Disclaimer: I am not a health professional or dietitian. The contents of this article are what has worked best for me. The nutritional information is found on Starbucks’ nutritional menu website. Â
If you haven’t heard, the famous red holiday cups are back at Starbucks for the Christmas season! As we near the holidays, my personal favorite way to get into the Christmas mood is by ordering off the seasonal holiday menu at Starbucks. However, these drinks tend to be loaded with sugary goodness. In my experience, too much sugar in my coffee tends to have reverse effects and will cause me to have the infamous “sugar crash” and go directly to sleep.
The holiday seasons are the time we want to be awake the most. Spending time with family, shopping on Black Friday and late night cooking to impress friends and relatives sometimes requires extra boosts of energy that is fueled by caffeine. Whether you are looking to cut the sugar in half out of your coffee this holiday season for health reasons or personal preference, these revisions to the classic holiday drinks have worked as great alternatives for me!
Peppermint Mocha
One of my favorite drinks during the holiday season is the Peppermint Mocha. According to Starbucks’ nutrition listing, this fan-favorite coffee is set at 440 calories and 54 grams of sugar. My recommendation for keeping the peppermint mocha taste but shaving the sugar is ordering a latte with almond milk, one pump of peppermint and one pump of mocha. These simple revisions take the calorie count to 145 and the sugar to 13.8 grams. This difference in sugar content has personally helped me feel rejuvenated and less sluggish throughout the day while still staying in the holiday spirit!
Iced Sugar Cookie Latte
The standard Iced Sugar Cookie latte is one of the best-tasting holiday drinks on the Starbucks menu in my opinion. This is a latte that I never skip getting every time it is released back on the menu at Starbucks. However, the classic Iced Sugar Cookie Latte comes in at 150 calories, which is not bad at all. But most importantly for this article piece, it has 25 grams of sugar, which is not good for my caffeine experience. Don’t worry though, Starbucks has a spin on this drink that allows for the sugar to be cut in half so that you can get the most out of your caffeine! If you are looking to lower the sugar content of this drink, try ordering a grande iced coffee with almond milk. Next, ask for two pumps of sugar cookie syrup, which is so yummy. This will take the nutritional contents of this drink to 75 calories and 11.5 grams of sugar according to the Starbucks nutritional menu. This drink in my experience is a must-have for me! If you happen to be feeling adventurous and love a good cookie and coffee, this drink just might be your newfound holy grail.
Once again, I wanted to reiterate that in no way am I a dietitian or have any formal background in nutrition. This is simply just my own personal research that can be found on Starbucks’ easily accessible nutrition menu! Struggling to find coffee that works to keep me awake is a crucial experience that I had to adapt to throughout my college experience. My body has always been sensitive to sugar which makes me fall asleep instead of doing what I need it to do, which is keep me up.
It’s important to note that everybody’s body works in different ways, and this is just what has worked best for my own personal experience! No matter what journey you are on with your body, just listen to it, fuel it and appreciate it because we only have one! Have a happy holiday season and stay caffeinated, my friends.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!