No.2 Starbucks's Fall Drinks: Which to Pick & Which to Skip - Women Compus - Women Campus

 
Pick it or Skip It

 
Toffee Mocha vs. Caramel Macchiato
 
Toffee Mocha: espresso (75-150mg), toffee sauce, cocoa powder, steamed milk foam
 
Caramel Macchiato: espresso (75-150mg), caramel sauce, vanilla syrup, steamed milk
 
Pick: The Caramel Macchiato
 
Starbucks’s Caramel Macchiato is one of the most popular drinks offered, but it also turns out that it’s not too bad for you, either. A Macchiato with 2% has a range of 120 to 300 calories (short to venti) while a tall Toffee Mocha, also with 2%, ranges from 180 to 450 calories (short to venti) and has twice the amount of sodium. Although it’s important to keep sodium in mind, Kris Rumps, a registered dietitian from Duke Medical Center, notes that Americans are advised to consume 2000mg or less of sodium a day—so the 200mg or so of sodium that pops up in most of Starbucks’s lattes is actually pretty good. “I would focus less on sodium,” Kris says, “and perhaps more on calories in this case.” In this case, the Caramel Macchiato reigns supreme.
 
White Chocolate Mocha vs. Peppermint Mocha
 
White Chocolate Mocha: espresso (75-150mg), white chocolate-flavored sauce, steamed milk, sweetened whipped cream
 
Peppermint Mocha: espresso (75-150mg), chocolate-flavored syrup, peppermint-flavored syrup, steamed milk, sweetened whipped cream
 
Pick: The Peppermint Mocha
 
A White Chocolate Mocha with 2% and whipped cream ranges from 250 to 580 calories (short to venti), while the Peppermint Mocha ranges from 220 to 480 calories (short to venti) and has nearly twice the amount of sodium. The second drink is one of the cold weather’s hottest commodities and its calorie content makes it our pick, too. Even so, Kris advises Peppermint Mocha fans to watch out for the abundance of sugar that comes in a drink with extra syrups. “When you use multiple syrups, there’s a lot more sugar included. A high-sugar drink like this one that also comes with caffeine gives you a lot of energy at one time, but a couple hours later you crash.” Kris recommends that anyone who buys this drink just stick to a reasonable size.
 
Caramel Apple Spice vs. Tazo Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte
 
Caramel Apple Spice: Steamed and pressed apple juice, cinnamon syrup, sweetened whipped cream, caramel drizzle
 
Vanilla Rooibos: Rooibos, steamed milk, vanilla syrup, cinnamon
 
Pick: Vanilla Rooibos
 
Both of these drinks use natural fruits and herbs and are caffeine-free, but the Rooibos comes out on top. The cider ranges from 210 to 460 calories (short to venti), while the antioxidant-rich Rooibos only ranges from 100 to 250 calories (short to venti). Rooibos almost seems to be a magical ingredient: in addition to being a key substance in this tasty drink, it is also used in some parts of South Africa to treat conditions such as eczema, asthma, and allergies. Although it seems like tea is always hyped-up, Kris Rumps believes that much of the hype is substantiated. “I think it’s great,” she says of the Rooibos. “I wouldn’t downplay the apple cider because I think apples are good, but the tea has a lot of nutritious components as well as antioxidants.”
 
Pumpkin Spice Latte vs. Hot Chocolate
 
Pumpkin Spice Latte: espresso (75-150mg), pumpkin, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove), steamed milk, sweetened whipped cream
 
Hot Chocolate: steamed milk, vanilla-flavored syrup, mocha-flavored syrup, sweetened whipped cream, chocolate-flavored drizzle, *hidden caffeine content (15-30mg)
 
Pick: Hot Chocolate (but only by a tiny margin!)
 
Starbucks’s smooth, but not-too-sweet Hot Chocolate contains 210 to 460 calories (short to venti); while their notoriously delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte contains 210 to 470 calories (short to venti). This small difference would have been enough to declare a draw, however, the latte contains almost twice the amount sodium in each serving size. Kris also considers this match-up a pretty narrow one. “If you doctor the hot chocolate with whipped cream, it may be closer to the latte,” she says, “but you can always make modifications on both using skim milk. What’s interesting about these two drinks is that some research shows that chocolate and cinnamon are good for you. Though this is not an absolute fact, there seems to be evidence that cinnamon can be helpful for people with diabetes, and that there is some antioxidant value to chocolate.” Still, Kris is quick to remind anyone who plans to stock up on Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Starbucks Hot Chocolate that it’s unlikely that pure dark chocolate and pumpkin are being used in these drinks.