They are meant to be a treat around Christmas time, but some festive coffees definitely deserve to be on the naughty list.
DailyMail.com considered festive holiday drinks from the largest coffee sellers in the US, including Dunkin’, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Peet’s, Pret a Manger, and McDonald’s
The worst offender is the Peppermint Mocha Swirl Frozen Coffee with cream from Dunkin’. A large serving packs a whopping 1,170 calories, about half of the entire recommended daily allowance for adults.
It also contains 40 grams of fat and 182 total grams of sugar, about four and 14 times the amount in a glazed donut, respectively. Krispy Kreme’s autumnal Frozen Pumpkin Spice Latte on the menu packs the second-worst punch.
The nutritional information resembles a sundae more than a coffee. A 20-ounce serving contains 680 calories, 22 grams of fat, and a staggering 101 grams of sugar. Compare that to a regular size McDonald’s McFlurry ice cream with Oreos, which packs 510 calories, 16 grams of fat, and a more modest 60 grams of sugar.
The sky-high sugar content in these drinks is a far cry from the maximum amount that experts say is healthy to consume on a daily basis.
The American Heart Association advises men to consume no more than nine teaspoons or 36 grams of added sugar per day. Women should stick to no more than six teaspoons or 25 grams per day.
Sugary drinks are also key drivers of hypertension and diabetes. Regular consumers of sugary drinks are at markedly higher risk – 26 per cent, in fact – of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who rarely have them.
Joan Salge Blake, a nutrition professor at Boston University told DailyMail.com: ‘Many of these designer coffees are loaded with added sugars and saturated fat so [they] resemble a dessert, not a coffee.’
Major coffeee chains feature highly caloric holiday drinks on their menus, with Dunkin’ taking the top spot. While coffee itself is not unhealthy – in fact it packs a lot of nutritional benefits – the sky-high sugar content in these drinks essentially cancels out the good side.
The worst offenders are packed with empty calories and high amounts of sugars and fats. Despite the calorie count, sugary drinks are not satisfying and often lead to more eating.
Most holiday beverages from major coffee purveyors were considerably less caloric than Dunkin’s frozen concoction. But each contains hundreds of empty calories and eye-popping sugar content.
Pret a Manger’s Caramel Apple Crisp Hot Chocolate packs 510 calories, seven grams of fat, and 79 grams of sugar, more than double the amount in the blueberry muffin on the menu.
A large, or venti, Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks contains 550 calories and 19 grams of fat. It also packs 88 grams of sugar.
For comparison, the Glazed Pumpkin Spice Cake Doughnut from Krispy Kreme comes in at 290 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 25 grams of sugar.
The San Francisco-based Peet’s Coffee serves a Peppermint Mocha Latte, a seasonal staple at major coffee chains, that contains 620 calories, 25 grams of fat, and 75 grams of sugar.
A McDonald’s drink packed the mildest punch of the six worst offenders across major chains. A large Peppermint Mocha Latte contains 430 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 58 grams of sugar.
DailyMail.com reached out for comment from the six major chains but they have not responded.
Many people are willing to turn a blind eye to their drinks’ staggering health stats. Holidays are not conducive to dieting and it can be tricky to maintain healthy eating habits when treats are ubiquitous.
Sugary drinks are major drivers of weight gain because they are extremely dense in empty calories that don’t fill you up sufficiently and lack nutritional benefits.
The more ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages a person has, the more calories they’re likely to take in later in the day.
Sweet beverages like Starbuck’s peppermint mocha can also stimulate the appetite for other sugary, high-carbohydrate foods.
Excessive sugar intake is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, tooth decay and cavities, cognitive problems, hypertension, kidney disease, liver disease, and pancreatic cancer.
A 2009 study of nearly 89,000 women found those who drank more than two servings of a sugary beverage each day had a 40 per cent higher risk of heart attacks or death from heart disease.
But the drinks aren’t all bad. With some slight alterations to the added sweeteners and the type of dairy used, they can become slightly more nutritious.
Coffee itself contains almost no calories. And it also comes with myriad health benefits including increased longevity. Coffee contains natural antioxidants that help bolster the body’s ability to fight off infection.
It has also been proven to help ward off heart failure, with drinkers of two cups showing a 30 per cent decreased risk of experiencing a cardiac event.
Regular and decaf coffee also have a protective effect on the liver. People who drink coffee are also less likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s, research suggests.
Professor Salge Blake said: ‘Plain coffee does provide antioxidants and is the beverage of choice for many early risers.
‘When you add skim or low fat daily milk to plain coffee, you will get calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, three nutrients that many Americans are falling short of in their diets. However, I would treat these designer coffees as dessert and keep them to small amounts.’
Eliminating festive holiday drinks altogether is not necessary. Like every unhealthy food such as sweets and chips, moderation is key.
There are also ways to shave some of the extra calories and sugars from your favorite drinks. Boston-based nutritionist Lainey Younkin recommends choosing a dairy product with lots of protein, ‘like cow’s milk, with 8 grams of protein per cup, or soy milk, with 6 grams of protein per cup.’
‘Protein helps slow the spike of blood sugar and keep you full longer. It’s difficult for most people to get enough protein at breakfast so choosing a latte over black coffee could help you reach your morning protein goals,’ she added.
While it sounds counterintuitive, Younkin recommends ordering two per cent milk rather than non-fat milk, noting that fat moves slowly through the digestive tract and, when combined with the protein in the milk, will keep you full longer and prevent carb cravings later on. Finally, opt for sugar-free syrup or a smaller amount of regular syrup.
‘Slashing some of the syrups and choosing a milk with protein and a little fat will health-ify your holiday bevies so you can have your mocha and your holiday cookies too!’ Ms Younkin said.
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