How to Eat Healthy at Starbucks

Keeping healthy choices is a no brainer for when you are eating in, but for most people, eating breakfast at home is simply not feasible day-in and day-out.  This is where restaurants and coffee shops come into play.  What places offer healthy options and what places should you avoid?

Eating out for breakfast is a great way to start the day.  Starbucks is one of the most popular restaurant chains around and for great reasons.  They offer great coffee with pretty much any combination you can think of and they also offer food options for those who are in a time crunch.  Coffee is one of the healthiest choices for our bodies, but one thing to be aware of is the hidden calories in your drink.  Be cautious with sugar, saturated fats from creamer, and also syrups.  In addition, the food at a coffee shop is generally pretty tasty, but not all of it is healthy and good for your workout program.  Consider the following options for eating healthy when you next visit Starbucks.

5 Tips on How to Eat Healthy at Starbucks

• Eat How you Normally Would at Home. One key element for eating out anywhere is to have self-control when it comes to selecting your cuisine.  This means that you should make smart decisions and not let your hunger take the best of you.  With that said, if you are ordering food at Starbucks, consider having an oatmeal cup for less than 400 calories.  Ask for a plain cup to keep the calories low and you will have a very light breakfast that will provide you with ample energy throughout the morning.
• Select Reduced-Fat for Anything. Yeah Starbucks has tasty sandwiches, but with that comes additional fat and calories.  Starbucks offers a few choices for breakfast sandwiches and some are healthy options and others are not so much.  Skip the fatty sandwich and go with a reduced-fat turkey bacon sandwich for about 230 calories.
• Order Reduced-Fat or Non-Fat Drinks. Just because you order a latte doesn’t mean you need to take in all that sugar.  When ordering, make sure to ask for your drink to be skinny (non-fat) and hold the whipped topping if it comes with it.  Also, ask for no sweetener to save calories from added sugars.  Ordering in this way will have your lattes around 120 calories per tall drink and you cappuccinos under 100 calories.
• Avoid Any Drink that has “Frappuccino” or “Macchiato” in its Title. Anytime you see a drink that has these headings, consider another option.  These drinks come with sugar, caramel, creamer, and a lot of calories, even for a tall sized drink.  If you are looking just to get some coffee, consider ordering a Café Americano for about 10 calories and order it black.
• Go With the Protein. If you are like many adults, you wake in the morning, head to the gym, and have your coffee and breakfast after you workout.  If this is you, consider ordering healthy at Starbucks by selecting a protein bistro box.  Each box has about 13 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, making this a good post-workout option for you.  In addition to having ample protein and fiber, the protein bistro box will have ingredients in it that provide you with vitamin A and C, and it provides calcium and iron, which are two minerals important for your body’s functioning.

Stick To It

Over the next month, break the habit of ordering sinfully at Starbucks and really try to make options that keep you under 300 calories.  That means you will need to select skinny options for drinks and make non-fat or reduced fat options when ordering food.  Having a daily treat is a great reward following your workout, but make sure your reward does not undo all of your hard work from the gym.

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