(Disclaimer: proceed with caution if you are sensitive to discussions about calorie counting or weight loss.)
I have been working for almost a year now on losing weight, since I incidentally gained quite a bit in my first semester of college as a result of dining hall food. (We won’t open that can of worms today!) The problem with that: I love coffee. More specifically, I love fun Starbucks drinks- if I liked black coffee, this wouldn’t be a problem at all! Because of that, I’ve had to find ways to work around my personal goals while still enjoying my fun drinks. As college students, we do a lot of difficult things, which means we deserve little treats, if you ask me. Plus, coffee and tea are the best for study motivation! I find myself running to campus Starbucks a few times a week without fail. So, without further ado, here are my favorite Starbucks drinks that are lower in calories, fat, and sugar than their menu counterparts, but more importantly taste just as good!
- The (SUgar-Free) Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte
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One of the best regular menu items at Starbucks is without a doubt the Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte. The regular menu version actually isn’t horrible for you at all! But there are ways to make it even lower in fat/sugar/calories. The first thing I want to point out is that almond milk is your bestie when it comes to stuff like this. It is the lowest-calorie milk alternative that Starbucks offers, and I think the drinks taste about the same. They do become a lot thinner with almond milk- when I want a more substantial-feeling drink, I choose coconut milk! It’s a lot thicker than almond and tastes AMAZING. You can also swap any vanilla syrup in a drink for sugar-free vanilla, which actually has a really good flavor too. (A venti with almond and SF vanilla is only 110 kcal!!!)
- Reverse Dirty Chai
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Just about everyone loves dirty chai. Normally, you would order a Chai Latte with shots of your preferred espresso. Personally, I can’t order chai without espresso because of how super-sweet it is to begin with! But I figured out a way to make it a lot better nutritionally! Start with a regular Caffe Latte (hot or iced, but I always choose iced) and use almond or skim milk. Add 2-3 pumps of chai and fill in the gap with SF Vanilla (a grande has 4 pumps syrup and a venti has 6 in standard recipes). I promise it tastes almost exactly the same!
Starbucks - Holiday Menu Fav: Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
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This drink is SO GOOD. I will defend it until the day I die! Not only is it DELICIOUS, it’s really not terrible for you. If you want to make it a little better, you can always decrease the number of pumps of syrup. I’ve found that 4 in a venti tastes just about the same as 6! Plus, you don’t have to pay extra for milk alternatives since it already has almond milk (which also helps a lot with decreasing the fat content).
- Shaken. espresso.
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I adore shaken espressos! You can customize them with any syrup or toppings, and to me, they only taste a little stronger than a regular latte since they have an extra shot per size option. I adored the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso when it was in season. I usually switched the milk to almond, which made it really low in fat and calories compared to a latte without sacrificing any of the Apple Brown Sugar flavor! I have tried this drink with so many different syrup flavors- I highly recommend the Chestnut Praline before it goes out of season!
- Refreshers!
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Starbucks Refreshers are not great for you, but they sure do taste good. Honestly, they have about the same nutritional qualities as one of the drinks I talked about above, but you don’t have to change anything about them! I love Refreshers now and then.
- FOur Words: Iced Peach Green Tea.
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This one is SO UNDERRATED! Everyone loves the more popular Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade, but the tea by itself is really low in sugar in comparison and tastes so good. This is probably the drink that gives me the least amount of food guilt. But more importantly, it is delicious anyway and I would probably still order it if it was way worse for you, I love it.
- Play around with the app!
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Honestly, there are so many options for customization in the Starbucks app that I’ve probably missed something super cool. Other options include ditching the Whipped Cream, opting for caramel syrup instead of the usual caramel sauce, and taking the ingredients for your favorite latte and putting them in a regular iced coffee instead (it tastes about the same but is more parts coffee than milk, meaning lower calories). Honestly, just switching the milk to almond or skim makes a huge difference! But hey, who am I to tell you what to do with your drink? Do what makes you happy!! These drinks make me feel better about myself, and that’s why I love them!
