Livin' Lean Topic Tuesday: The Skinny on My Skinny Latte

I have not always been a coffee drinker. In fact, it wasn't until being pregnant with my daughter that I actually started craving coffee; which by the way is not a good time to want coffee. Normally, people try to avoid coffee when pregnant; the whole caffeine thing. Not me! I had to have at least three decaf vanilla lattes a week. Sometimes I would switch it up with a peppermint patty latte. Those are the best! Anyway, my latte love affair did not end when I had my daughter. It has continued and still temps me every morning.

While driving to school this morning, I was trying to decide between Starbucks and McDonald's for my skinny vanilla latte. The deciding factor this morning was that Starbucks was on my route, McDonald's wasn't. But it got me thinking about how the two compared nutritionally. When it comes to cost, McDonald's is cheaper. But which packs the most calories?

I had never really done the research before. I figured they were both non fat, therefore equal in comparison. However, in just a few minutes of web searching, I found that a McCafe vanilla latte has 50 more calories than a tall, skinny, Starbucks vanilla latte. The McDonald's version of this wonderful beverage has 140 calories per 12 ounces, while Starbucks contains only 90.

Overall, the nutritional winner here is Starbucks. They are able to take the lead by using sugar-free syrup; cutting down on calories and carbohydrates. A McDonald's non-fat vanilla latte has almost twice as many carbohydrates compared to Starbucks at just 14 grams per 12 ounces. That's not bad.

So, the next time I have the great latte debate (assuming that I have time and my spending account is not extremely low), the choice is going to be Starbucks. Plus, don't you just love their reduced-fat coffee cake selection? I think that's a whole other post.

Keep livin' lean like a coffee drinkin' queen!

Have a fabulous Tuesday!!




**Information and pictures for this post were taken from starbucks.com and the McDonald's Food & Nutrition page.