Hi Reader,

Welcome to that time of year when every coffee shop menu suddenly turns into pumpkin, maple, caramel and cinnamon everything. 🎃☕

And I’m here for it.

But seasonal drinks are also one of those places where sugar can add up surprisingly quickly. And there’s something important I want you to know before you look at the nutrition information and panic at the sugar number.

Total sugar and added sugar are not the same thing.

Take a latte made with dairy milk. Milk naturally contains a sugar called lactose, so even if you added absolutely no sugar or syrup, the nutrition information would still show sugar.

The same applies to fruit. Bananas and dates naturally contain sugar too.

This came up when I was making my new Banana Bread Latte, so let me show you exactly what I mean.

☕ Banana Bread Latte comparison

My Banana Bread Latte 166 calories ​30 g total sugar​ 2.9 g fibre 7.1 g protein ​0 g added sugar*

Starbucks Banana Bread Latte 47 g total sugar​ Made with banana syrup, brown sugar cream cold foam and cinnamon dolce topping

*My version has no added sugar when made as written with unsweetened milk.

Now, you might still look at 30 g of sugar in mine and think, that sounds like a lot.

And this is exactly why looking at total sugar alone can be misleading.

Most of the sugar in my latte comes naturally from the milk, banana and Medjool date. You’re also getting almost 3 g of fibre from using the actual fruit.

The Starbucks version also contains naturally occurring sugar from milk, but there are additional sources of sweetness from syrups and sweetened toppings.

This doesn’t mean you can never order the Starbucks one. I’m certainly not here to ruin your seasonal coffee order 😂

I just want you to know what you’re actually looking at when you read the nutrition information.

Instead of seeing a big sugar number and immediately thinking “bad”, ask:

Where is that sugar coming from?

Milk? Fruit? Yogurt? Or is quite a bit of it being added through syrups, sauces and sweeteners?

It’s a small distinction, but it makes nutrition labels much more useful.

And if you fancy making your seasonal coffee at home this weekend, my Banana Bread Latte takes about five minutes and you can have it hot or iced.

Banana Bread Latte Get the recipe ->

Stay happy & healthy! -Maria, Registered Dietitian x

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