12 Worst Coffee Drinks

Oh for the day when the worst thing you could do to your coffee was add a hundred calories in cream and sugar. These days, most of the health atrocities being committed in the name of coffee come to us courtesy of the ubiquitous coffee-house and fast food chains that are colonizing our neighborhoods from sea to sea. Why do they see the need to turn a cup of coffee into a concoction capable of ringing up four-figure calorie counts? (Aside from the fact that consumers are scarfing them up…)

A plain cup of brewed coffee has only two calories, and no fat. Even adding 49 calories from a tablespoon of sugar, 20 calories from a tablespoon of half and half, or 52 calories from whipping cream–a regular coffee can’t come close to competing with the desserts-in-coffee-cups listed here.

For a little perspective, keep this in mind: the range of recommended calories is from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women; and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for adult men, depending on age and physical activity level.

Meanwhile, the American Heart Association has issued guidelines that say most women should consume no more then 25 grams (6 teaspoons, or about 100 calories) of added sugar daily, and most men no more than 37.5 grams (9 teaspoons, or about 150 calories).

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Vic A.

5:52AM PST on Dec 14, 2011

This is shocking; I knew these had a lot of sugars but the calories are astounding. Thankfully I don't like most of these and dislike cream completely, but even I've been tempted to buy a mocha on rare occasions. Definitely never again! Most of these are a full day's calories for me just for one drink, you'd have to run a marathon every day to work these off. Phew!

send a green star

Joy J.

2:09PM PDT on Sep 29, 2011

:( but some of these are my favorites

Eternal G.

6:02PM PDT on Sep 28, 2011

Black without sugar for me!

Treii W.

1:23AM PDT on Sep 17, 2011

thanks

Devayani P.

6:43AM PDT on Sep 11, 2011

Sanja T.

11:57AM PDT on Sep 10, 2011

interesting...thanks

Tom S.

7:35PM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

Still like my coffee & tea

Nancy P.

4:01AM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

Not only are they high in calories, fat and sugar....but they are expensive too....stick to making coffee at home from.....fair trade, organically grown coffee beans.

Megan V.

12:56PM PDT on Sep 6, 2011

I'm not disagreeing with anything, but I do feel you misrepresent the facts. Without a standard size you use, it's harder to compare which drink is the worst. You have some 24 oz, some 32 oz, some unlabeled oz. I think it would be more effective if you used a standard size. Just an observation.

Cherry M.

10:07PM PDT on Sep 5, 2011

Incredible...... bad for our health and bad on the wallets! Personally, I like my coffee as coffee: fresh brewed and high quality coffee, little sugar and cream and it's delish.