This holiday season, festive drinks are everywhere, and they are a crowd favorite. But it turns out that ordering a pint of caramel-flavored hot chocolate topped with whipped cream may not be that good for your health.
Sugary drinks this holiday season
Results of a British survey warns the public about the high sugar content of festive hot drinks that are offered by chains like Costa Coffee and Starbucks. They found out that Starbucks' venti-sized Signature Caramel Hot Chocolate with whipped cream and oat milk was the worst offender on the market, as it contains the equivalent of 23 teaspoons of sugar and 758 calories. Venti cups at Starbucks are 20 ounces or 590 ml.
The gingerbread venti-sized latte at Starbucks was also found to contain 14 teaspoons of sugar and 523 calories per portion, making it the worst latte option.
Elsewhere, the large Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Caffe Nero includes 15 teaspoons of sugar and is over 500 calories. The charity said that a person would need to spend at least an hour and a half on a cross-trainer to burn off the energy from the festive drink.
Costa Coffee's White Hot Chocolate had the highest sugar content for that chain, with 417 calories in a cup. But the chain was among those praised for cutting the sugar content of some of their holiday offerings.
The PHE or the Public Health England has set sugar reduction targets of up to 20% by 2020, but the survey found some high street chains that have increased the sugar content in their festive drinks, compared to previous years.
The group behind the study, Action on Sugar, is calling on the UK's next government to extend its soft drinks industry levy to sugary milk drinks. The UK government announced the new levy in 2016 as a part of an effort to reduce childhood obesity, projecting that it would raise $632 million or £520 million in additional revenue.
The introduction of the levy had an immediate effect, with numerous leading soft drink brands lowering their sugar content.
Effect on health
Holly Gabriel, a nutritionist at Action on Sugar, said in a statement that coffee shops and cafes need to take much greater steps to reduce the levels of sugar and portion sizes. They should promote alternatives that are low on sugar, and they should stop pushing indulgent extras at the till.
Dr. Saul Konviser of the Dental Wellness Trust charity added that the findings of the survey deeply concern, especially given that a lot of children also consume these sugary holiday drinks, which are not only bad for their overall health but also their dental health.
Starbucks released a statement saying that all of their drinks can be customized, such as asking for their smallest size, requesting skimmed milk, and less or no whipped cream. The company also said that they offer nutritional information in-store and online and that they have reduced sugar content in some of their drinks in recent years.
Health experts had advised the public that if they ever want to drink these sugary festive drinks, they should drink lots of water after and to combat the sugar by being active and eating foods that can help lower the sugar levels.
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