Photo: pierofix, Flickr

A cup of coffee usually has fewer than 10 calories, so why is recent research finding that our afternoon coffee breaks might be making us fat? OK, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out -- while black coffee or tea on their own are practically calorie-free, not many people actually drink them this way, and all the add-ons can send the calorie count soaring.

Researchers from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene set out to find out just how we like our coffee and followed the habits of afternoon coffee drinkers at Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts for 11 weeks. They found that while 78 percent of patrons at Dunkin' Donuts stuck to regular coffee with milk or sugar (averaging around 69 calories a cup), two-thirds of Starbucks addicts opted for fancier coffees, which upped the calorie count drastically.

Source

With winter here, those iced coffees we enjoyed so much over the summer will have to be, well, put on ice for the time being.

Biting winds and chilling temperatures make drinking a nice, steaming hot drink what most people reach for during these colder months. Just be sure to take note of how many calories you're downing. Some contain very few, while others may contain far more than you think.

Here are just a few popular winter drinks, along with their respective caloric content.

• Black Coffee: 2 calories
• Spiced Apple Cider: 120 calories
• Hot Cocoa w/ Skim Milk: 197 calories
• Chai Latte: 240 calories

Above and beyond these drinks, many of those fancy mocha coffees from Starbucks and Seattle's Best come with a very hefty caloric price tag. Stay warm, but drink wisely.

Source

Unless you're someone who can stomach their coffee black, a cup of joe each day has the potential to ruin your diet. Here are some tips for making your coffee or specialty coffee drink calorie wise without compromising the taste.

• If lattes or milk-based coffee drinks are your thing, order them with nonfat milk.
• Or, for a foamy but low-cal alternative, why not try a cappuccino?
• Skip the whipped cream. It comes with many specialty drinks so be sure to ask your barista.
• Avoid flavour shots unless they're sugar-free.
• Try an Americano -- they're delicious and very low in calories.
  
• If you like your brew with cream, try nonfat milk or even fat-free cream -- it's only 15 calories a tablespoon.
  
• If you're a sweet-tooth, use an artificial sweetener, or try to see if you can handle half the sugar you usually use.

For more tips, check out this article from eDiets.

What's your favourite healthy coffee drink?

Source

Does a latter have as much caffeine as a regular coffee? Does a large regular coffee have the same amount of caffeine as an espresso? Does a chai latte have caffeine? As someone who needs that caffeine kick in the morning, I'm always wondering these things when I head to Starbucks. Or course, for me the idea is to get a good dose of caffeine, but you might ask the same questions if you're looking to cut down on your caffeine. Luckily, Diet Blog has a guide the the amount of caffeine in your favourite Starbucks drinks.

Interestingly, regular brewed coffee has more caffeine than anything. The Americano comes in next, and then Cafe Mocha. To see the full list click here.

Source

With all the good news we've been hearing about coffee and its health benefits lately, plus the impending cool weather (we've already had a few chilly mornings here in the Midwest) knowing how to navigate the coffee shop menu and get exactly what you want is a pretty valuable skill. Unless you take your coffee straight black, though, it can be a tricky thing to figure out. What's the difference between an Espresso Macchiato and an Espresso con Panna? And what about a Flat White and a Cafe Breve? This handy chart couldn't be simpler, so if you walk out of the shop with whipped creme no more excuses that it was an accident!

Via Slashfood

Source

Are you a coffee fan? If so, you may have joined me in the universe of being an off again/on again fan of coffee as my last surviving intake of caffeine.

In general, simple black coffee is not bad at all, calorie-wise. A regular cup of unsweetened black coffee contains around four calories, which is just a small blip on any day's caloric intake. Adding milk (full cream) will raise the calorie count to around 15 -- still not bad.

But, when I enter a coffee shop and see these luxurious lattes and macchiatos being served, I can't help but wonder how many calories are inside each one. I can imagine some of those drinks having 300 to 500 calories each -- enough for a full meal.

Source

With major hubs like New York City passing city-wide trans fat bans, many restaurants and shops -- franchises, chains, and even the tiny "mom & pop" places -- are being forced to take a serious look at their menus and the ways they prepare their food.

Starbucks is the latest to jump onboard the trans-fat-free bandwagon, stating that they've actually been working on it for about 2 years already -- and had already "quietly" replaced the fats in their national items like the pumpkin spice muffins and gingerbread.

Why quietly? Am I missing something...?

Whatever! Bottom line this is more good news for a good trend.

Source

There's nothing better than a steaming mocha latte on the way to work on a frosty morning, or a big cup of hot chocolate during a snow storm. But unfortunately those cozy moments of seemingly small indulgences can really add up in the form of calories in your cup and inches on your waist. But iVillage.com has some low-cal alternatives that keep those "winter woolies" feelings but lose the guilt trip.

Being somebody who usually has a hard time with "diet" versions of anything, I was excited to see the first item on the list was something I already love: mocha coffee! Take one packet of sugar-free hot chocolate and mix it with a cup of coffee, instead of water. Compared to a coffee house mocha latte, this version will cut about 190 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 17 grams of sugar. And it really tastes good!

Other recipes for healthy hot drinks include egg nog and pumpkin spice lattes, and even a few of the dietician's personal favorites.

Source

If you've been known to grab a meal or two on the run at your local fast food joint, test your knowledge of the food you're eating with this quiz. The answers to the questions you are given may surprise you. Do you really know how many calories you're adding to your pizza with that dipping sauce? And do you really know which breakfast choices are the best? I got 7/10 -- less than I thought I would get since I research this stuff every day. Some of the answers shocked me, which is hard to do when I'm surrounded by alarming facts every day.

What did you get? What answers surprised you?

Source

Ahhh ... Christmas. A time of family and friends, parties and presents, shopping malls and mistletoe, red noses and singing and who could forget all the twinking lights? It's a magical time of the year, one that wouldn't be complete with my favorite Christmas shopping beverage -- the eggnog latte from Starbucks. The truth is, I'll probably wish I let myself be blissfully ignorant as to how much calories and fat this creamy delight has, but inquiring minds want to know, so here we go:

How many calories and grams of fat are in a Starbucks Eggnog Latte?

a) 510 cal, 29 g of fat
b) 625 cal, 15 g of fat
c) 320 cal, 17 g of fat
d) 225 cal, 22 g of fat

Source

["How Many Calories" is a regular feature that reveals the surprising calorie content in various foods. Thought-provoking, indeed. We're always on the lookout for surprising calorie counts, so let us know what you're finding and we may blog about it!]

How many calories ... In a Starbucks 16-ounce nonfat white chocolate mocha, hold the whipped cream?

(a) 190
(b) 390
(c) 490
(d) 690

Source