What’s the Deal with “Skinny” Drinks?

Happy Monday everyone! I know some people HATE Mondays, which I completely understand, but I try to think of it as a fresh start of a new week! There's just something refreshing about a fresh start, so that encourages me to have a positive view of the usually dreaded Mondays. Just some food for thought :)

But that's not the only food I want to talk about today! I want to address what perhaps everyone has heard of- "skinny" drinks. I know I can't be the only one who faces the temptation to order a Starbucks drink and ask for it "skinny." Maybe because I feel like it justifies my buying whatever I am ordering, and find encouragement in the vague title. But do we really even know what's in those drinks? Why are they "skinny"? What makes them that way? Are they actually better for you? Do they actually help to keep you skinny? Let's find out!

So traditionally, if you order a "skinny" drink, it means you would like the drink to be made with sugar-free syrups, fat-free or non-fat milk, and no whip cream on top. Using these substitutes, yes there would be less calories than the regular drink. But is it actually helping you lose weight or keep the pounds off? And more importantly, is it really better for you?

Let's go a little deeper into the first skinny swap on the list - sugar free syrups. Below is the comparison between the Torani Vanilla Syrup and the Sugar - Free Vanilla Syrup.

Regular Vanilla

Sugar - Free Vanilla

As you can see, the regular syrup has 80 calories for 2 tablespoons, while the sugar free has 0. It is interesting to note that all the calories come from carbs (4 calories per gram), and all of the carbs are made of sugar. The only difference in these sweeteners is where the sweet flavor comes from- either from pure cane sugar, or Sucralose and acesulfame potassium (I went over both of these artificial sweeteners in this post). In short, both of these sugar replacements have been deemed "safe" for daily consumption, and have no significant links to causing cancer.

So while I can't speak for all sugar free syrups, this particular brand seems to pose no real difference in how good or bad these syrups are. Neither of them are "good" for you (both contain not-good-for-you chemicals and preservatives), but neither one is better than the other. This is because the ONLY difference in ingredients is real sugar versus fake sugar; both of which can have equally harmful effects on the body if too much is consumed. So as much as the label "sugar free" makes me cringe (despite actually knowing what is in these syrups), this is at least a decent way to make your drinks "skinny." Keep in mind however three things: 1.) the topic of artificial sweeteners is still a very controversial and hotly debated topic 2.) there may be side effects of artificial sweeteners (such as increased cravings) that do NOT promote weightless, and 3.) this is just one popular brand, other coffee shops may use other syrups, which may pose an entirely different outcome.

Onto the next way to reduce calories from your coffee - fat-free milk. First of all, whether called fat-free, skim, or non-fat milk, this does not mean it has 0% fat- it can have up to .2%. While this is a minuscule amount, it is important to know that "fat-free" doesn't mean completely fat-free, as it would like you to believe. According to this article, the amount of fat in the milk does not affect the amount of nutrients - they all "contain the nine essential nutrients" that is found in whole milk. So while whole milk is the least processed (at 3.5% fat, it's the closest to raw cow milk), skim milk contains the same amount of "essential" nutrients, with less fat. 

But there is a catch (isn't there always?). While the fat content in the milk does not affect the amounts of protein, carbs, and calcium, the processing does strip away vitamins D, A, E, and K (these are found in the fat, so naturally the more fat you take out, the more vitamins go with it). However, almost all milks are fortified- meaning nutrients and vitamins are added back to the milk to give it similar nutritional values as whole milk. So while this isn't a perfect replacement of the naturally occurring vitamins, it does still contain almost the same amount of nutrients.

As a general consensus of all the research I have done on what type of milk is better for you, one type isn't necessarily better than the other. They all offer different pros and cons, and it is recommend to figure out what works best for you and your nutritional needs! 

So as an option to make a drink skinny, I would definitely give a thumbs up on the nonfat milk! There is nothing unsafe or unhealthy about fat-free milk (unless you have allergies of course!), so I wouldn't worry about it. Onto the last skinny tip, skipping the whip cream.

This is pretty simple, since there is no replacement; instead it is just leaving out an ingredient. And while whip cream does contain calories (usually about 15 for 2 tablespoons), it is so insignificant that if you enjoy it, leave it on! Unless you are prepping for a physique competition or something similar, or are on some sort of diet that whip cream violates, I would not even bother leaving off the whip cream. Even if you are trying to lose weight (and hopefully maintain a healthy lifestyle!), then this is really a paltry amount of calories. So while having "no whip" would reduce the calories, it's really not much!!

So to give a conclusion and a recap, these three steps WILL lower the calories of the drink, but it WILL NOT make you skinny. The only real "problem" is with the sugar-free syrups - using milk with a lower fat content and skipping the whip cream are not in any way "unhealthy" or bad for you - is the use of sugar-free syrups. A lot of people steer away from "sugar-free" things because usually this means they are replaced with disgusting and potentially harmful chemicals (which is why that label makes me cringe). But in the comparison I did above, both had the SAME chemicals, the only difference is the sweetener used; and both sweeteners have pros and cons. So really, either syrup is NOT GOOD for you!!! I have read so so many articles saying how sugar free syrups are so bad for you because they are full of chemicals - but that's not really the case. The truth is, the syrups that have real sugar in them have just as many chemicals in them. 

If you really want to make a healthy, but calorie conscious drink, I would say use the fat-free milk, skip the whip cream (if you really, really want to), and don't use any syrups at all!! Sugar-free or not, both syrups are full of stuff not good for you. If you do however want to indulge in a coffee with syrups, go ahead! If you only have them on occasion (like all "bad" foods, having a balance is good), there will be minimal, if any, consequences. 

And that's all! I hope you found this information helpful and interesting. I know I sure did! I always love to research and learn the truth about things, especially when it comes to what I put into my body! Hope you all enjoy your week!

Hannah