Beware the Calorie Bomb in Festive Coffee Cups

If your idea of a festive treat on a Christmas shopping trip is a Starbucks coffee or coffee-based beverage, think of your figure first. Nutritionists are warning of the hidden dangers that come with each cup of festive coffee drink.

Just in time for the holiday season, Starbucks has rolled out the Eggnog Latte, a large cup of which (Venti) clocks in at a whopping 579 calories, the Daily Mail informs.

Even if you happen to be one of the lucky fews who don't count calories and you have a fast metabolism that allows you to eat basically anything, you should know that this is a quarter of the daily recommended calorie intake for a woman.

As a matter of fact, the Daily Mail notes, you'd probably be better off (calorie-wise) by eating a McDonald's burger since it has less calories, less sugar and less fat.

“A large Starbucks eggnog latte contains 24g of saturated fat – more than the 20g daily limit for a woman recommended by the NHS – and 74g of sugar, the equivalent of 18 teaspoons,” the Mail writes.

“The British Dietetic Association recommends adults consume a maximum of 60g of sugar a day, meaning that the drink exceeds the healthy limit by more than 20 per cent,” adds the same publication.

“It has 579 calories – 140 more than a McDonald’s double cheeseburger,” the Mail further says of the Starbucks festive coffee-based drink.

Of course, Starbucks isn't the only offender this holiday season: Costa, Caffe Nero and even the McDonald's ice cream are also included on the “naughty” list.

Nutritionists are pointing out that, while these products, be they beverages or food, may taste good, they come at too high a price for our body to pay.

They pack lots of calories, fats, sugar and salt and, what's even worse, they have a nutritional value that is incredibly low.

In other words, they can make us fat but not sustain our organism in any way.

“Such a massive amount of sugar and fat in one drink is alarming. The calories are the equivalent of a meal, but one that lacks any real nutrition,” Dr. Frankie Phillips of the British Dietetic Association says for the Mail of the Eggnog Latte.

“The vast majority of our customers choose to enjoy their festive favorite drinks in smaller sizes,” a spokesperson for Starbucks replies back.