"20 Coffee Drinks with More Sugar Than a Can of Coke" Review
ABSTRACT
Avoid sabotaging your weight loss with sugar-loaded coffee drinks! Discover 7 coffee drinks with more sugar than a can of Coke, from Dunkin’, Starbucks, Panera, and McDonald’s. Learn why these high-sugar coffee drinks can hinder your fitness goals. Make smarter coffee choices today for better weight loss success!
Keywords
Coffee drinks with the most sugar
High sugar coffee drinks
Coffee drinks to avoid for weight loss
Worst coffee drinks for weight loss
Coffee drinks with more sugar than Coke
Unhealthy coffee drinks
Coffee and weight loss tips
Dunkin’ Donuts sugary drinks
Starbucks’ high-sugar coffee
Panera coffee calories
McDonald's McCafé sugar content
Best coffee choices for weight loss
Coffee drinks that cause weight gain
Starbucks Coffee / Photo: Lisa from Pexels
Introduction
Too often, the biggest obstacle to your weight loss sits in your coffee cup. Most coffee shops offer at least six varieties, many of which resemble a shake. Although we can debate whether black coffee is healthy (due to elevated cortisol levels, as discussed in a previous article), that argument is insignificant when considering the sugars, fat, and calories you add to your favorite morning drink. Surprisingly, many coffee drinks contain more sugar than a can of Coke (12 oz, 39 grams), which shocks me. I've chosen the top 7 coffee drinks my personal training clients order from the article "20 Coffee Drinks with More Sugar Than a Can of Coke." Even if your favorite coffee drinks aren’t on this list, hopefully, it will guide your future choices as you try to lose weight.
List of Coffee Drinks
1. DUNKIN’ DONUTS FROZEN FRENCH VANILLA SWIRL COFFEE COOLATTA WITH SKIM MILK
Small, 16 fl oz: 300 calories, 70 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.8 cans of Coke
Dunkin’ Donuts offers more than 15,000 ways to customize a coffee, and this drink is among the sugariest. Packing as much of the sweet stuff as 15 Oreos or nearly two cans of Coke, we’re all but forced to give this frozen, creamy beverage our stamp of disapproval.2. DUNKIN’ DONUTS VANILLA CHAI
Medium, 14 fl oz: 330 calories, 46 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.17 cans of Coke
Following skim milk, sugar is listed as the second ingredient on this drink’s nutrition label, so we can’t say we were surprised to learn of its excessive sugar content. We know what you’re thinking: “But chai is healthy, right?” In its purest form, yes. The blend of herbs and spices found in traditional a chai tea bag have been shown to slow aging and fight everything from inflammation to stress and weight gain. However, Dunkin’s Franken-beverage only uses a tiny bit of the stuff typically found in a chai tea bag. In fact, of its 30+ ingredients, instant black tea, cinnamon, and ground clove are among the last few ingredients listed.3. STARBUCKS WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA WITH NONFAT MILK, NO WHIP
Tall, 12 fl oz: 270 calories, 45 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.2 cans of Coke
Even if you hold the whipped cream and go with nonfat milk, there is no saving this overly sweet espresso drink. Recently a Starbucks spokesperson went on record saying that the company has plans to reduce the sugar in its "indulgent drinks" by 25 percent by the end of 2020. While that’s well and good, in the meantime, we suggest staying far away from this blood sugar-spiking beverage.4. STARBUCKS CAFFÈ VANILLA FRAPPUCCINO WITH NONFAT MILK & WHIPPED CREAM
Tall, 12 fl oz: 280 calories, 48 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.2 cans of Coke
It’s a little-known fact that Frappuccino means “fattening” in Italian. Totally kidding, but maybe it should. Nearly all of Starbucks’ blended coffee and milk beverages are swimming with globs of fat and more sugar than anyone should ingest in a single day. (Which is 45 grams a day for women and 50 grams for men, according to the USDA’s most recent dietary guidelines.) Do your waistline a favor and cool down with a skinnier iced beverage from the ‘bux. Might we suggest a Tall 2% Iced Caffè Latte or a Tall Nonfat, Unsweetened Iced Coffee with two pumps Caramel Syrup? The former has 9 grams of sugar while the latter carries 10 grams.5. PANERA FROZEN CARAMEL
Medium, 16 fl oz: 570 calories, 66 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.7 cans of Coke
Panera, home to an ever-growing stock of soups, salads and drinks, benefits from a beaming health halo—a perceived virtuousness that doesn’t necessarily play out in the hard realities of their nutritional stats. And this definitely holds true when it comes to its’ coffee beverages. Carrying more calories than 142 Jelly Bellys and as much sugar as nearly two cans of Coke, don’t just walk, run away from this belly fattening monster of a drink.6. PANERA CHAI TEA LATTE
Medium, 16 fl oz: 240 calories 40 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.02 cans of Coke
Though it’s a touch better than Dunkin’s take on the classic brew, this is yet another example of a chai tea gone wrong. Instead of this beverage, opt for one of Panera’s 0-calorie “Republic of Tea” brews to stay on the path toward flat belly success!7. MCDONALD’S MCCAFÉ MOCHA
12 oz: 340 calories, 42 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.1 cans of Coke
Made from espresso, steamed milk, chocolate syrup and topped with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle, this McMocha is far but ab friendly. There are far better ways to start your day with Ronald. Of all the items on the Mcdonald’s breakfast menu, we’re most keen on the Egg McMuffin and the Fruit and Maple Oatmeal. Pair either of those with a black coffee and you can’t go wrong.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MICHAEL MOODY, PERSONAL TRAINER
As an author, a personal trainer in Denver, and podcast host, Michael Moody has helped personal training clients achieve new fitness heights and incredible weight loss transformations since 2005. He also produces the wellness podcast "The Elements of Being" and has been featured on NBC, WGN Radio, and PBS.
Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), and Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Jefferson Park (80211) and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).
