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How to Make Your Starbucks Healthy

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SMU chapter.

Oh the life of a college woman wouldn’t make it through the day without 3 coffees at least!  We all run to Starbucks to get the caffeine we say we can “need”, but what will really end up ordering is sugar and fat with a splash of caffeine.  What may sound like a cup full of heaven could contain the calorie content of a meal for the day.  On your next Starbucks visit, simply follow the Rules of Thumb to make your cup full of energy what it is suppose to be.

Rules of Thumb
1. The blacker the better.  Think More Coffee, Less Milk.
2. Sugar-Free Syrups=0 calories, YAY sugar-free!
3. Or Alternatively…Control the Syrup! You can tell the barista how many pumps you would like.  Instead of 3 pumps in your Grande opt for 2 or even 1 and save up to 50 calories.
4. Always order “skinny!” Choose Non-Fat or Soymilk, for all you lactose-intolerant people like myself!
5. No whipped Cream. Saves you 50-100 calories.
6. Say NO to Baked goods…Period.
Yes, black coffee has fewer calories than a piece of gum, but the milk and sugar you pour into it definitely does not.  So if you are going to add in the calories anyways, why not choose a drink a bit more interesting!
Best Drinks under 200 Calories (Tall size, non-fat milk, no whipped cream)

  1. Café Misto (Only 60 calories! Add a pump of sugar-free syrup, guilt-free!)
  2. Caramel Macchiato (Just 100 calories!)
  3. Cinnamon Dolce Latte (Just 100 calories!)
  4. Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte (120 calories)
  5. Chai Tea Latte (160 calories)
  6. Hot Chocolate (190 calories)
  7. Pumpkin Spice Latte (200 calories)
  8. Café Mocha (170 calories – Peppermint or Salted Caramel flavor + 50 calories
Caroline Wright, a double major in Business Marketing and Communication Studies at Southern Methodist University, is thrilled to be part of the Her Campus Team. Although a St. Louis native, she has enjoyed becoming a true Texan in spirit over the past two years! She has been employed by a variety of companies including Kate Spade New York, NBC Universal Pictures, Brynn Bagot Public Relations, Rent the Runway, and Nordstrom. Caroline is currently Social Chair for her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta as well as serves on the Board of SMU's Student Foundation.