Frozen Drinks Hall of Shame

(HealthCastle.com) Few people would eat ice cream every day, but many of us will buy one or more iced drinks to quench our thirst on a hot summer day. Frappuccinos (frozen coffee-type blended beverages), milkshakes and slurpees have permanent spots on the top frozen drinks list. They may be refreshing the moment you drink them, but when you regain your senses after the brain freeze, you may be shocked to find out the drink you just downed has more calories than an entire meal, with heaps of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, saturated fat, and trans fat. In many cases, artificial coloring is lurking in these drinks as well. Not so refreshing after all, is it?

Blended Coffee Drinks Hall of Shame

Drink	Calories (kcal)	Sugar (g)	Fat (g)	Trans Fat (g)
Tim Horton's Mocha Iced Capp (cream), large (20 oz.)	670	85	32	0
Tim Horton's Mocha Iced Capp (milk), large (20 oz.)	480	85	9	0
Tim Horton's Iced Capp Orignial (cream), large (20 oz.)	510	70	25	0
Tim Horton's Iced Capp Original (milk), large (20 oz.)	320	61	2.5	0
Starbucks Extra Coffee Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage (whole milk) + whipped cream (Venti, 24oz.)	450	71	15	0
Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage (whole milk) + whipped cream (Venti, 24 oz.)	520	68	23	0.5
Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage (whole milk) + whipped cream (Venti, 24 oz.)	560	84	21	0

Strategies for a Healthier Blended Coffee Drink:

Starbucks Frappuccinos:

• Asking for skim milk and skipping the whipped cream saves 160 calories and 16 grams of fat for the Venti Java Chip Frappuccino!
• To trim it down even further, order the "Light" version (which does not come with whipped cream by default). You will save 270 calories and 16 grams of fat from the original drink, as the base that is used to make the "Light" version contains less calories.
• Consider downsizing to a Grande (16 oz.) or even a Tall (12 oz.). This will shrink your drink to 200 calories and 1.5 grams of fat for the Grande, and only 140 calories and 2.5 grams of fat for the Tall. The sugar is still high no matter how you slice it or dice it, but at least it is healthier than the original 560 calories and 21g fat Venti version!

Tim Horton's Iced Capp:

• Switch your Iced Capp from a cream base to a milk base for a 23-gram fat and 190-calorie savings. Even with this change, the fat and sugar contents are still way too high for everyday enjoyment, so reserve the Iced Capp for a special treat.

Milkshakes Hall of Shame

Drink	Calories (kcal)	Sugar (g)	Fat (g)	Trans Fat (g)
McDonald's Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (21 oz.)	770	111	18	1.5
McDonald's Chocolate McCafe Shake (22 oz.)	880	121	24	1
McDonald's Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (21 oz.)	740	111	18	1.5
McDonald's Strawberry McCafe Shake (22 oz.)	860	124	24	1
Starbucks Strawberry and Créme Frappuccino Blended Beverage (whole milk) + whipped cream (Venti, 24 oz.)	450	68	17	0
Cold Stone Creamery Oh Fudge! Shake (Gotta Have It, 24 oz.)	1920	200	106	2.0
Cold Stone Creamery Savory Strawberry Shake (Gotta Have It, 24 oz.)	1480	145	81	2.5

We were completely shocked and appalled by the findings in this category! From this cross-chain comparison of the most popular flavors (chocolate and strawberry), the numbers from the Cold Stone Creamery and McDonald's shakes were so outrageous that they made the Starbucks numbers look good - even though they aren't! This is by far the worst of all the frozen drinks categories, with sky-high levels of fat, ridiculous amounts of sugar, and heart-damaging trans-fats lurking in almost all of them. Our worst contestant - the Cold Stone Creamery Oh Fudge! Shake - packs one day's worth of calories and 1.5 days' worth of fat into a single drink! There is simply no strategy for having a healthy milkshake. Consider getting a fruit smoothie that is made with real fruits only, and save the milkshake for a really special occasion.

Slurpees Hall of Shame

Drink	Calories (kcal)	Sugar (g)	Fat (g)	Trans Fat (g)
7-11 Slurpee, Coca Cola Classic (8 oz.)	65	18	0	0
7-11 Slurpee, Coca Cola Classic (40 oz.)	325	90	0	0

Although the calories are not as high as the other frozen beverages, all of the calories are from sugar. Very much like sodas, there are absolutely no nutrients (but tons of junk like artificial coloring and flavoring) in slurpees. Sugar-free versions may bring down the caloric content, but you will be faced with artificial sweeteners instead. Why not try unsweetened iced teas or unsweetened iced tea lemonades as an alternative?