NutritionDoc

You are in line at Starbucks, thinking of having a little something with your coffee. You could go for a real splurge, like a Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake, an Espresso Brownie, or a Glazed Doughnut.

But why not stick with something more sensible, like an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie? It sounds like a bowl of cereal, for heaven's sake.

IT IS NOT! Each 3 1/2 oz cookie is likely to have some 400 calories. Outlets buy their baked goods locally. So cookies range from 350 to 530 calories. That is as much as the doughnut, and more than the cupcake or brownie. It is in Quarter Pounder territory . . . and not just for your waistline.

A Quarter Pounder at McDonald's has 7 grams of sat fat plus 1 gram of trans fat. The Oatmeal Raisins range from 7 grams of sat fat and no trans in some locations to 2 1/2 grams of sat plus 4 1/2 grams of trans in others.

If you want something sweet at Starbucks, try a (non dipped)  Vanilla Almond Biscotti (140 calories, 2 grams of sat fat, and no trans fat).

Right now, the only way to really find out what is in the sweets at your local Starbucks is to hunt around on starbucks.com. Wouldn't it be nice if at least calories were on the menu board?

 

Choose wisely . . . live well.