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Is McDonald’s Coffee Healthy?
McDonald’s is one of the most beloved fast-food chains, and many rely on its drive-thrus to give themselves a morning or midday pick-me-up. But if you’re trying to control your weight, be mindful when ordering McCafe items as some contain excessive sugar and calories that could put stress on your waistline.
As such, we enlisted registered dietitian Summer Yule to give us all the latest on what she considers to be the top (and bottom) options on McDonald’s McCafe menu – so that next time you hit up the drive-thru you can make informed choices! From coffee and lattes to dessert options and everything in between – Yule provides us with information about all the top beverage choices at McDonald’s!
A great option for those trying to reduce sugar and calories is an unsweetened black coffee with nonfat milk; one small iced black coffee contains just 7 grams of sugar and 60 calories! Furthermore, opting for no liquid syrups or cream will lower both calorie and sugar intake even further.
If you prefer something sweeter, a small iced caramel mocha with nonfat milk might be your ideal beverage choice. Although it still contains 26 grams of sugar, this beverage offers the lowest calorie count among sugar syrup drinks on the McCafe menu – switching it for whole milk will bring that total up to 240.
While a cappuccino with nonfat milk is a satisfying beverage option, adding any sugar or syrups increases both caloric intake and sugar consumption significantly. A small iced cappuccino with added sugar contains 70 additional calories and 13 grams of sugar while adding whole milk adds 50 additional calories and 16 more grams.
While black and iced coffee are always the go-to choices, if you want something a bit sweeter try adding 1 tablespoon of sugar-free vanilla extract for an easy sweet fix that still provides some nutritional benefit.