This summer I decided to indulge myself in a summer fling. It started as a sweet, innocent affair, seeing each other once a week, but it grew into something much more. As I began to visit on a daily basis, sometimes even two times a day because of those wonderfully tempting treat receipts, I realized this little fling had become something much more addicting, unhealthy even. I should probably say now that my fling was with… Starbucks. A drink for “Natilly,” as my barista likes to put it, could very easily turn my day, afternoon, and sometimes even night, around. *Momentary pause as I slowly realize that I have lived up to the ridiculously low stereotypical white girl standards*
Even though my flirtation ended for the sake of my bank account (seriously, $3.75 for a latte?! Are they selling liquid gold?), I still like the occasional splurge for my health, of course. Though health benefits aren’t the first thing, or even in the top ten things, you think of when it comes to Starbucks, most of the drinks are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and acids.
Here are the cold (or hot, depending on how you take your beverage), hard health facts you should know:
Coffee
As Beyonce put it, “Girls run the world,” but I honestly believe though we may run the world, we run on coffee. The caffeination alone improves alertness and reaction time, stunting the sleep-deprivation you may have from all those all-nighters you had to pull for a midterm. Caffeinated coffee also drastically lowers your chances of Parkinson’s disease. People who regularly drink coffee, both decaf and caffeinated, have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, most likely from the antioxidants and chlorogenic acid in coffee.
Green Tea
My parents provided many important childhood lessons for me, one being, “If it’s green, it’s good.” Now, this mainly referred to the vegetables I would shove around my plate to avoid eating, but in this case it is 100% true. Green tea is one of the best drinks for you and health experts love to rave about it. For starters, green tea can improve blood flow and lower cholesterol, both of which can improve your heart health. Green tea also helps block the formation of plaque that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. This is not confirmed, but it can possibly be a cancer-fighting drink; it has been proven to help healthy cells grow and may even destroy cancer cells.
Black Tea
If green tea isn’t, excuse the pun, your cup of tea, you always have black tea to turn to. Packed with its own health benefits, black tea can lower risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney stones, and Parkinson’s disease. It kills the bacteria in your mouth that causes cavities and creates a stronger immune system. Like green tea, it may also be a cancer-fighter for certain types like lung and ovarian cancer.
Smoothies
And to sweeten the deal for all you non-coffee and non-tea drinkers out there, the fruit smoothie is always a good back-up. Starbucks fruit smoothies are the exact opposite of what you think a smoothie at a chain restaurant is. Most smoothies are yogurt and fruit puree based, which contain a lot of sugars and few heath benefits, but the Starbucks smoothies are all made with two scoops of protein powder and a whole banana. The protein is good for your diet and will fill you up, and consuming a whole banana can reduce asthma, blood pressure, and lower your chances of heart disease and diabetes.
So an apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it also turns out your favorite Starbucks drink may do the same trick! Go ahead, treat yourself to it because not only is it delicious, it could even improve your health!
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