Coffee has long been associated with positive mental health benefits. Studies also suggest some physical benefits. Unfortunately, coffee lattes do not boast high nutritional values and could have detrimental ramifications on overall diet if consumed excessively; many contain high amounts of sugar, calories, and fat (especially those made using whipped cream and sweet syrups).

A latte is a popular variety of coffee that typically features blended milk and is served either hot or cold. Although any type of milk can be used to create the beverage, most commonly regular and nonfat are preferred due to their unique nutritional benefits; nonfat is often lower in protein content due to reduced calorie counts while still meeting your personal nutritional requirements. Therefore it is key that when selecting milk for your latte you select according to individual nutritional requirements.

If you’re trying to reduce the calories in your latte, soy or almond milk are great dairy alternatives that provide protein and fiber boosts while being both vegan and lactose-free. They may be especially suitable if you follow a plant-based diet!

Your best option to reduce the number of calories in a latte is choosing a smaller serving size and enjoying all its flavour without taking in additional calories. Furthermore, adding whipped cream or sweet syrups could add many unnecessary extra calories.

Make your latte even healthier by choosing a skinny or iced version. Skinny lattes, made with skim or nonfat milk, contain less calories than their regular counterparts; however, keep in mind that espresso provides most of its antioxidant benefits, so going for skinny may compromise some of them.

Calorie content of lattes depends on their choice of milk and any additional ingredients added, for instance making one using unsweetened oat milk has approximately 120 per cup compared with 100 calories for whole cow’s milk but more than other plant-based options such as soy, flax, coconut or pea.

A latte can make for a healthy snack or meal replacement when combined with other nutritious foods, provided it contains all of the required nutrients (carbs, proteins and fat). Furthermore, it should also be low in saturated fat and sodium (salt). Therefore pairing your coffee latte with something nutritious such as toast or apple can make for an energizing breakfast or lunch option or post workout recovery drink, providing both carbs and proteins to aid in muscle repair.