Registered Dietitian Reveals Her Top Picks for Healthy Drinks at Starbucks

Was your name spelled right today at Starbucks? Probably not. (light music) Hi, I’m Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, I’m a registered dietician in New York City and it’s my job to help you figure out what to eat and why. It’s morning, you’re tired, you’re walking down the street, you’re dragging, so tired, yawning, uh, you’re not sure how much longer you can go on and then you spot a Starbucks. The Bucks to the rescue. Caffeine’s on it’s way but how do you make the healthiest choices there? Never fear, Tracy’s here. Here are my pics for healthy drinks you can get at Starbucks. Let’s talk healthy hot drinks. Hoo, hot! Hot, hot, hot. It might not light your fire but a plain, unsweetened coffee is going to be your all around, healthiest coffee option. It’s low in calories and has no added fat or sugars. If you’d like to add some richness and flavor to your daily cup, try adding in a small amount of milk and add it yourself, to control the serving size. Whole milk is generally healthy to splash into your daily java. Just remember, too much can sneak in additional cals into your day. Hey Starbucks, time to get on the oatmeal train. Think we did a video about that. If you love the depth of a latte, give the humble cappuccino a try. It gives the same indulgent feel without as much milk. This will limit the concentration of milk in your drink. So you can add a drop of milk of your own at the end, if you’d like. And, it’s actually a lighter alternative to the oh so popular, almond milk latte. There’s a latte to like about the new movie, a Starbucks is Born. Starbucks has a wide variety of unsweetened, hot teas, perfect to warm you up from the inside. In addition to being super low calorie, they can also provide added health benefits like antioxidants, depending on the flavor. This tea is in the bag. If you’d like to make your cappuccino even lighter, say hello to the Americano. This drink is prepared using espresso and hot water. The water will create a small, foamy layer adding a lower calorie frost, then the cappuccino. Hot tip, if you’re jonesin’ for a coffee but don’t want a tall, which is 12 ounces, you can ask for a short, which is eight ounces, awesome choice. Livin’ la vida mocha. Second, let’s cool things down a bit and talk cold drinks. Brrr. Similar to hot coffee, plain iced coffee is the healthiest coffee option all around and for the same reasons. Hey, didn’t we make a whole video about the health bennies of coffee? Uh yeah we did, check it out over there. You got it, and Starbucks also has cold brew, aka coffee grounds deeped in cool water instead of brewed with hot water, which has less acid than traditional coffee, so it’s great for those with belly woes, like acid reflux. Starbucks does iced teas too. Stick with unsweetened varieties, otherwise the sugar content in your drink will be tea-normous. I personally love a half unsweetened green iced tea and half unsweetened passioned iced tea, light on the ice. It’s best for a caffeine boost with a bit of passionate tang, filled with antioxidants like catechins that help your cells stay healthy. It is easy being green, tea. Did someone say frozen? Because it’s time to ♪ Let it go, let it go ♪ If you gotta have your frap fix, the coffee frappuccino is the healthiest frozen drink Starbucks has to offer. It contains the fewest calories and added sugars when compared to other frappuccinos. However, frozen drinks are generally not advisable because they typically contain added sugar and refined carbohydrates but if you really like to indulge in one, just order it without the whipped cream or added sugars and share it with your friends, okay? I don’t give a frap if you don’t have any friends, just find a way to split your frappuccino. Ask the barista if you want half. An important matcha dispatch from the field, we’ve heard a ton about the health benefits of matcha. Lots of antioxidants, even more than some coffees. Super calming, immune boosting and with a slower caffeine release so you don’t get jittery. Have you found your matcha on Tinder? (laughs) However, the matcha green tea blend offered at Starbucks has a lot of sugar, so it’s not exactly the best pick in that department. Make it better and get an unsweetened green tea for the same health benefits, without any of the sugar. So there you have it, you can now navigate the Starbucks menu like a pro. See you soon for another episode of You Verses Food. All right, so I have to venti, although you may have bean busy dating Ariana Grande, it’s not a tall order to subscribe to Well and Good’s YouTube channel. I will love you a latte.