Warm Drink on a Chilly Day

It's time for another Q's Day post! 

I know we've been lucky in Saskatoon and the weather has been quite mild for November.  However, I still find that there's a chill in the air.  My neck feels cold without a scarf and my hands seek out the warmth of gloves or mitts.  Whether or not you are experiencing that, I thought of today's question when I walked my dog this morning. 

Today I would like to know what warm drink you enjoy in the cold months of the year?

I typically go for green tea, but I find that in the winter I like something creamier, so I'll make chai or earl grey tea and add skim milk...mmmm.

Remember, on Q's Day you can post any questions, comments, answers, recipes, links, etc. that you want to share with the Nutrishus community!

Stay warm!
Steph Wheler, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Wise Comforts

Earlier this week I took part in a twitter chat focused on modifying comfort foods to be healthier.  I received lots of great ideas to use in the kitchen (and likely share with you).  Oddly enough, the next day it snowed and got cold - actually starting to feel like winter here.  I know it made me start thinking about warm foods I wanted to have.  I really wanted hot chocolate yesterday which inspired me to show you a comparison of some warm drinks (I made mine at home in case you were wondering).

Since McDonalds has been strongly advertising their McCafe beverages, I thought I would take a look at them.  Some of you may prefer not to know what you're getting, but I like to be informed.  As always, I am not saying you can never have the higher Calorie, fat, or sugar option, but choose wisely, choose appropriate portions, and consider how frequently you indulge yourself.  Fluid Calories can add up quite quickly without us even noticing.  If you are choosing black coffee or tea and adding your own cream and sugar, remember that a sugar packet is about 15 Calories (from 4-5g of sugar), and a half and half creamer is also about 15 Calories (with 2g of fat).

This chart below shows the Calories, fat (g), and sugar (g) for size medium with skim milk from the McDonalds Nutrition Calculator.  Going with 2% milk add about 40-50 Calories to each drink.

Steph Wheler, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

	Calories	Fat (g)	Sugar (g)
Cappuccino	60	0	9
Caramel Cappuccino	120	0	24
Vanilla Cappuccino	120	0	26
Caramel Latte	150	0	29
Deluxe Hot Chocolate	250	5	38
Americano	5	0	0
Latte	80	0	12
Vanilla Latte	150	0	30
Mocha	230	5	34

Frappuccino Anyone?

It's hot out there today - I saw so many Starbucks Frappuccinos walking around downtown that it inspired me to share some nutritional information with you (I also included iced tea for the non-coffee drinkers). You can get the Nutrition by the Cup brochure at a Starbucks near you if you're interested in checking out more nutritional information.

I used the brochure to compile the chart below. The values represent grande, non-fat, no-whip beverages (although I included the information for the whipped cream). There are many ways to customize your drinks so keep that in mind.

Beverage	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat. Fat (g)	Carb (g)	Sugar (g)	Protein (g)	Caffeine (mg)
Shaken Iced Tea	80	0	0	16	15	0	Varies
Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade	130	0	0	33	25	0	Varies
Coffee Frappuccino	220	0	0	51	50	4	95
Mocha Frappuccino	260	1	0.5	61	58	4	110
Caramel Frappuccino	250	0	0	60	59	4	100
Java Chip Frappuccino	310	4	3	67	62	5	110
Vanilla Bean Frappuccino	240	0	0	56	55	5	0
Whipped Cream	110	11	7	3	2	1	0

You can choose to change your milk (this will affect calories and fat), ask for a "light" frappuccino to get 1/3 fewer calories, ask for no whip, and adjust the syrups. It is a lengthy ordering process, but you can make sure you're getting what you want.

If healthy eating (and drinking) is on your mind you can also choose a tall (small) for portion control, limit the amount of times you purchase a specialty drink, or even share with someone.

Also remember that water is a great calorie free way to quench your thirst!

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Nutrition Info: Starbucks Beverages

www.sxc.hu

Ever wonder what's in that steamy cup of coffee?
Most companies will either have nutritional information available on-site for you, or you can go to their website to find it. It's fun to compare drinks so that you can make the better choice from your favorites.
The Starbucks site lets you customize your size as well as the type of milk you like (because these both affect the nutrient content of your drink). I like using the compare all feature for a quick snapshot.

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Caffeine Content

Are you ever curious about the caffeine content in the foods and beverages you consume? I am. I came across a brief explanation and chart on Health Canada's website today. It's interesting to see. Natural sources of caffeine include coffee, tea, cocoa, kola, yerba mate, and guarana.

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com