Here's What's Hot On CBS11TV.com:
Jul 17, 2008 10:00 pm US/Central
When It Comes to Health Drink This, Not That
(CBS 11 News)
Our check of the nutritional numbers, at several popular drink places, revealed some of the worst caloric offenders and found some healthier alternatives.
Which drink do you think is healthier: a Starbucks Vanilla Frappucino or the Starbucks Iced Vanilla Latte? The Vanilla Frappucino has 430 calories and 14 grams of fat, but the Iced Latte has just 190 calories and only 4 grams of fat.
Whether you drink an iced latte or a fruit smoothie, you're probably pretty picky about what you sip on. But do you really know what you're drinking?
"I'm careful in what I put in it," says Tara Storch from Coppell. "I try to keep it as low cal as possible."
Writers of the popular diet book "Eat This Not That" also have a few suggestions when it comes to what you consume in the liquid form.
If you're a fan of Smoothie King, you better choose your drink carefully. Their popular Vanilla Shake has 738 calories, 37 grams of fat and 82 grams of sugar. Instead you might try drinking the Amaretto Coffee Smoothie which has 118 calories, no fat and only 13 grams of sugar.
If Dunkin Donuts is your drink stop of choice, watch out for the Strawberry Coolata. It has 290 calories and 72 grams of carbs. The alternative might be the Caramel Crème Iced Latte with 260 calories and only 40 grams of carbs.
Still, that Dunkin Donuts Coolata is better than the Krispy Kreme Raspberry Frozen Blend which has 300 more calories and 200 more grams of sodium.
At Starbucks, Diane Rhodes knows what she's getting before she even walks in the door. "I just get the mocha, and I don't think it's that fattening," she says.
If you're like her and enjoy a good mocha, think about this: You're drinking 200 calories and 24 grams of sugar in a 2% grande mocha and that's minus the whip. Instead, drink a non-fat Vanilla Caffé Latte. It only has 120 calories and 19 grams of sugar.
But if you're set on getting a mocha, Ph.D. Nutritionist Sharon Price says play with the ingredients. "I think if you take the Starbucks Caffé Mocha and instead of three pumps of mocha, just put one pump of mocha."
Price says it's important to know the ingredients in the drink as well as the nutritional values.
"Eat This Not That" lists the Jamba Juice Power Mega Mango as a good choice, but Dr. Price says don't drink it. It might sound healthy, but the sugar content is 97 grams! "I would like to call it mango diabetic coma," Dr. Price said. "It just is not a good thing."
Another Jamba Juice drink to avoid is the Power Peanut Butter Moo'd. While it may sound tempting, it has almost 1200 calories packed into it. "That's as much as I recommend some people for their full [daily] dietary intake," Dr. Price says.
Overall, Dr. Price says calorie intake is important, but you should also keep an eye on the sugar and fat. And when thirst strikes, she says you can't go wrong with the liquid everyone can get. "People just plain and simple do not get enough water."
Doctors say there area also several other factors, like rate of exercise, that factor into the pros and cons of drinking the drinks. With the mango drink, Dr. Price says if you exercise regularly it isn't so bad because you'll burn off the sugar quickly.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Popular Slideshows On CBS11TV.COM
