Not All Hot Chocolates Are Created Equal
The season for hot chocolate is nearly upon us, and Starbucks makes a mean cup of winter wonderment. But did you know that there is a considerable health difference between Starbucks’ regular and white hot chocolate? How about the health difference between peppermint ad salted mocha? It’s time to learn what you’re really ordering when you visit a Starbucks for hot chocolate. The different kinds of hot chocolate at Starbucks may actually effect your health differently, as each specific kind has different health information. So let’s learn the facts about each kind of hot chocolate at Starbucks, starting with the least fattening.
Starbucks’ Best Health Choice for Hot Chocolate: The Regular Hot Chocolate
You may have guessed the hot chocolate with the best health information is the regular. A grande (medium cup) hot chocolate at Starbucks has 290 calories, which for a dessert item isn’t a huge health offender. Though, keep in mind that as soon as you add whipped cream, the regular hot chocolate contains more calories than all but the most unhealthy kind of hot chocolate offered at the coffee shop.
But many of us enjoy purchasing a dessert with hot chocolate. This is where things may become a bit trickier. Even the most healthy snack will rack your calorie intake to a total of 320 calories (400 calories if you added whipped cream) during just one visit, and that’s if you’re lucky enough to enjoy mini doughnuts. In fact, most of the pastries at Starbucks have calories between the upper three hundreds and lower to middle four hundreds. Therefore, you may want to keep in mind that pairing a regular hot chocolate with a Starbucks pastry will make your total number of calories a quarter of the recommended daily intake for a healthy adult. So, while this may be a quality treat after a long day, or a forgivable indulgence if you’re generally a healthy eater, you may want to consider the consequences of frequently pairing the most healthy Starbucks hot chocolate with one of Starbucks’ parties, as delicious as they all are.
Starbucks’ Second Best Health Choice for Hot Chocolate: The Peppermint Hot Chocolate
The difference between this Starbucks’ hot chocolate and the most healthy option isn’t just a comforting dash of peppermint. The peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks has 70 calories more than the regular. This is due to the syrupy substance that is added to the peppermint hot chocolate, giving the drink it’s signature taste. The good news is that both hot chocolate types have the same total grams of fat, which is nine. In fact, the peppermint hot chocolate doesn’t significantly differ from the regular hot chocolate in terms of overall health (if you ignore the additional calories). So, if calorie counting isn’t especially important to you, you may finish this Starbucks drink with a sight of relief.
Starbucks’ Second Least Healthy Choice for Hot Chocolate: The Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
In terms of calories, there is no difference between Starbucks’ salted caramel hot chocolate and peppermint hot chocolate; grande orders of each contain 420 calories with whipped cream and 360 calories without. Therefore, if your health concerns only extend to calories, it doesn’t matter which you order. The only potentially upsetting news for those considering other health information is that Starbucks’ salted caramel hot chocolate has slightly more fat than the peppermint and regular options.
Starbucks’ Least Healthy Choice for Hot Chocolate: The White Chocolate Hot Chocolate
No one is trying to say regular chocolate is better than white chocolate. Though, when it comes to health and Starbucks drinks, there is no denying the white chocolate hot chocolate has significantly more calories, even without whipped cream. A plain grande white chocolate hot chocolate at Starbucks has 420 calories! If you pair this with an average Starbucks pastry and throw on whipped cream, you’ll consume about 700 calories in total. That’s something this article suggests the health conscious remain aware, just for future reference.
Are There Health Benefits of Starbucks’ Hot Chocolate?
Though this article was merely meant to stay informative and potentially alert the health savvy of what they may or may not find in their Starbucks hot chocolate, it is understandable that some may cringe at the calorie and health information of their favorite winter time drinks. Accordingly, this article will end on a high note. Though it’s true the health integrity of hot chocolate has never been widely celebrated, the hot chocolate at Starbucks does offer some health benefits, in the form of the cloudy goodness so many of us choose to add on top. When whipped cream is added to a Starbucks drink, you’re also adding between 15-20 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, and 40-60 percent of the recommended daily intake of calcium. The best news of all is that the most healthy drink in this regard is actually Starbucks’ white chocolate!
WORKS CITED
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/