Breakfast at Starbucks

This is what I had for breakfast today (photo one). I was starving after taking my drivers license test and was craving a good coffee so I stopped at the good ol’ neighborhood Starbucks to replenish.

I will admit, I love Starbucks. I treat myself to a good coffee maybe once a week, but I am not the type that can handle dragging my kids in and out of car seats every morning to get one. Like “Dan” who was in front of me who apparently goes there all the time and brings his own cup in and they know him by name. Anyhow, not like him. He doesn’t have little ones to tote around.

If you’ve never ordered drinks or food from Starbucks (like if you’re from another planet), let me assure you their stuff is tasty. As I was eating my wrap, I thought I better look up the nutrition facts on it and some of their newer items.

Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta and Egg White Wrap

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (158 g)

Calories 280        Calories from fat 90

% Daily Value

Total fat 10 g                           16%

Saturated fat 3.5 g                     18%

Trans fat 0g

Cholesterol 20 mg                   7%

Sodium 900 mg                        39%

Total carbohydrates 33 g   11%

Dietary fiber 6g                           24%

Sugars 4g

Protein 18 g

Vitamin A 45%

Vitamin C 15%

Calcium 25%

Iron 15%

Overall I am pretty pleased with the wrap except for the super high sodium content. The thing doesn’t even taste salty so it goes to show you that you can’t judge food based on taste. The calories aren’t bad, it’s high in protein and I was excited to see that it provides almost half of the recommended Vit A amount, plus 25% of Calcium. Iron is pretty good too at 15%! Sugar is low, fiber is high and carbs and fat are acceptable given it’s substantial size. So in a nutshell, this is too high in sodium to be consuming on a regular basis but once in a while you can make it work. Remember, our sodium goal is 2300 mg or less and this has 900mg.

Turkey Bacon, Egg White, Cheddar Cheese Sandwich

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (137 g)

Calories 320       Calories from fat 60

%Daily Value

Total fat 7 g                            11%

Saturated fat 2 g                      10%

Trans fat 0g

Cholesterol 20 mg                 7%

Sodium 700 mg                     31%

Total carbohydrates 43 g    15%

Dietary fiber 3g                        12%

Sugars 6g

Protein 18 g

Vitamin A 4%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 30%

Iron 15%

The sandwich is a little higher in calories and carbohydrates, but lower in fat, sodium…..and unfortunately fiber. It is also high in protein and provides 30% of the recommended Calcium needs for a 2000 calorie diet and 15% iron. Not bad!

Oatmeal (without optional toppings: brown sugar, nuts and dried fruit)

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (38 g)

Calories 140       Calories from fat 25

%Daily Value

Total fat 2.5 g (11.5g with nuts)        4%

Saturated fat 0.5 g                                   2%

Trans fat 0g

Cholesterol 0 mg                                 0%

Sodium 105 mg                                     5%

Total carbohydrates 25 g (63 g with brown sugar and dried fruit) 9%

Dietary fiber 4g (6 g with dried fruit)   16%

Sugars 0g (33 g with brown sugar and dried fruit)

Protein 5 g (7 g with nuts)

Vitamin A 25%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 10%

Iron 50%

Unfortunately the nutrition facts for the oatmeal excludes the toppings so if you add all three in you are looking at a total of 390 calories (toppings: dried fruit (+100 cal); nut medley (+100 cal); brown sugar (+50 cal) and the amount of fat, sugar and carbohydrates significantly increases. Don’t worry about the nuts though- those are good fats. Oatmeal is still a good choice and has the lowest amount of sodium out of the three. Also, check out the iron listed down at the bottom. You’re getting half of your needs with this one bowl (again based on a 2000 calorie diet). That’s a great way to start your day. If I ordered this, I would just add half the sugar, half the dried fruit and all of the nuts. Just in case you were wondering…..

If you are into their baked goods, most of them run in the 300-500 calorie range but aren’t going to be as filling as these choices due to the lack of fiber, protein and overall balanced nutrition. I think any of these three choices can fit into a healthy diet, but just make sure you aren’t over- indulging. A baked item plus a fancy drink can cost you anywhere from 500-800+ calories. The Venti Egg Nog latte alone (with 2%) milk has 610 calories. YIKES!

I am not going to further discuss the beverages at this point….don’t want to ruin your day (or Holiday season!) ;). Rule of thumb, order the smallest size (tall), with nonfat or soy milk. Stay away from the added whipped toppings and don’t have one everyday. Don’t forget that drink calories are calories nonetheless. They do count! If you are having trouble with your weight and are drinking a 200-300 calorie coffee everyday, think about cutting back. Interesting how in all the diet recalls I’ve seen, people rarely include lattes and frappuchinos on them. If interested check out Starbucks website for more nutrition information.

Next up: a delicious cupcake recipe, homemade tomato sauce, super easy salmon, pork meatballs…..and much more!