A phone in one hand and a coffee in another—this is the image of many students we see on Appian Way who are on their way to class. Whether it’s Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, or Bean and Bagel – coffee or tea is an essential grab for many before they head to class.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition, a six ounce cup of coffee has approximately seven calories. If that were all there is too it, drinking coffee everyday would be no big deal. However, most coffee drinkers add sugar, various creams, and flavoring to their drinks. Those added calories are often overlooked. The USDA stated, “Add some half and half, and you’ll get 46 calories. If you favor a liquid non-dairy creamer that will set you back 48 calories.” Rebecca Briggs, registered dietitian for Keene State College, said weight gain is a concern for many when she commented on the additions people add to coffee drinks. “Those calories all add up to weight gain over time,” Briggs said. She suggested students choose skim milk over heavy creams or half and half, as well as low calorie sweeteners.
“Sugar is just straight calories, and cream provides calories from fat. It comes down to quantity,” Briggs continued. “The lighter the coffee gets, the less healthy it becomes.” In an informal survey, we asked 43 KSC students what kind of milk or cream they add to their coffee. 56 percent answered they add half and half, and 15 students said they add skim milk. To further our study we looked at popular drinks from Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and were surprised at some of what we found.
A café latte from Starbucks is 220 calories by itself, and the trendy caramel macchiato is 270 calories. The highest calorie drink on the Starbucks menu today is the salted caramel signature hot chocolate with whipped cream – a whopping 640 calories. A small dunkaccino from Dunkin’ Donuts is 240 calories, again, without added milk or sugar.
A large mocha coffee with cream is 340 calories, and a large mocha spice latte is 450 calories. Health Science Professor Marjorie Droppa recommended students compare this calorie intake to exercise. For the average 130-pound woman to burn off 200 calories, she must walk for an hour or jump rope for 20 minutes, according to Fitsugar.com. Does that sound like something you want to do just for that one cup of coffee?
“What does it mean to drink that amount of calories?” Droppa prompted. “Looking into that is what can really bring it home for some people,” she said. Droppa gave a few suggestions for avid coffee drinkers. First, she recommended students forego flavorings because they are sugar sweetened. She also said to “skip the whip.” Droppa cautioned students to pay attention to serving size, and said to take control when ordering and ask for low calorie and/or sugar options.
KSC sophomore Meghan Healy said she drinks at least one cup of coffee everyday.
“I drink coffee everyday for the taste and the caffeine—it gets me going and wakes me up,” she said. Healy said she used to load her coffee with extra sugar and cream until she began to follow the Weight Watchers point system. “With Weight Watchers, a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee would be five to six points,” Healy explained, “Now I drink my coffee with skim and two sweet and lows and it’s only one point.”
It’s not only the calories that add up—it’s the money, too. For a small coffee at the Bean and Bagel, students pay $1.40. Compare that to a “tall” coffee from Starbucks which costs approximately $2.00. If a student purchased one small coffee every day for a month from the Bean and Bagel they would save approximately $18.60 than if they purchased their coffee from Starbucks.
That’s a savings of over $220.00 per year.
But we’re not saying coffee is bad. In fact, recent health studies show drinking coffee may be beneficial. A growing body of research reported on WebMD shows that coffee drinkers, in comparison to nondrinkers, are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Research has also shown that for coffee drinkers there have been fewer cases in certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes. Whether you crave the taste or need the kick, consider what your coffee drink contains first. It’s never too late to make a healthier choice
Keep calm and carry on, Keene State.
Julie Conlon can be contacted jconlon@keene-equinox.com
Kim Borkowski can be contacted at kborkowski@keene-equinox.com