Someone questioned the maximum recommended amount of sugar that is safe to consume on a daily basis and it is my understanding that it is six teaspoons, from all sources. For those interested in the maximum recommended amount of salt, it is one teaspoon!! When one looks at the various drinks available in this article and the total amount of sugars (granulated, icing, glucose) in these drinks, it is so easy to quickly surpass the daily recommended amount of sugar in just one fancy coffee/latte and that's not taking into consideration the fat and trans fat levels!! Yikes! Furthermore, when one considers the over use and/or addition of salt in almost everything we eat these days, it is not hard to surpass that quota as well. One of the most successful ways to lose weight is to severely restrict the use of sugar and limit carbohydrates to 80-100gr/day...it worked for me..

I believe moderation is the key. I have small amounts of whatever I want and after living with a weight problem for many years,(I'm 69 yrs. old)for the past couple of decades, I can finally say that I am at a sensible weight (not stick thin) and I eat a large variety of foods every day. I limit take out and fast food to an occasional treat, eat lots of fruits, vegetables and lean meats, fish etc. exercise regularly and I find that since I eat a large variety of foods I get less cravings. The key is to try to choose wisely, difficult as it is with all the hidden junk in foods now, all we can do is try.... I don't add salt to anything and I use very little refined sugar in my diet, stick to whole foods. I drink coffee & tea with milk in moderation. I drink an occasional glass of juice, but my main liquid is water, I drink several litres a day. I'm happy to say it works for me. Find what works for you, Good Luck

Okay this is crazy! I love my coffee but I do understand drinking fruit juices & sugar can be a killer when it comes to weight gain. trust me I know !! Have you recently checked out how much sodium is in all our pre-packaged foods as well. It's not just coffee & what we drink it is everything in our life style!

@Norm Dickinson, I live in Alberta and Starbucks is huge, easily as popular or even more popular than Second Cup. Starbucks is everywhere here.

What's this question about Starbucks doing on a Canadian questionnaire? I'm a resident of the GTA and have NEVER seen or heard of a Starbucks outlet in Canada, nor seen or heard any advertising for it; it's a USA chain -- isn't it??

Well I'm safe I don't drink any of these beverages. I drink water, green tea, and other decaffienated teas. Why people guzzle this crap down is beyond me. Sure it's okay to have one once in the blue moon, but I know people that guzzle this stuff on a daily basis more than once a day. I'd hate to see what their arteries look like. Used to be a coffee drinker, stopped. I now eat healthy foods, and avoid junk food, and beverages. You should try it. I was amazed at how much better I felt, and I've lost 30 lbs, and have 20 more to go before I reach my goal. All because I cut out the crap in my diet.

If its not good for you - its bad for you. This is coming from a 38 Year Old Male - 11 % Body Fat - 22.5 BMI ratio.

If your in great shape - you feel great !!!

Yup - Got to keep our women from getting too Fat - I wished they cared more....

for gods sake people, they're not saying the suggestions are healthy, they're trying to show you a better option. Instead of just cutting out what you enjoy, cut back. And eventually if you want, cut it out. And they've done the research, so they know which are the worst. A thick shake is still bad, but these are worse; probably because of the high sugar/caffeine contents.

Phew Vodka isnt on the list.....bottoms up!

However... Coffee has been proven to aid in concentration and more obviously decrease fatigue. C.G.P. Grey explains this extremely well with stunning visual aids http://youtu.be/OTVE5iPMKLg

Live right, eat right, die anyway.

I have heard recommendations for maximum daily sugar intake that range between 35 and 80g for a whole day so I doubt that many, if any, of these alternatives are much of a help. It's all garbage. Stay away from it for a week and you will find food and drink that is much less sweet to be more than adequate.

Coffee is great. The pleasure I derive from caffeinated drinks will add years to my life.

Most of these are variations on coffee. Coffee is so bad for your skin my dermatologist had me quit it. My skin improved tremendously, and i''m a man. Coffee dehydrates you and your skin making wrinkles more pronounced, advancing skin aging. Skin is also badly dehydrated by MSG. The other problem here is sugar; but not so bad, if you burn off what you eat. Yes, worse is all the soda pop. Worst? Diet products. New info suggests sugar substitutes increase appetite (Like MSG) but also are bad for health. I've stopped products like that, and gone to fruit juices with no added sweeteners of any kind. Does the job.

The so-called healthier alternatives as a better choice are Unbelievable !! The amounts of sugar are sky high! Stick to black coffee folks or drinks with skim milk and NO sugar..these people should check into 'healthy values' I'm pretty sure none of these fall into a healthy category..

These atre all female drinks. We humans have nothing to worry about.

Let us see, 4 of these are coffee. Are you some kind of a non-coffee puritan? What about eggnog, slushies, coconut mixed drinks...etc. This article has the research of someone destined to write for a diet magazine with only sweet chocolate recipies.

I stopped drinking coffee years ago and stopped tea last year i feel so much better without it. My grandfather alway said if you need a hot drink have a cup of hot water i put a touch of lemon in it . At 2-4$ a coffee jand one or two a day that add's up to a lot of money. This why we are the working poor.

Hey people! Ever heard of espresso for a coffee fix????

ok, like i am too young to drink coffee but my question is why would someone drink coffee? It stains your teeth and it can cause heart problems. I may be only 10 but i have had sips of my dads coffee and i think it tastes horrible. You might not think that but i do. My dad has gotten so many teeth pulled and he has alot of yellow/brownish teeth. I really dont get why you people drink coffee i think it is disgusting and im sure i always will. For you people that do drink coffee at McDonalds,Wendy's, and Starbucks i highly encourage you to stop. It won't do you good at all.

i DONT DRINK ANY OF THESE EXECEPT FOR POP SOMNETIMES BUT I WILL TRY TO IMPROVE ON WHT I AM DRINKING TO BE A HEALTHY PERSON...

i DONT DRINK ANY OF THESE EXECEPT FOR POP SOMNETIMES BUT I WILL TRY TO IMPROVE ON WHT I AM DRINKING TO BE A HEALTHY PERSON...

Really Edgar's Voice? Let me tell you there is a world of difference between "living" to 60 and being overweight, unable to run a mile and popping a dozen pills a day to thin your blood, control your diabetes, and lower your cholesterol

OR

Maintaining a reasonable healthy lifestyle in moderation, exercising, watching your diet and being able to run with your grandkids, take trips anywhere, have sex without consulting your doctor and a team of specialists. Just because you make it to a certain age does not mean you can enjoy it if your body is broken down from the ravages of foolish living.

To be sure, some diseases are not preventable or avoidable, but I'd rather do my best to keep the motor running right, than wheeze into my 60's barely able to function, not to mention the stresses put on an already overtaxed healthcare system. Accept some damn responsibility.

And an aside, who in Hades orders a 32 oz (4 cups of juice, a litre!) with 74 grams(!) of sugar as a substitue for the bad drink? Are you kidding me?

And now for a startling revelation ! Has anyone heard of hypoglycemia? A sweet breakfast satisfies your body's need for start-up fuel, but it also signals that the body need not work on getting any more nutrients. A lunchtime sandwich is too little, too late. Avoid the afternoon letdown with its wonderful companion, the shopper's headache. Have some protein with your breakfast, people ! Save the sweet stuff for once-in-a-while treats.

I am diabetic and at first I gave up everything that contained any amount of sugar. But I found out that I can have just about anything I want but just not on a regular basis. It is like when I quit smoking....I knew the cigarettes where there and I could always buy more but I just kept telling myself "not today".

It's not a matter of any of the products mentioned that make one fat. The problem is always over consumption. If your body burns 2000 calories per day and you consume 3000, you are obviously going to get fat, no matter where those calories come from, although it's far better if they came from healthy food sources.

It's NOT dietary fat that makes us fat and unhealthy...it's SUGAR !!! ALL forms of sugar.....that includes grains and starches. Calories don't really matter...what matters is what KIND of calories and calories from SUGARS are killing us all ! I have lost 60 pounds, in a year, and resolved many healthy issues by eating LOTS of fat and NO SUGAR/GRAIN/STARCH ! Go PALEO BABY !!!

NOOOO!!

Why would you drink a 36-oz anything! Gluttony.

Woops, I forgot that we had to manage our weight and fit into the little box that society deems beautiful. Excuse me for taking up space. Calories are not the enemy.

regular coffee with no milk has zero calories

I'm sure these articles are going to have an impact on coffee drinkers...doubt it

apuci is absolutely right! Club Soda is merely carbonated water...I drink it all the time, and I prefer it over any other beverage. I have one black coffee in the morning, and from then on, its Club Soda all the way!!!

You don't have to drink sugared or colored pop. Try ordinary plain club soda, no additives, very refreshing, 0 calories.

Very surprised that there was no mention of soda pop. These drinks are probably the worst thing you can put into your body with as much as 10 teaspoons of sugar per 10 oz. serving. All brands and flavors can rot your gut and make you fat too. Should have been included here.

Who drinks that garbage anyway?

Whoops! Zero nutrients.......why do you even drink these things anyway? Yes, I enjoy my coffee...black and I drink way too much of it. I am not overweight by any means, most people call me skinny, but I am still high risk for heart problems. Yes, family history says so....And these fancy drinks, bad for the diet, bad for the budget too! Enjoy your life, I agree with this, but poor choices will bring a family to tears before it is necessary.

A medium Timmies with milk will get you going without the mega calories (and mega $ also). I agree with the posts that talk of moderation with respect to food and drink, and lots of exercise.

Time to get real, the article is right, you're killing yourself softly drinking this stuff day after day. And yes I do have a problem with other's naively drinking their way into diabetes or heart attacks which cost our society big bucks, not to mention what it does to your kids lives when they have to take care of you.

This blows my mind. I can't believe the recommended "healthier" drinks.

t's absolutely bizarre how coffee (a 2 calorie drink by itself) can be transformed into a Big Mac with all the crap these retailers throw into it.

If you want some flavor, how about a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of fat-free French Vanilla International delight in it? Tastes pretty much the same as these farces and 0.1 g fat, 6 g sugar.

Even a plain ole' fashion coffee with cream n sugar is only 74 cal, 3.5 g fat and 8.3 g sugar.

And the author totally fails to point any of this out and just recommends a Quarter Pounder with Cheese instead!

Crazy!!

If you have to turn a cup of coffee into a dessert then don't drink it. have tea and a biscuit instead. Or just remain fat and with high cholesterol

Seriously diet pop, pop and sweetned water should be added to the list whipped cream may actually be healthier

Cher_Bear198, wherever you got your facts on insulin, you need to put them aside. This is not a precursor to obesity, nor is it a leading factor. First of all, insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas, secreted for the absorption of glucose into cells. This is a necessary, VITAL process which assists cellular activity on all levels. It provides us with ENERGY. This same idea is propagated in articles which advise that one shouldn't consume carbohydrates...or the ridiculous notion of consuming meat in place of them. A balanced diet consisting of more raw, organic produce, smaller quantities of foods high in fat / sodium / processed goods, and one which limits alcohol and caffeine intake is preferable...which brings me to my main point...

Caffeine elevates cortisol levels and cortisol, which is a hormone impacting the body's metabolism of nutrients, is produced during long periods of elevated stress and is a major player in the development of cardiovascular diseases and disorders as well as obesity.

Stop drinking coffee and you eliminate a good chunk of what's causing your body to reside within a perpetual state of fight or flight mode. Drink decaf, herbal tea, flavoured water!!!! My god people. These articles claiming to be informative could be constructed from merely reading the labels of the things we purchase. There is barely a thing here of real, genuine use!

Btw, if you are interested in making a difference and hearing more on how the global market, the food and pharmaceutical industries are being run by a corpocracy without the interest or safety of the populace in mind, please watch the film THRIVE or visit thrivemovement.com. We need to wake up as a society and this starts with small, every day choices!!

Useless article,,,umm does the Chocolate Supreme Milkshakes at Dairy Queen or Wendys havee to many calories or fat....try regular chocolate milkshakes,,,,d'uh...I feel stupider for reading this

Why on earth would anyone want to drink anything larger than the small size of these things? Small used to be 6 oz and is now at least 8 and in some places 10. So the medium, large and extra large must be huge. Aside from the fact that the only drinks without a lot of sugar and fats are black coffee, black tea and plain water. Even the sports drinks show lots of sugar in the contents label.

Umm... 4 of the 5 drinks in this article are heavily sweetened and/or fatty coffee drinks. So that really only make 2 drinks that can 'hurt your dieting efforts'. This was lazy article writing at its best!

Even the good examples cited in this item have too much sugar and fat.

I work in a coffee shop and I watch customers eat and drink themselves to death. If you are worried about sugar, then stay away from sugar, milk as it is very high in sugar(1 cup of 2% milk has 12g of sugar) plus it is unnatural for humans to drink milk from another species, especially after infancy. Our bones are made up of 30 different minerals, protein and vitamins, so too much calcium is bad. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners including splenda because when your body tastes something sweet you will produce insulin and if you haven't had any sugar, your blood sugar levels will plummet. Not to mention that splenda(sucralose) was tested on humans for 2 days before approval. Plus Insulin makes you fat. Black coffee has 0 calories, 0 fat and 0 sugar. Everything in moderation, as too much of healthy foods and drinks can wreak havoc on your health as well.

Dear Edgar's Voice;

While you are making a good point, unfortunately, I can't agree. It is the quality of life we are talking about. Take everything in moderation, you will do just fine. Yes, enjoy the sinful coffee - but the article says, do it in small cups. Not the super-sized cups. Portion control to combat obesity. There you have it. Everyone should eat everything - as long as it is in measured, small quantities.