Picture this: You're watching someone make a cuppa. They add a teaspoon of sugar. And a second. Then a third. Okay maybe that's a bit excessive, they must have a very sweet tooth – but then they keep on going, adding a whopping 15.5 teaspoons of sugar!! Impossible you say, it would be completely undrinkable?
Well prepare to be shocked by the sugar content of some of the seasonal special drinks served up by our favourite coffee shops. Check out the info below!
That's 62 grams of the sweet stuff, dissolving in your mug. How is there even room for so much sugar?
Nutritionist Emma Brown (MSc) explains: "These drinks should be an occasional treat, not a replacement for your daily coffee. Many are laden with an unbelievable amount of sugar and calories, and we often accompany them with a high sugar and fat snack too.
"And be wary of the 'upsell': coffee shops are great at encouraging us to 'upsize' our drink or add a pastry. They also use different words for drink sizes – massimo, medio, grande, venti – bit of a smokescreen? 'Venti' doesn’t sound quite the same as 'massive'!
"By all means enjoy a treat, just be aware of the cost – in sugar content and calories".
*Note: The hot drinks are typically made with milk – so around 4 tsp (16g) of sugar will be made up by natural milk sugars. Sugar from natural sources is not of concern, it’s the added sugar we need to be mindful of.
Nutritionist Emma Brown (ANutr), MSc Human Nutrition is passionate about how food science applies to the human body, and how the nutrients in what we eat affect us and ultimately have an impact on our health.