Would Amanda Eat It?

I was three people back in the Starbucks line, and oddly enough, every single one of the three people in front of me ordered the same thing:

“A skinny vanilla latte, please.”

It made me think – here were three very different people (a middle-aged man, a young college-age woman, and a middle-aged woman), all determined to order the same drink – so what’s the appeal?

The official Starbucks website says, “If you’re thinking about cutting back on fat, you needn’t feel like you’re making a compromise.”  The difference between the “skinny” versions of the Starbucks latte and the regular versions are that these have no whipped cream, are made with non-fat milk, and use sugar-free flavored syrups.

Sounds decent, right?  But would Amanda eat it?

The good:

• compared to the regular version of the vanilla latte, the “skinny” saves you 130 calories, 6g fat, and 35 whopping grams of sugar (!)
• you’ll also decrease the butterfat-related cholesterol (only 5mg versus 25mg in the original)
• hey, it tastes pretty darn good

The bad:

• unlike the regular syrups, the “sugar-free” syrups actually contain gluten
• skim milk is still cow’s milk, which I recommend most people eliminate from their diet for many reasons
• the sugar-free syrups contain more than just gluten – they contain maltodextrin (the aforementioned gluten) and sucralose (Splenda, which has its own host of issues)

The verdict:

• I had a skinny cinnamon dolce latte once, and while it tasted great, it left me with a weird sticky-sick feeling that I couldn’t kick all day – so no, Amanda would not eat it.  Long ago I made the switch to Americanos (espresso with hot water) with a splash of coconut milk and cinnamon and never looked back.

The alternative:

• if you absolutely can’t be bothered to forego cow’s milk, at least skip the chemicals in the Starbucks version and go for a nice homemade vanilla latte
• if cow’s milk isn’t important to you but you still want that sweet creamy taste without the sugar-free chemicas, try Starbucks’ new coconut milk alternative in your latte- totally vegan and totally delicious
• and finally, if the “latte” part isn’t as important to you, go whole hog and try out Bulletproof coffee (weird as it sounds, it’s coffee with butter and coconut oil)

What’s your morning beverage of choice?  What do you order at Starbucks or similar?