Are you checking the calories and sugar in those Christmas lattes?

Coffee shops have started to sell their festive specials: Gingerbread Lattes, Hazelnut & Praline Frostinos, Spiced Cappuccinos and Fudge Hot Chocolates.
Reducing the amount of calories and sugar in your Christmas coffee or hot chocolate drinks can only be beneficial for your health and wellbeing.Reducing the amount of calories and sugar in your Christmas coffee or hot chocolate drinks can only be beneficial for your health and wellbeing.
Reducing the amount of calories and sugar in your Christmas coffee or hot chocolate drinks can only be beneficial for your health and wellbeing.

On those cold, wintery days there’s nothing more satisfying than a hot cup of coffee to lift your mood.

But, be careful …

Some of these high street drinks could contain as much sugar as four Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

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To put this into perspective, an original glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme contains 12.6 grams of sugar – a large Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks contains 48g sugar.

Those Christmas specials are all over the high street and festive coffee drinks can seem a harmless choice compared to a mince pie. However, that famous line, “ahhh, it’s OK, it’s Christmas,” can start as early as November and those innocent drinks can add up.

If you’re trying to lose weight, they can easily skyrocket your calorie and sugar intake and bring your weight loss efforts to a halt.

The government recommends adults consume no more than 30g (six teaspoons) of sugar a day.

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Some of these drinks go way beyond your daily limit. Check out the nutritional content of the popular coffee drinks below:

A venti Gingerbread Latte (made with whole milk) from Starbucks contains 472 calories and 48 grams of sugar. A venti Eggnog Latte (made with whole milk) from Starbucks contains 451 calories and 56.3 grams of sugar. A venti Signature Hazelnut Hot Chocolate (made with whole milk) from Starbucks contains 705 calories and 84.4g grams of sugar. A primo Hazelnut Praline & Cream Latte (made with whole milk) from Costa contains 461 calories and 31.7g of sugar. A medio Spiced Apple from Costa contains 117 calories and 26.1g of sugar. A primo Salted Caramel Crunch Forstino from Costa contains 331 calories and 26.6g of sugar.

Some of those coffees are over double your recommended sugar intake in just one drink!

If you want to enjoy a caffeine hit without too many calories and too much sugar opt for an Americano or Espresso because they have no milk, cream or syrups.

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Or, opt for smaller drinks with a small amount of milk, like a Macchiato or Cortado.

If you really can’t resist a Christmas coffee then follow these simple tips to make your Christmas drinks lighter:

TRY AN ALTERNATIVE MILK

Alternative milks like oat, almond, coconut or soya can save you lots of calories.

Choosing a Hazelnut Praline & Cream Latte (Costa) with almond milk instead of coconut milk will reduce the calories to 308 calories from 461 and reduce the sugar from 31.7g to 24.5g.

CHOOSE A SYRUP FREE SYRUP

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Sugar free syrups are not completely innocent because they still contain a lot of sweetener, but they will reduce the number of calories in your coffee.

DOWNSIZE YOUR ORDER

Changing from a large Gingerbread Latte (Starbucks) to a small will save you 265 calories and 28.3g sugar.

GO EASY ON THE SYRUPS

Ask the barista for less syrup. You’ll still get that festive taste but with less sugar.

CUT OUT THE CREAM

Do you really need a massive dollop of cream on top of your coffee? Save lots of calories by leaving it off.

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