Warming Drinks Beware

Brrrr!!! It is cold out today....not as bad as I know it will get, but it is still starting to get a little chilly out there!! The weather is just about at the point where many of us will start to indulge in our favorite warm, cozy, flavorful drinks. Don't be fooled by some of these delicious concoctions as they may in fact be the hidden source of calories and fat keeping you from reaching your goals. Try to use skills like moderation and mindfulness when you are around these drinks. Make drinking them an occasion or a rare special treat.

Here are a few that top the list:
-Egg Nog
-Apple Cider
-Pumpkin, cinnamon, eggnog and other flavored lattes
-Hot Chocolate made with milk
-Hot Toddy's (made with tea, honey, brandy) Irish Coffees or Mulled Wine

Here is how some of them breakdown in terms of calories and fat:
Hot chocolate
-Cocoa packet made at home with water ~113 calories, 1.1 grams of fat, 21 grams of sugar
-No Sugar Added Cocoa packet with water ~57 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 5.6 grams of sugar
-Starbucks Hot Chocolate, whole milk, no whipped cream, short (8oz) ~172 calories, 6.8 g fat
-Starbucks Hot Chocolate, 2%, no whipped cream, short (8oz) ~156 calories, 4.4 g fat
-Starbucks Hot Chocolate, non-fat, no whip, short (8 oz) ~123 calories, 1.2 g fat

Egg Nog
-Regular full fat- 340 calories (8 0z) and 19 grams of fat (11.3 are saturated fats)
-Light - 280 calories (8 oz) and 8 grams of fat

Apple Cider-8 oz, 116 calories 27 g of sugar

Hot Alcohol drinks
-The calories of these depends on how much alcohol is added and what proof as well. The higher the proof the higher the calories (i.e. 80 proof is 64 calories/oz and 100 proof is 82 calories/oz). Most drinks add about 1.5 oz of alcohol per drink. The Hot Toddy contains honey and that can be a variable ingredient as well that adds calories.

Toppings
-Whipped cream @ Starbucks-80 calories, 7.9 grams of fat
-Mini Marshmallows-10 mini-22 calories

A few solutions for keeping the calories in check when indulging in winter warming drinks are:
-Make ingredient substitutions. Get your drinks made with low or non fat dairy to save sometimes hundreds of calories.
-Keep your portions in check.
-Limit toppings.
-Try alternatives like flavored teas or add spices, cinnamon sticks or peppermint sticks.

7-Day Goal: Try a few new teas this week and stock up on a few boxes in the house to have at your fingerips on a cold day. If you are currently drinking a daily large drink, think about whether or not you could switch it up and get a small instead.

~K