The 6 Worst Coffee Drinks
6. #6: Worst Chocolaty Coffee Drink: Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)
520 calories, 23 g fat (15 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 350 mg sodium, 69 g sugars
Talk about double trouble. Within this chocolate calamity lurks three-quarters of your recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and as much sugar as you’ll find in 10 Rainbow Popsicles! Slash your calorie intake by switching to skim milk and cutting out the whipped cream. Knock the size down to a grande, and switch from the frappe to an iced mocha, and you’re looking at a drink with 350 fewer calories than when you started. Make a switch like that every single day, and you’ll lose about 6 pounds in two months!
Drink This Instead!
Grande Iced Caffe Mocha with Skim Milk (No Whipped Cream)
170 calories, 2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans), 70 mg sodium, 28 g sugars
5. #5: Worst Seasonal Coffee Drink: Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Gingerbread Latte (large)
450 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 290 mg sodium, 68 g sugars
This holiday horror packs a whopping 68 grams of sugar (that’s as much as in three and a half Twinkies!) and almost a quarter of your daily calories. (Hope you weren’t planning to eat much today.) To enjoy the same chilly gingerbread coffee flavor, simply swap the latte for iced coffee and drop down a size. Suddenly, you’re looking at nearly half as much sugar and a far more digestible 270 calories.
Drink This Instead!
Iced Gingerbread Coffee with Cream (medium)
270 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated), 90 mg sodium, 36 g sugars
4. #4: Worst Caramel-Flavored Coffee Drink: McDonalds Caramel Latte with Whole Milk (large)
330 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated), 210 mg sodium, 51 g sugars
This caramel confection hides an unhealthy dose of sugar and an unnecessary amount of calories. But don’t blame the caramel flavoring entirely. Choose the flavored cappuccino instead for a fat-free, lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternative that will hit your sweet spot just the same. When given the choice, always opt for a cappuccino over a latte—they’re made with less milk than lattes, which means they’re lighter, with fewer calories.
Drink This Instead!
Caramel Cappuccino with Skim Milk (medium)
190 calories, 0 g fat, 150 mg sodium, 41 g sugars
3. #3: Worst “Arctic” Coffee Drink: Cosi Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (12 oz)
434 calories, 22 g fat (13 g saturated), 241 mg sodium, 46 g sugars
This drink’s deliciousness is no excuse for its queasy dietary overload: as many calories as you’ll find in nine Chicken McNuggets, as much sugar as in three and a half bowls of Froot Loops, and as much saturated fat as in 13 strips of bacon. Get the same great taste with a quarter of the fat and 245 fewer calories by opting for an arctic latte instead. No need for all that superfluous chocolate—the latte is just as delicious without the extra baggage.
Drink This Instead!
Arctic Latte (12 oz)
189 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 124 mg sodium, 34 g sugars
2. #2: Worst Hot Chocolate Drink: Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)
640 calories, 28 g fat (18 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 340 mg sodium, 78 g sugars
No one orders a hot chocolate and expects it to be anything but a dessert-like beverage. And certainly you should enjoy the occasional indulgence. But other times try this: Go with 2% milk (which is Starbucks’ default unless you specify otherwise) and shave 50 calories from these numbers. Cut the whip and trim another 70. Downsize to a grande and shed 120 more. Or swap to a cinnamon dulce latte, and cut out hundreds of calories while still indulging in a deliciously sweet treat!
Drink This Instead!
Cinnamon Dulce Latte (grande)
210 calories, 0 g fat, 135 mg sodium, 38 g sugars
1. #1: The Worst Coffee Drink in America: Cold Stone Creamery Lotta Caramel Latte, Gotta Have It Size
1,530 calories, 85 g fat (56 g saturated, 2 g trans), 161 g sugars
It may be coffee-flavored, but this latte shake is virtually unrecognizable next to your typical morning cup of Joe. It’s simply a giant dessert drink disaster. This large shake has nearly a full day’s worth of calories, as much saturated fat as you’ll find in 62 strips of bacon, and you’ll exceed your daily limit of trans fats in the few minutes it takes you to drink it. Oh, did I mention the ridiculous sugar load? (44 spoonfuls!) If you want a sweet, caramel latte taste, opt for the actual caramel latte at Cold Stone, not the shake. You’ll cut more than 1,250 calories from your order!