribed… is there a way to check? I’ll just check my inbox daily,hourly,secondly for this giraffe encrypted newsletter!
Wait that’s crazy that that’s your largest size. Uhhh American obesity epidemic, say what? 😉
Yum! Love all of these! My recent favorite is a nonfat earl grey tea latte (and only 110 cals to boot!)….it is so good!!
Another tip that I just discovered the other day is to ask for only 1 pump of whatever syrup you’re using–or even request sugar-free syrup. A few days ago, I had an iced decaf (stupid caffeine intolerance) Americano with a splash of soy and 1 pump of pumpkin spice. Essentially tasted like an iced pumpkin spice latte, but much healthier and a lot less sweet (which some people complain about).
My go-to Starbucks drink may become that, but prior to concocting that, it was a soy latte. Healthy and delicious.
sugar-free hazelnut soy latte is my jam! Well actually I’m a tea love but when I need my coffee fix it’s my go-to.
I love a good latte! But I also enjoy making my healthy too. Sometimes Americano or iced coffee with PSL or another favorite! : )
I always get nonfat milk because I can’t stand the taste of milk fat. I don’t know what it is but it grosses me out! Also, I don’t like my drinks TOO sweet (because I love black coffee) so I opt for just one pump of the syrups! It still adds flavor but not TOO much!
Love these tips! I’m the queen of healthifying starbucks
Lately I’ve really been feeling the blonde brew with a shot of sugar free syrup topped off with a whole lotta cinnamon!tte
Wish they had a skinny version of the pumpkin spiced latte but that’s not there yet. So, I will sometimes just order a pumpkin spice with skim. Still a lot of sugar but so worth it!
Love these tips! I’m actually not typically a big coffee drinker, but every once in a while I get in the mood for it. If I do go to Starbucks, I have not idea what to that’s on the lower fat side, so this will be perfect.
Great tips girl! I love the Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte… that’s my go-to.
Loving your blog savvy skills with the newsletter and pop-up! Good for you, girly
One of the reasons I really rarely drink anything besides water (and alcohol lol) is because of all the calories. I love getting vanilla frappuchinos from Starbucks but try to skip out on the whip cream and only get the smallest size. These are great tips, especially with all of the exciting new seasonal drinks coming out.
I’m a fan of the skinny vanilla latte! That’s what I order when I’m trying to keep it light. I usually just drink my own regular coffee in my office (I have my own pot, I’m not an addict I swear). Just a little bit of sugar-free flavored creamer still gives me a yummy drink without a ton of calories.
Nice post that I’m sure everyone can use!
The Starbucks app also has the nutritional info for all of their food and drinks if you aren’t sure if the caffeine fix will be worth the calorie cost.
It’s crazy how high in calories some of the drinks at Starbucks are! I always stick to an iced green tea without sweetener but now that it’s getting cold, I’m tempted to get something warm with whipped cream. But it’s not quite worth the 120 calories. These are great tips!
My go to ‘bucks drink is a grande coffee with a shot of sugar free vanilla and then I add a splash of milk and some cinnamon. HEAVEN! I just got it this morning and had a lovely impromptu coffee date with the manfriend
My winter drink is Skinny Peppermint Mocha and my summer drink is a Passion Tea Lemonade
I have never had Starbucks. Coffee just doesn’t really appeal to me! (And I live in the middle of nowhere… ) I wish I was as tech savvy as you!
My favorite is the cinnamon dolce latte! Although, I’m sad to see The Pumpkin Spice Latte didn’t make the list
Great post! I actually brew my own coffee at home so that I can save money and my waistline. I use fat free half and half or almond milk depending upon what I can get my hand on. I used to use two Splenda but now have cut down to one! I’m working on switching to Stevia. Love Starbucks but it’s more for special occasions (like when I’m out of milk!).
A hot cup of coffee really is the perfect treat on a cold winter day. I love the cinnamon dolce flavor. I usually just get one pump at most and skim or soy milk with my lattes. Although with how often I get starbucks i’m sure it wouldnt matter if I ordered the full fat milk. My favorite coffee drink at home has been coffee with coconut milk. The coconut milk makes it so creamy.
I was seriously JUST talking about doing a newsletter! You’ll have to share some of your awesome blogging knowledge with your fellow giraffe lover 😉 And I love adding cinnamon to drinks! I finally got to the point where I can drink my coffee black but I still add cinnamon for a little extra oomph! Loooove it.
I would definitely say my go-to Starbucks drink is definitely an americano! I don’t really get too fancy with my coffee.
Occasionally I’ll get a skinny vanilla latte if I’m craving something sweet!
Great post
Natasha
Love the tips! I will definitely do the nonfat milk from now on … do you know what is on the top of the pumpkin spice latte?
And my go to is the PSL … <3 those!
Well I’m a KY girl and I also consider anything below 65 to be chilly so I promise you’re not that big of a snob
Great tips on how to lighten up your beverage…Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes are my favorite when I’m trying to be good
mmm I usually try to order skim milk and definitely no whip cream! But, sometimes you just have to to get the full effect, and for those calories I am not ashamed, it happens!