20 Coffee Drinks with More Sugar Than a Can of Coke
What's more comforting than a warm cup of coffee or tea? It's what you drink first thing in the morning, is how you recharge when in a post-lunch daze and is the perfect drink for non-boozy catch-ups or meetings. It all sounds so innocent.
But no two beverages have started conflicts quite like tea and coffee; both have caused tons of chaos and bloodshed over the years. Coffee, after all, was put on trial in Mecca and tea was a main driver behind the opium wars. And to this day, they're still stirring up trouble.
On a positive note, numerous studies have linked both coffee and tea to increased metabolic rate, smaller waistlines, and weight loss. But like many of the world's great wonders, somebody looking to make a fast buck will come up with a way to mess everything up by "improving" them. Places like Starbucks and McDonald's serve up high-concept, calorie-laden concoctions that have none of the amazing weight loss qualities that the originals have. In fact, health advocacy group Action on Sugar recently tested 131 drinks at popular chains in the UK (many of which are also popular in America) only to discover that 35 percent of the hot, flavored drinks contained the same amount or more sugar than what you'd find in a can of Coca-Cola (12 oz, 39 grams), one of the most vilified beverages on the planet. It's a bit ironic that so many people who scoff cola don't even give a second thought to what's in their coffee cups.
So, how can you avoid sipping your way to a wider waistline every time you want to catch a buzz? Answer: By knowing which coffee drinks have been turned into health-busters—and staying far, far away. But we've made it extra easy for you by already doing your homework and identifying the worst of the lot. Read on the get in the know and then continue losing weight with the help of these 50 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds—Fast.
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. For more ways to stay slim at your favorite coffee house, check out these 20 Ways to Lose Weight at Any Coffee Shop.
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. Our suggestion: Order a small Vanilla Chai from Dunkin' on occasion if you're so inclined, but make one of these tasty weight loss teas your go-to.
Tim Hortons Mocha Iced Capp with Cream
12 oz: 410 calories, 47 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.2 cans of Coke
Over the past few years, Canada's favorite coffee and donut dealer has rapidly expanded across the US, and overall, that's not such a bad thing for health-conscious caffeine heads. Beyond the respectable line of soups and sandwiches Horton's serves up a solid mix of tea and coffee. However, we're giving them demerits for this venomous blended frozen coffee beverage. Anything that's spiked with a half-gram of heart-harming trans fat and as much sugar as 8 Chips Ahoy cookies is a definite "Not That!" For more foods that will ruin for your flat belly progress, check out our exclusive report, The #1 Worst Menu Option at 40 Popular Restaurants.
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.
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. For more low-sugar ways to quell your sweet tooth, check out these 32 Eat This, Not That!: Low-Sugar Packaged Foods we love.
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. And to learn about more things that will throw your diet efforts off track check out these 40 Habits That Make You Sick and Fat.
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!
Au Bon Pain Frozen Caramel Latte
16 fl oz: 600 calories, 91 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 2.3 cans of Coke
Au Bon Pain is the unofficial land of 600-calorie muffins and 800-calorie sandwiches, so we can't say we were surprised to learn that they serve a coffee beverage that's among the very worst on this list. Aside from its jaw-dropping sugar count, this drink serves up 65 percent of the day's saturated fat and globs of caramel color, a possible carcinogenic brown dye found in things like cola and candy. In fact, caramel color is so scary and potentially dangerous that we named it one of the 23 Worst Additives in America!
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.
McDonald's McCafé Frappé Chocolate Chip
12 oz: 520 calories, 66 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.7 cans of Coke
Fun fact: The only type of coffee you'll find in this beverage is coffee extract, a flavor enhancer made by distilling coffee beans. Translation: This drink is more likely to give you a sugar buzz than a caffeine high. And speaking of supercharging your energy—or in this case not so much—be sure to check out these 35 Things You Didn't Know About Caffeine.
Cold Stone Mocha Frappé
"Like It" size, 12 fl oz: 460 calories, 62 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.6 cans of Coke
It's not exactly shocking that a chain that serves 800 calorie ice cream sundaes also has a fudge-infused coffee drink with 62 grams of the sweet stuff and an entire day's worth of fat. Just scanning those stats is enough to make our arteries stiffen and our blood sugar levels shudder in fear. And speaking of foods that are bad news for your ticker, check out these 30 Worst Foods For Your Heart— and avoid them at all cost.
Caribou Coffee Hot Berry White Mocha
Small, 12 oz: 450 calories, 44 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.1 cans of Coke
This severely over-sugared concoction is made with chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate chips, steamed milk and "espresso and vanilla flavor"—whatever that means. If you thought you were doing your belly a favor by opting for coffee over soda, in this case, you've got things all wrong.
Jamba Juice Matcha Green Tea Blast Smoothie
16 fl oz: 300 calories, 57 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.5 cans of Coke
Pure matcha is filled with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound that aids weight loss by simultaneously boosting the breakdown of fat and blocking the formation of new fat cells. But don't be fooled, this matcha green tea smoothie is far from flat belly-friendly. It contains more soymilk, fro-yo, and ice than matcha powder, which explains its high sugar count. To find out how to lose weight with the potent tea, pick up a copy of The 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse! Test panelists who followed the plan lost up to 4 inches from their waist!
Baskin-Robins Turtle Cappuccino Blast
12 fl oz: 370 calories, 50 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.3 cans of Coke
Baskin-Robins has a long tradition of carrying some of the worst frozen fare in the country. Sure, it shed its atrocious line of Premium Shakes, but it's going to take a lot more menu tweaking to earn our respect. This coffee drink, for example, is a nutritional nightmare, listing not 1, not 2, but 15 form of sugar on the drink's nutritional panel. Stay far away if your goal is to shrink your love handles.
Einstein Brothers Frozen Vanilla Latte
16 fl oz: 310 calories, 52 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.3 cans of Coke
Sure, it may cool you off on a hot summer day, but if your goal is to stay bikini-ready year-round, keep your paws off this sugary sip. Instead, stay lean with the help of these 50 Best Detox Waters for Fat Burning and Weight Loss.
Einstein Brothers Frozen Caramel Macchiato
16 fl oz: 420 calories, 71 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.8 cans of Coke
Imagine dropping 14 mini Milky Ways into a warm saucepan, pouring the liquefied chocolate into a cup and chugging it. A little sweet? Well, that's what you get in terms of sugar when you order this 16-ounce monstrosity. And get this: The 24-ounce version packs 700 calories and a shameful 123 grams of sugar—that's the equivalent of 3 cans of Coke.
Coffee Bean Hazelnut Latte
12 fl oz: 320 calories, 41 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.1 cans of Coke
Any flavored latte is bound to be filled with sugar, and this one is no exception. If you really can't part with your favorite flavored sips, at least ask your barista to use fewer pumps. It cuts back on the sugar content in a big way—without taking away from the overall taste. For more fun facts about your favorite java sips, check out these 7 Crazy Things Coffee Does to Your Body.
Coffee Bean Matcha Latte
12 fl oz: 290 calories, 41 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.1 cans of Coke
Thanks to the use of some shady proprietary matcha powder, the Coffee Bean manages to sneak 41 grams of sugar into this latte. Even if they used a full cup of milk—a source of naturally occurring sugars—to make this drink, 28 of those 41 grams would be coming from added sources of the sweet stuff. Eek!
Coffee Bean Caramel Ice Blended
12 fl oz: 370 calories, 60 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.5 cans of Coke
In your mind "blended" should be synonymous with words like "sugary" and "caloric," and this drink is a prime example as to why. When you sweeten you own drinks as home, how many times do you dip the teaspoon into the jar? Two or three? Imagine shoveling in 15 teaspoons, because that's what happened with this drink. Next time you're craving something cool and thick, whip up one of these delicious weight loss smoothies instead.
Seattle's Best Frozen Birthday Cake Latte
Small, 12 fl oz: 370 calories, 44 g sugar
Sugar Equivalent: 1.1 cans of Coke
For a drink named after a giant pastry, its stats could be far worse. Still, we can't deny the facts: Not only does Seattle's confetti-topped latte have more sugar than a can of Coke, but it also packs as much fat as two scoops of Oreo ice cream! Though picking up this drink may seem like an easy way to party like it's your birthday, every day, you're more apt to remain forever young if you avoid making this your go-to. And no, that's not just a (hilarious) punchline: Sugar has been shown to damage collagen and elastin, the compounds that keep your skin tight and plump. Learn more about the damaging effects of sugar in our exclusive report, This is What Happen to Your Body When You Eat Sugar.
Image #15 courtesy of Instagram user lapayne2, #16 courtesy of Instagram user lapayne mistoquaxo & #8 courtesy of Instagram user somchai_choochat // Images #5 & #18 courtesy of Flickr // M. Unal Ozmen / Shutterstock.com
