10 Worst Coffee Drinks to Always Leave on Grocery Store Shelves
Studies have repeatedly shown that drinking a cup or two of coffee daily has many health benefits. According to Healthline, beyond the short-term energy boost (and increased dose of feel-good dopamine that accompanies it), drinking a serving or two of coffee daily can reduce the chances you'll develop type 2 diabetes, can stave off dementia and cognitive decline, is good for your heart and liver, and may even reduce the risk of depression. All that good stuff noted, it's important to keep in mind that those benefits come from drinking regular coffee. And while adding a bit of milk, cream, or a non-dairy option to your cup of joe won't negate the health benefits, coffee consumed with lots of sweeteners will reduce the benefits of coffee and may actually be harmful. That's very much the case with these ten unhealthiest coffee drinks you should leave on the shelves if you value health and wellness.
(Plus, if you're seeking out lunch be sure to skip the 8 Worst Fast-Food Burgers to Stay Away From Right Now.)
Starbucks Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drink
Sure, the Starbucks Frappuccino is the OG cold coffee drink and you have likely guzzled many a bottle of this classic, but it's wise to make the last one you had your last. Why? Because one 13.7-ounce bottle, which counts as a single serving, has 47 grams of sugar. That number surpasses the amount an adult woman (24 grams) or man (36 grams) should consume in a day, via Harvard's School of Public Health. Also, it contains 4.5 grams of fat and three grams of saturated fat.
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Dunkin' Iced Coffee French Vanilla
Dunkin's Ice Coffee French Vanilla doesn't fare much better than the Starbucks Frappuccino with 40 grams of total sugar. Watch out for the fat too. The five grams of saturated fat equal a quarter of a day's limit.
Dunkin' Iced Coffee Girl Scout Coconut Caramel
Sure, Samoa Girl Scout Cookies are amazing. And granted, you know they're not healthy, they're a treat. But when it comes to treating yourself coffee beverage-wise, it's best to leave this Girl Scout Cookie-inspired drink on the shelf. That's because this beverage has 37 grams of sugar, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 30 milligrams of cholesterol.
Monster Energy Java Monster Mean Bean
There are a lot of reasons to stay away from a can of Monster Energy Java Monster Mean Bean coffee beverage, but let's just focus on three. First, there's the sugar, which at 35 grams total, is exorbitantly high. Next there's the sodium: One can has 460 milligrams or 20% of your daily total. Then there's the saturated fat, with is three grams, constituting 15% of a day's allotment.
Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Coffee Beverage
Sure, a 15-ounce can of this stuff will give you a jolt of energy from the 220 milligrams of caffeine and infusion of sugar as the name promises, but you can pretty much count on a crash later. Plus, at 200 calories per can, it's a worse choice than most sodas.
Bomani Cold Buzz Alcohol-Infused Cold Brew Coffee
It's just not a good idea to mix booze and coffee at the same time, as popular as beverages like Bomani's Cold Buzz have become. Each 11-ounce can contains about the same amount of alcohol as a standard beer and a decent dose of caffeine, so you may not be able to adequately gauge how the former is affecting you, a common danger with such mixing, according to the CDC.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee
The people that bring you one of the most iconic college beers also got into the coffee beverage game a few years ago. Again, with just 40 grams of caffeine—less than a cup of coffee—one of these probably isn't going to be too damaging, but this isn't the time to crack open three in succession. There's a reason the caffeine is so low in the new spiked coffee drinks. In 2010, Four Loko, a 12% ABV beverage with a good dose of caffeine was blamed for the hospitalization of dozens of college students. Eater theorizes that these coffee brews are trying to avoid the connection with that time period.
Kitu Super Coffee Mocha
One reason to pass on Kitu's mocha-flavored Super Coffee protein drink? Frankly, it's just not all that tasty, according to many who have tasted it on Walmart's site at the time of this writing. Need another reason? Try the hefty 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce bottle, which is the equivalent of two cups of coffee.
High Brew Coffee Triple Shot Vanilla Bean
High Brew Coffee makes some great coffees well worth your consideration and enjoyment, but their Vanilla Bean Triple Shot does not rank among them. That's because this is a sugar-heavy drink, with 20 grams per can, and with an excessive 220 to 230 milligrams of caffeine per serving.
Coca-Cola with Coffee Dark Blend
From a health point of view, Coca-Cola with Coffee doesn't really send up many red flags. Sure, 18 grams of sugar is high, but not compared to the other monstrosities on our list. And it's fat-free and low in sodium, something many others can't boast. The issue here is that many people who profess to enjoy Coke or coffee separately attest that this fusion simply doesn't work. On Amazon, a reviewer said: "Just because you like coffee and Coke, they are not a good combination," while another wondered why the high fructose corn syrup-sweetened drink also uses an artificial sweetener The drink uses sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
