Some healthy choices from the “Evil Empire”:
Although I like to support my local small coffee shops in whatever town I happen to be in, every once in awhile I like to hit up a Starbucks Drive Thru. Let’s face it. They have good, strong coffee and some great snacks. And it beats going through a fast food line any day.
I took a little time to check out exactly what I was eating when I did that ever-so-random (cough, cough) pit stop to grab my medium coffee, and muffin, coffee cake, or oatmeal bowl on the go. Now the calories on some of these treats are quite high if you eat them as a breakfast choice, but if you swing through and have a cup of coffee, or tea and a muffin as your lunch, 400 calories is definitely a lower calorie choice than many of the options out there. As far as the quality of the ingredients goes I give it a B+. Almost all of the ingredients in these items are recognizable! And there are no “Trans” fats or fake sugars. What a pleasant surprise! I feel a little bit better about my guilty pleasure. Here are a few of my favorite choices and the list of “goods” inside:
Classic Coffee Cake – (420 calories)
BLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, SOUR CREAM (MILK, CREAM, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, LACTIC ACID, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM CASEINATE, SOY LECITHIN, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, GUAR GUM, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE [A PRESERVATIVE], ACETIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, LOCUST BEAN GUM), UNSALTED BUTTER (PASTEURIZED CREAM, ANNATTO), EGG, BROWN SUGAR (SUGAR, CANE SYRUPS), SALT, SPICE, BAKING POWDER (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CORN STARCH, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), NATURAL FLAVOR, BAKING SODA, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, CELLULOSE GUM.
Lowfat Triple Berry Muffin – (310 calories)
WHOLE GRAIN CAKE MIX (WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, SOYBEAN OIL, DRY WHEY, LEAVENING [SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA], VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, SALT, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, POLYSORBATE 60, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID), NONFAT YOGURT (CULTURED PASTEURIZED NONFAT MILK, PECTIN), WATER, EGG WHITES, BLACKBERRIES, ENRICHED UNBLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), BLUEBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, ROLLED OATS, BROWN SUGAR, SOY OIL, ORANGE PEEL (ORANGE PEEL, SUGAR, ORANGE OIL), PURE VANILLA EXTRACT.
Perfect Oatmeal – (140 calories, add 50 with Brown Sugar)
WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS (WITH OAT BRAN), SALT, GUAR GUM, CALCIUM CARBONATE, IRON, NIACINAMIDE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), FOLIC ACID.
For people who may be trying to lose weight I recommend grabbing a bowl of the Perfect Oatmeal for lunch. Not only is it satisfying but the calories are very minimal and it’s heart healthy as well.
Another good choice if you don’t want to spend 4-5 bucks on that iced latte, grab a Starbucks Frappuccino at the grocery store or gas station. $1.50 and you still get that Starbucks jolt you are looking for. This is also a great replacement for sodas! It has relatively the same calorie count and sugar content but does not have all of the processed sugars and chemicals in it.
To check out what YOUR Starbucks trip includes go to http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_freshfood.asp and scroll to the bottom of the page to “find your store” and you will be able to select the store that you frequent for more nutritional info.
