Warm Beverages to Enjoy This Fall
With the cooler weather up us, the desire for warm beverages quickly increases. I figured it would be best to cover a favorite topic of mine, COFFEE (and other warm beverages of course).
Do not be fooled, even coffees can cause your weight loss to stall. Liquid calories can be a silent enemy, in that, they add calories to our diet without providing any feeling of fullness (which is what we need to avoid feeling hungry in between meals). For example, a Grande (16 oz.) Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha made with 2% milk and topped with whipped cream from Starbucks has 520 calories and 20g fat. Yikes!
Never fear, below are some of the best guilt-free choices to sip on while trying to stay warm during these upcoming chilly months. Yay for Fall!
Starbucks/Dunkin’ Donuts Go-To Beverages
Unsweetened Brewed Coffee: Order your favorite coffee roast and add sugar-free syrups or a Splenda packet. If you are needing something to break up the bitterness of your coffee, ask for a small splash of low-fat milk or soy milk.
Skinny Lattés These are ok, but proceed with caution! A latte is 75% steamed milk and 25% coffee. You want to keep your proportion of coffee to milk at 75% coffee and 25% (or less) steamed low-fat milk to keep your beverage from becoming a dreaded fat loss stopper! Ask the barista to make your latte with less milk and more coffee.
Starbucks Sugar-Free Syrups: Vanilla, Cinnamon Dulce, Caramel, Hazelnut and Mocha
Dunkin Donuts Sugar-Free Flavored Roasts: French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, Coconut, Toasted Almond, Cinnamon, Blueberry and Raspberry
*Dietitian Go-To: Tall Americano with Sugar-Free Mocha Syrup and a splash of steamed soy milk (Starbucks) OR small Toasted Almond Coffee with a splash of fat-free milk and 2 Splenda packets (Dunkin’ Donuts)
Herbal Teas: Most coffee shops offer a wide variety of teas, make sure to order unsweetened teas from your barista. Add a sugar substitute, if needed.
HOME BREW: Start with a seasonal coffee blend: Pumpkin Spice, Butter Toffee, Gingerbread, etc. Make sure to get a flavored coffee and not a cappuccino—coffees with added sugar/milk will have a nutrition facts on the coffee box, flavored coffees will not. Add sugar-free, low-calories extras, such as: 1-2 mini moo creamers (10 calories per each creamer) & sugar-free syrups.
Torani Sugar-Free Syrup Fall Favorites: Pumpkin Spice, Belgian Cookie, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, English Toffee, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Pie, Salted Caramel and many more!
Not into coffee? Here’s a Few Suggestions
Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate: These delicious treats are only 20 calories, if made with water. Add a dollop of fat-free whip topping for an extra special treat to enjoy in the comfort of your own home!
Sugar-Free Hot Apple Cider: This pick me up has a few carbohydrates (4g), but is very low when it comes to liquid calories (only 15 calories!). Sip on this beverage when needing a sweet treat while trying to make it through the upcoming cold months!
