As you rush around campus every day, it's easy to grab a quick snack in the form of trendy drinks from Jamba Juice or Starbucks. And though it feel may healthy to drink your lunch instead of eat it, SPM found these liquid meals are often high in both fat and calories, in spite of clever marketing to the contrary. Before the "freshman 15" fattens up another class, students might want to think twice before their next mocha frappuccino.
Carol Johnston, a nutrition professor at ASU West, says research shows people who drink liquids with high calories often will not compensate by cutting out other foods.
"If you eat cake, you will likely eat less of other foods in the next several hours or so," she says. "But if you drink the same number of calories, you will continue to eat to satisfy needs, and you are likely to eat excessive calories over the day."
Take Starbucks, a favorite coffee pit stop.
Only one drink on the menu ---- the grande Starbucks' frappuccino (230 calories, 3 grams of fat), weighs in at less than 420 calories, with whipped cream. The frappuccino blended creme drinks average 625 calories per drink and 19 grams of fat. The frappuccino light drinks average 307 calories and 15 grams of fat.
Compare these numbers to the Burger King Original Whopper Jr. sandwich with 390 calories and 22 grams fat.
Johnston says that she would not recommend the daily consumption of either the frappuccino or frappuccino light drinks due to the calories and high sugar content, which can cause weight gain and also raise blood triglycerides, which are related to heart disease and diabetes, she says.
But that doesn't mean students have to go without their morning caffeine fix. Drinking a frappuccino only once or twice a week is probably OK, she says, if you watch what you eat the rest of the day. Johnston suggests drinking black coffee from Starbucks.
"The less added to the coffee, the better," she says.
Jamba Juice is all about the add-ins, and while the healthy-sounding boosts are popular, when the nutrition information for each smoothie is examined, each has just as many calories as other fast food options on campus.
Many students see Jamba Juice as a healthy alternative to fast food.
"Since I've gotten here, this is all I've had to eat," says freshman architecture major Gretchen Schneider, slugging down a 24 oz. kiwi berry burner (470 calories and 90 grams of sugar.) "I've had it at least six out of the past seven days. It's more natural and better than drinking coffee or soda."
The smoothie with the lowest sugar content is the 24 oz. berry fulfilling with 290 calories and 45 grams sugar -- a Snickers candy bar only has 30 grams. Johnston suggests consuming less than 100 grams of sugar per day. She says that the berry fulfilling smoothie is OK, but only if you treat it as a meal replacement.
So what is a hungry, caffeine-craving student to do? Here are some hints for a healthier drink fix:
Starbucks
Cut out the whipped cream. This reduces the number of calories in a caramel frappuccino from 430 calories and 16 grams of fat to 280 calories and 3.5 grams of fat.
Order the light version. Without the whipped cream, the caramel frappuccino light has 180 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.
Find an alternative. Try the iced non-fat caramel macchiato with 200 calories, 1 gram of fat and significantly less sugar.
Jamba Juice
Make it breakfast. The more calories you eat in the morning, the more likely you are to burn them off, plus Jamba Juice offers vitamin supplements that you can add into your drink. Remember Johnston's advice, and don't eat any more food for breakfast in addition to your smoothie.
Go small. Jamba Juice offers 16 oz. drinks, which are equally satisfying, says Cassie Scheuring, 18.
"I'm not in it for the healthiness," she says. "I usually don't supplement a meal with Jamba Juice, so I get the smaller one."
Reach the reporter at mani.obrien@asu.edu.
