Everyday Systems

Pls can anyone know if this would count as a snack...

I know its a drink, but its quite calorie dense and I tend to drink them when im a bit hungry/fancy something sweet. So I feel that I may be using them in place of a snack - is this a fail - or am I overthinking it?!

Thanks

I think if it was a plain latte--meaning no flavored syrup--it would be fine as a snack. Make it a smaller size than you normally get, too, and get used to drinking that size. But flavored lattes are nothing but sugar, really, and the sugar-free kind--well, that's ultimately up to you whether or not you want to eat chemical sweetner. Some people don't care, others do. Me, I feel like the sugar-free syrups at places like Starbucks taste bad; I use NuNaturals vanilla stevia extract in my coffee/lattes because it doesn't have an aftertaste (you just have to get used to how many drops you need to make it taste good to you).

I know a lot of people who got stuck in a Starbucks habit and ended up gaining a ton of weight (I managed to avoid it mostly because when I was addicted, I had a super-physical job as a shelf-stocker at Costco and I worked as a server and a bartender in a restaurant, and I never sat down). A latte a day is probably a bad idea, but one every now and then is no problem. I used to drink giant ones, but after switching to smaller sizes, I couldn't even imagine trying to down a large latte from Starbucks or any other coffee place! Sometimes it's hard to finish a small one!

I guess that's a good thing about smaller coffee shops, too...usually they serve you an 8oz latte--nothing more, nothing less--instead of the monsters that Starbucks offers. That, to me, is perfect! Starbucks doesn't even have their 8oz "short" cup listed on the menu; you just have to know to ask for it!

Sorry for the long answer, but as a former latte junkie, I figured this might help a little!

Hiya

Thanks for your response.

My lattes/capucinnos are 'normal' sized. I have a nespresso machine so either make it with that or just heat some milk and add instant coffee. I dont add syrup ( only at Christmas and then I treat myself to a few gingerbread or cinammon lattes!)

My problem is I get home at 5 but husband doesnt get home till 7 - so those 2 hours I need something to stop me raiding the fridge!

If i do fancy a sweet coffe I add xylitol - which is natural and doesnt spike blood sugar levels.

Im not a massive fan of Starbucks - nit sure if its the same in UK as US but over here the coffee is weak and like you say totally overpowered by sweet syrup if you have a flavoured one.

Given the way you make your lattes, you're overthinking it. You can have coffee and/or milk between meals, so go ahead and enjoy the latte.

I have a mocha once in awhile, usually I make them at home.

Now that you've described how you make them, I really don't think that they should be a problem at all. Milk is allowed on the diet between meals anyway (especially if you're hungry and need to postpone a meal!) and that's basically the only caloric thing in your latte.