You find yourself in line at Starbucks and it’s lunch time or snack time — what should you order ? Here are tips:

Tip One- Look at the food display and think “what do i NEED” not “what do I want”.

Tip Two- Decide if you’re really hungry or if you’re just tempted because of all the delicious treats staring at you.

Tip Three- If you’re hungry- how far away is a healthy meal ? Is it an hour or two away ? Can you get away with a small healthy snack to tide you over or will you be having a meal at Starbucks ? It’s important to identify this because most people treat baked goods or drinks as snacks. But the reality is – your probably eating more calories and fat in your ‘snack’ then you would at a meal. So make sure to call it what it is. Snack or Meal.

TIP FOUR- If it’s SNACK time, pick one choice. Food or drink. (Unless of course your drink is calorie free like brewed coffee or tea).

Here are my picks:

SNACKS

1. A tall non fat latte. This should be able to tide you over until it’s time for a meal. I know it’s a drink, but it’s one that is full of lean protein. The low fat diary is great for your bones and the protein will help keep you full. Plus a hot drink lasts longer than a cold one- keeping your hands and mouth occupied.
2. A tall non fat vanilla latte. Forget the ‘skinny’ option. If you really want something a little sweet have the real thing. At 150 calories, it’s way better to  feed your body real sugar versus chemicals (which only saves you approximately 50 calories).
3. Nuts. This is a great addition to the menu at Starbucks but BE CAREFUL. These tiny packets of nuts have over 4 servings in them. Make sure you read the nutritional label. If it says 200 calories for 100g and there are 400g in a package – separate your bag into 4 servings and eat just one serving.
4. Perfect Oatmeal. Plain. Once you add all three sides (brown sugar, dried fruit and nuts you’re adding over 250 calories to your oatmeal). You can add them in, just make it a meal! The brown sugar is 50 calories, the nuts and the dried fruit are 100 each.

LIGHT MEAL

1. Fruit and Cheese plate – This is very high in fat. Less fat then a lot of the baking, but it’s still high. The reason? It comes with over 2 ounces of full fat cheese. I would eat half the cheese on this plate and cut the which would cut the caloires by approximately 100 and the fat by approximately 10 grams.
2. Yogurt Parfait – A low fat snack with dairy and protein – but it is high in sugar so watch out for cravings after you eat this one!
3. Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich - I think they are starting to offer this with egg whites which would bring down the fat and calories even further. Of course, it’s high in sodium so watch your salt for the rest of the day
4. Egg White Spinach Feta Wrap- I’m not sure I trust the nutritional chart here. It says this sandwich contains 8 grams of fiber…??? This one is high in sodium too!
5. Vivano ask them to make it with fat free milk. – Careful this one is high in sugar, but it does contain protein and fiber. The great thing is, it will feel like a treat and it’s not so bad for you Just remember this drink is a light meal.

* You’ll notice I have no baked goods on my list. These are all processed goods- even the low fat options have at least 9 grams of fat in them. If you’re going to consume calories on baked goods, save it for home made or at the very least fresh from a bakery. If your very favorite treat comes from the display at Starbucks then treat yourself once in a while. But cut it in half and THROW the other half in the garbage RIGHT WHEN YOU GET IT. And of course, count it as a mini meal.

* I would stay away from the sugar free options as I’m not a fan of fake sure. A tall non fat vanilla latte is a good option for a treat.

* Be careful of the “unsweetened’ iced lemonades and teas. If unsweetened mean 20 – 30 grams of sugar then I don’t know what sweetened would mean. These DO have calories in them. They do have sugar in them.

Starbucks has great nutritional breakdowns of all there drinks and food items on line. If you’re not sure about something or want to know more about ingredients check it out!

http://www.starbucks.com