As told by NYC internist and gastroenterologist Dr. Niket Sonpal:
Millions of people love Starbucks, however many of their food and drinks are surprisingly packed with sugar.
If you know what to order on the menu and how to tweak it, you can still have your Starbucks without an overload of sugar or calories.
If you are a coffee lover, one of the lowest calorie drinks you can order (with the exception of black coffee) is a Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream!
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Best Coffee Drinks
Starbucks Nitro Brew
One of the best Starbucks drinks you can order, this Nitro Cold Brew contains 70 calories, 5 g fat, 4 g carbs, 4 g sugar and 1 g of protien. It's full of flavor, and it has a sweet vanilla cream top that only contains 4 grams of sugar!
The Cold Brew
If you are really counting every calorie but want a little extra pizzaz instead of black coffee, order the cold brew. It offers more flavor than your standard black brewed coffee and only has 5 calories for a grande.
Best Tea Drinks
Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea
Skip the Earl Gray and try this hot green tea with extra flavors of spearmint, lemon verbena, and lemongrass. It has 0 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 0 mg sodium, 0 g carbs ( 0 g sugar) 0 g protein.
Best Breakfast Foods
For those who want to eat breakfast and/or lunch at Starbucks there are also healthier options other than pastries.
Spinach, Feta & Cage Free Egg White Breakfast Wrap
This breakfast has only 290 calories and packs 19 grams of protein. In addition, it’s full of vegetables and whole grains.
Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon & Cage Free Egg Whites
Bread lovers will appreciate this option that comes on an organic wheat English muffin. It has cage-free egg whites, reduced-fat turkey bacon, and reduced-fat white cheddar cheese. It’s only 230 calories and has 16 grams of protein.
Best Lunch Order
Chicken & Quinoa Protein Bowl with Black Beans and Greens
This dish includes grilled chicken, free of antibiotics tossed with a medium-spiced chile vinaigrette, fresh greens, tomatoes, roasted corn, black beans, jicama, paprika and cotija. It’s calories, with 27g protein and 9g fiber. Shave some calories off by asking for the dressing on the side and using it sparingly.
General Tips for Ordering
To make any drink healthier, try an alternative milk and skip the sweeteners.
Go to the Starbucks website ahead of time and review nutritional information online so you are not fooling yourself by what you are consuming.
Ask for your order without syrup pumps (or just one or two if you need the flavor).
Do not add or ask for no whipped cream.
Order a tall drink instead of the largest size (venti).
Best Milk Options
Choose your milk wisely. For a lower-calorie Starbucks drink replace the whole milk with almond, coconut, non-fat, or soy. Always choose the tall size instead of Grande or Venti if you are really craving a sweet, heavy drink. For example, Tall Latte Macchiato has 170 calories while a Venti has 290. That makes a big difference if you’re counting calories!
