Death by chocolate, at Starbucks?

I was driving to work this morning when I heard some pretty disturbing news on the radio. One of the hosts was explaining that the delicious Starbucks drink, White Chocolate Mocha, had more sugar than most other coffee drinks. They said drinking one of these beverages (not specifying which size), was the sugar equivalent of eating eight ice cream cones. Yikes!

Saddened and shocked by this news even though the White Chocolate Mocha is not my favorite, I decided to do some research in hopes that I wouldn’t have to shun my favorite coffee café. As I clicked into the nutrition portion of the Starbucks Web site, it showed proof that this caffeinated, sugary substance was a decadent 410 calories. However, fear not! Starbucks also provides an easily accessible list of items that are “200 calories or less” for those who are trying to be more health-conscious (link here: www.starbucks.com/menu/nutrition/20-under-200). Even more, they don’t just limit the beverages by calories; you can sort by fat, fiber, protein and sodium.

There are over a dozen drinks that contain less than 200 calories. The Tazo^® tea has no calories or far at all! To alleviate the stress of the PBG workplace, I investigated the Chai Tea Latte, which is an office favorite; it too falls under the “200 or less” category. Do not worry, White Chocolate Mocha lovers, there is still hope. If you are willing to hold the whipped cream and use nonfat milk, you cut your calories in half! This pertains to any drink. If you can give up the pretty whip cream and syrup drizzle on top, you are saving yourself calories and fat, without sacrificing the taste of your drink. I guess I don’t need to avoid Starbucks after all.