How many calories in your cup of coffee?

TAMPA - Tonight at 11 on ABC Action s News:  Is your hot coffee dangerous?  Linda Hurtado will have a report.

Coffee certainly has evolved over the years. There used to be only a few options – black, cream, and sugar. Today you can get coffee that’s espresso, flavored, blended, frozen and iced with a multitude of syrups, lighteners and sweeteners. With all of these choices, ever wonder “what’s in these cups of Joe and what is it costing me in calories?”

Sizes range from a 1 ounce shot of espresso to Starbucks mammoth 31 ounce Trenta. Sheila Dean, a Palm Harbor nutritionist, says the mega coffee cup really is “…a sign of the times which is the instant gratification and indulgences that people simply can’t afford.” And here’s why - the basic cup of brewed coffee is roughly 8 ounces and it has a measly 2 calories.

Add in 1 ounce of cream and that goes up to 37 calories, and if you add in two packets of sugar, you’re up to an additional 30 calories. So your basic cup is below 100 calories, which doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

But if you like a blended coffee, get ready for the sticker shock in what it’s costing you in calories. Here are 2 high calorie coffee treats sold at major national chains that could pack on pounds.

• A 16 ounce Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappucino will cost you 500 calories and 9 grams of fat.

• A 16 ounce McDonald’s McCafe Frappe Mocha will cost you 560 calories and 24 grams of fat. Panera’s frozen Mocha will also set you back with 570 calories and 20 grams of fat.

The bottom line on frozen or frappucino/frappe’s is that they are packed with calories and most retailers won’t allow you to substitute non-fat milk or sugar free syrups because for the most part, they are already blended and packed with sugar and fat. According to Dean, “Drinks like these make it very difficult to maintain a healthy weight or achieve a healthy weight if that’s your goal. Reason being that they provide ‘too much of too little’.

That is to say, they are loaded with calories, saturated fat, and sugar with very little, if any, nutritional value.” If you had a frozen coffee 3 times a week, that’s an additional 1,500 calories (more than one meal) and you didn’t even get to eat anything!

Dean believes strongly against these calorie laden cups because they “tend to displace the healthy food that could have been eaten.” Not to mention the detriments to your waistline, Dean says “In as little as 2-3 weeks, a person could potentially gain 1 lb and after 6 months, that’s 15 lbs!

That’s enough to drive someone’s blood sugars, blood pressure and blood cholesterol up to an unhealthy zone.”
If you like a cold or hot cup of Joe, a way to save on calories is to order your coffee with sugar free syrup and non-fat milk.

This simple change in the way you order your concoction will save you potentially more than 400 calories per cup. Like it cold? Order it on ice. But, the iced coffee drinks aren’t the only caffeine calorie culprits out there.

• Dunkin Donuts Mocha Coffee with cream which tips the caloric scales at 14 ounces, 260 calories and 9 grams of fat.

• Panera’s 11 ounce Caramel Latte has 420 calories and 18 grams of fat.

Ordering these with sugar free syrups and non-fat milk, you will cut your coffee calories by more than half. Bear in mind that not all coffee retailers carry sugar free syrups and non-fat milk so ask before you place your order what options they carry because your caffeine fix doesn’t have to cost you significantly in calories.

And if you want to be extra sure you are drinking something that is the least amount of calories and is healthy, you can always order water without the coffee.

THE TOP THREE HIGH CALORIE COFFEE DRINKS WE FOUND:

Panera
Mocha (frozen drink)
570 calories, 20 grams fat, 94 carbs – 16 oz

McDonald’s
McCafe Frappe Mocha
560 calories, 24 grams of fat, 78 carbs – 16 oz

Starbucks
Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage
500 calories, 9 grams fat, 98 carbs – 16 oz

Note: The information was compiled by WFTS staff from nutrition information posted on the company websites.