How to Lighten your Starbucks Order!

Over the past year and a half, when I am home on breaks from school or on summer vacation I work at a local Starbucks as a Barista. With this experience, I have come to learn how energy dense a lot of the drinks are. And when I say energy dense, I mean that a 12 ounce drink can be upwards of 300 calories! Now thats a lot of calroies to be spending on a little afternoon treat, especially if it won't keep you full until dinner time.

One of the beauties of Starbucks is that you can customize your drink anyway you'd like, and I'll make it order! Pretty sweet deal for the customers, especially if they don't like a certain flavoring or milk in a drink. All of the customizations I see, are pretty ingenius. I've had people ask me to make red velvet Frappuccinos, salted caramel mocha coffee, and even froot loops flavored lattes. However, a lot of these customizations add extra calories that can be a burden to the waistline. But they don't have to be! I'm here to show you that you can still have a delicious drink from Starbucks, without ruining all the nutritious eating you've been doing.

First, lets talk about their most popular drinks, besides just plain coffee-Frappuccinos!

-Frappuccinos are by far the most calorie laden item on the menu, but they don't have to be. A standard Frappuccino comes with whole milk, which has 160 calories per 1c and 8 grams of fat. A Venti Frappuccino has more than a cup of whole milk in it! Cut back the calories and fat by asking for it to be made with skim milk or even a mix of skim and 1%. Frappuccinos can also be made with a light base, which makes it blend easier. Switching from the normal Frappuccino base to the light base with cut calories down by a decent margin. Another thing that can help cut sugar content is by either asking for the sugar free syrups for the drink, or asking for less pumps of the syrup. In a large Frappuccino there are 4 pumps of syrup, which is equivalent to 4 tablespoons of syrup. Cutting down on pumps or switching to sugar-free syrups can cut down on sugar content without sacraficing flavor! You can also add protein powder to any Starbucks drink to up the nutrient content and add some fiber to your beverage. 

Next, lets venture into Lattes and Cappuccinos

-Lattes have some similar changes that the frappuccinos do. Lattes are standardly made with 2% milk, cut down on calories and fat by asking for it to be made with skim milk. Flavored lattes and cappuccinos contain the syrups that are made with sugar, like the mocha, vanilla, cinnamon dolce, peppermint, caramel, hazelnut, etc. Most of the syrups previously mentioned also have a sugar-free alternative. Starbucks has a Skinny Mocha, which is made with less sugar but still tastes great. They have sugar-free peppermint during the Christmas season to make great Skinny Peppermint Mochas. Most lattes also come with whipped cream, cut the calories and fat by asking of light whip or no whip at all. The whip usually melts into the drink and you can't really taste it then anyways! Asking for your latte to be iced also helps decrease calorie count because you are getting less milk and sugar in them due to the space taken up by the ice. 

Lastly, Teas and Hot Coffee

-During the summertime, Starbucks offers specialty Teavanna teas (Teavanna is Starbucks tea company). All of their shaken iced teas come with a a base tea of either, Black Tea, Green Tea or Passion Tea (which is their herbal tea). When ordering a tea, they will automatically sweeten it because that is the standard. If you're looking for something less sweet, ask for less pumps of classic syrup or flavored syrup or no syrup at all. You can also get lemonade mixed in with the tea, which will raise sugar and calorie content. If you really can't go without the sweetener or lemonade, ask for less lemonade or less pumps of the sweetener. You will still great the same great taste you love, but it'll have much less calories. 

-Hot Coffee does not come sweetened or with milk. If you want to sweeten your coffee up a bit to make it more drinkable, go for stevia or an artifical sweetener. If you want a specific flavor coffee, ask for the sugar-free syrup! When adding milk, add it slow and be sure to stir it and try it before you add more. By stirring it, you make the milk evenly distributed throughout the drink and will have a better idea if you have enough milk or not.  

Craving the full fat and full sugar version of your drink? Go for a smaller size! During the summer time Starbucks offers a mini Frappuccino which is only 10 ounces, 2 ounces less than the Tall. Hot drinks can also be made in the Short size cup, which is 8 ounces! The hot venti is 20 ounces; thats almost 3 cups of your beverage! And the cold drinks are either the 26 ounce Venti-over 3 cups, and the 30 ounce Trenta- about 3 and half cups! 

Next time you visit Starbucks, try to make some substitutions like the ones I have mentioned above. You will still get all the flavor you're looking for, without hurting your waist line or causing a stomach ache! 

Here some examples of how a little change in your order can result in a lot less calories, sugar and fat

 

 

 

All nutritional information was obtained from starbucks.com

A Workout For You!

As promised in my last post, today I am sharing my personal workout routine. For a while, I would find workout routines that would look interesting on Pinterest and from Women's Health Magazine, but I realized that they weren't working the best for me nor they weren't targeting what I wanted to work on. We have been learning in my weight lifting class about program design and how to make an effective program for a variety of clients. My own personal goals are to Increase Strength and Tone a bit. If you have the same or similar goals as I do, I highly recommend giving this workout a try. I've been doing it for the past two weeks and I feel great and am starting to see some great results! Cardio is to be done 4 days of the week for only 30 minutes each day. I recommend doing 15 minutes of moderate cardio before starting the exercises and then doing the last 15 minutes of cardio after the exercises are complete. The cardio in the beginning helps to warm up the body and muscle to perform the exercises, and the 15 minutes of cardio at the end helps to decrease the likelihood of soreness the next day. The cardio can be walking, jogging, biking, the elliptical, the stepper machine or anything else that will boost your heart rate. Mixing cardio and weight training exercises helps to tone the body and burn fat, while promoting muscle growth and strength. Be sure to refuel after your workout with a good dose of carbohydrates and proteins to replenish your energy stores and support muscle growth and repair. My go-to post workout snack is always a big glass of skim milk and a piece of toast with peanut butter! If you're interested in getting a workout customized to your goals, message me with your goals! Happy Sweating!

DAY 1
Back and Biceps	SETS	REPS
Bicep DB Curl	4	12
DB Hammer Curl	4	12
Cable Curls	3	10
Incline Bench Curls	4	10
Bicep 21s	3	7
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns	4	12
Narrow Grip Lat Pulldowns	4	12
Bent Over Barbell Row	4	12
Seated Row	4	12
Supermans	3	12
30 Minutes of Moderate Cardio

DAY 2
Legs	Sets	Reps
Smith Machine Squats	4	10
Smith Machine Hack Squats	4	10
Leg Press	4	10
DB Side Lunges	3	12
Russian Split Squats	3	12
Goblet Squats	4	12
Seated leg Curl	4	10
Leg Extensions	4	10
Hip Abductor	3	15
Hip Adductor	3	15
Seated Calf Raises	3	15
Stiff Leg Deadlifts	3	15
Standing Calf Raises	3	15

DAY 3
Chest and Triceps	Sets	Reps
DB Chest Press	4	10
DB Flies	4	12
Incline DB Chest Press	4	10
Incline DB Flies	4	10
Decline DB Chest Press	4	10
Overhead Tricep Extensions	3	15
Skullcrushers	3	12
Rope Tricep Pulldowns	4	10
Tricep Kick Backs	4	10
Bench Dips	3	15
30 Minutes of Moderate Cardio

DAY 4

OFF

DAY 5
Shoulders and Abs	Sets	Reps
Military Overhead Press	4	10
Lateral DB Raises	4	10
Arnold Press	4	12
Upright Rows	4	10
Farmers Carrys	4	20 sec
Bent Over Rear Delt Reverse Fly	3	12
Russian Twists	3	40
Leg Raises	3	15
Weighted Decline Sit Ups	3	20
Reverse Cruch	3	15
Oblique Crunches	3	20  Each Side
30 Minutes of Moderate Cardio

DAY 6
Total Body	Sets	Reps
Jumping Jacks	4	20
Burpees	4	10
Kettle Bell Swings	3	15
Single Leg Dead Lift	3	12
Squat with Upright Row	4	12
Box Jumps	3	15
45 Minutes of Moderate Exercise DAY 7 Off Try this program and tell me what you think!

Whats on my Plate?

Ever wonder what a nutrition major eats? Wonder if its healthy or if I practice what I preach? Well the answer is, I do eat nutritious foods most of the time but, I have no problem with treating myself. One thing nutrition majors hate to hear when they sit down for a meal is; "Why are you eating that? Aren't you supposed to be eating only nutritious and healthy foods and staying away from the bad things?". My response is always, "I consciously made the decision to put this food on my plate and if I want to treat myself every once in a while, then why not!"  Just because you are watching what you are eating, doesn't mean you can't treat yourself or make it so you can't have anything that tastes good.

This is what I ate for the day and the justification in the choices I made:

Breakfast (9 am)
For breakfast I had an 8 oz glass of chocolate milk, an apple and whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I chose the toast because it is whole grain and it is very important to fuel your body with carbs and protein at the beginning of the day. Whole grains contain some protein which can help you feel fuller longer and provide energy for the body to get going in the morning. The peanut butter contains protein as well, but also has healthy fats. These fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These types of fat can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. I had an apple in order to get some vitamins and minerals that may be lacking from just having toast for breakfast. Apples are also high in fiber which can aid in digestion. The chocolate milk was chosen to provide 9 essential vitamins and minerals that the body cannot make and have to get from food sources, and to provide more protein in my breakfast.

Lunch (12:30 pm)
For lunch, I had the leftovers of a sandwich that I got a few days ago. However, this is an easy sandwich anyone can make and it is full of protein and nutrients. It was a hard roll with presto, which is full of healthy fats due to the olive oil and pine nuts in it, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella. The mozzarella is a great source of protein and is lower in fat than other types of cheeses. I knew I would need more than just a half a sandwich, so I paired it with carrots and honey mustard. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, K, dietary fiber, and biotin, and I added the honey mustard just to spice up my carrots a little. I had a glass of green tea with it, which has been shown to provide antioxidants to prevent illness and help boost metabolism!

Snack (2:30 pm)
 I had class all afternoon and knew that I would need something to hold me over until dinner time, so I grabbed the single serving pack of dry roasted almonds on my way out of the door. I love the way they taste and they are full of heart healthy fats and protein to keep me feeling full until dinner time.


Dinner (5:30 pm)
I was in a time crunch to get something to eat before class and going to the gym later so I decided to throw some chicken on the George Foreman Grill we have at my apartment, steamed up some broccoli, and made couscous. After the chicken was grilled and the broccoli was steamed, I threw them into a frying pan with olive oil, garlic and cheese and made a simple skillet meal with couscous as a side. Couscous is one of the 7 Mother Grains and a whole grain which are needed in a daily diet. The broccoli is full of antioxidants and vitamins, and the cheese gave me another serving of dairy and protein on my plate. Chicken is one of my favorite meats just because it is so versatile and easy to prepare. Its a really good source of protein, and a very lean meat. Milk again accompanied this meal.
 

Post Workout Snack (10:30 pm)
After a tough workout, I was feeling a little hungry and needed a pick me up to replenish carbohydrates burned during cardio and take in protein to help me build more muscle after a weight lifting circuit. My snack included a piece of bread and a tall glass of milk. The key to post workout snacks is to have it be a 2:1 Carb to Protein ratio. Your body really needs to replenish the carbohydrate stores after burning many of them off during exercise.






This is basically what the jist of my diet is daily. It is really important to make sure that meals are balanced between carbs, protein and fat, and that you are getting vegetables and fruits in your diet to get all the vitamins and minerals needed to function in our daily lives.

Restaurant Menu Navigation Tips and Tricks

I've heard many people say that because they are watching what they eat, they cannot treat themselves to a nice dinner out. One dinner out is not going to kill your diet, nor do you have to have high caloric meals when you do eat out. I'm here to help you make some good eating decisions when you aren't in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Eating out can be little intimidating for anyone wanting to eat more nutritious foods and trying to steer clear of the more calorie and fat laden foods. But it doesn't have to be! There are a lot of resources out there that can help you make better decisions when out to eat. Many restaurants have a low calorie menu, or offer their nutrition facts on their website. There is even a series of books that tells you what to eat and what not to eat at many popular fast food chains (I own one of them and like to look through it before eating out, but a lot of the time their suggestions are not offered anymore or they are not what I would eat). But there are ways to tell if an entree or dish is high in calorie and fat without doing research ahead of time! There are sneaky words that restaurants put into descriptions of their foods which can be direct giveaways that the food may be more energy dense rather than nutrient dense.
 Look out for works like-
Au Gratin, Basted, Battered, Hollandaise, Bottomless, Breaded, Buttery, Casserole, Cheesy, Country-Style, Covered, Creamed, Creamy, Crispy, Escalloped, Fried, Giant, Loaded, Platter, Smothered, Stewed, Stuffed, Volcano, White Sauce
Most likely if the menu item has any of these words in it, its going to be a bone-sticking meal.

However, if you really want to have one of the higher calorie entrees, ask for a box once your entree is delivered. Cut the portion in half and put it in the box to take it home for another meal. What they give you at a restaurant is normally about 2-3 times more than what you really should be eating or would eat at home, so by cutting it in half and putting it aside, you're really saving yourself from feeling over full and eating too much. Also, if they offer a lunch portion or even a half portion, order the smaller portion to ensure that you won't over stuff yourself or eat too much.


Here are some lighter choices at different types of restaurants:
Mexican Restaurants- Chicken Enchilada or Beef Tacos
Seafood Restaurants-Blackened of Grilled Fish
Pizza Joints- Thin Crust Pizza or Mixed Vegetable Pizza
Thai Restaurants- Cashew Chicken
BBQ Restaurants- Pulled Pork Sandwich
Italian Restaurants- Penne Puttanesca or Linguine with Garlic and Olive Oil
Diners- BLT or Grilled Cheese
Steakhouses- Filet Mignon or Grilled Tuna Steak

Here are some words that can signal potentially healthier options-
Baked, Broiled, Boiled, Broiled, Fat Free, Fresh, Grilled, High Fiber, Light, Marinated, Poached, Red Sauce, Reduced, Roasted, Seasoned, Steamed, Stir-Fried, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Whole Wheat