‘Tis the season for Starbucks seasonal drinks. This year, the coffee chain is celebrating the holidays with new drinks, which will be available in stores from November. While tried-and-true favorites like the Peppermint Mocha are back on the menu (this time in a pink, green and red cup), there are also new additions with festive ingredients like cranberry and gingerbread.

There’s no doubt that Starbucks’ holiday drinks can be a fun part of the festive time of year, but with such unique drinks on menus across the country, you might be wondering if some are healthier than others. As dietitian Chris Mohr tells Yahoo Life, it’s important to research the nutritional profile of these drinks because these seasonal specials can be “high in sugar, fat, and calories,” which can lead to weight gain and even negatively impact your metabolic rate. health. your ability to maintain optimal blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels – if you consume them regularly.

We researched the ingredients and nutrition facts in the new offering to determine what you might want to know about these drinks and whether there’s one that’s the healthiest overall.

Cran-Merry Orange Refresher

Who says a holiday drink has to be warm and cozy? The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher — made with a blend of white grape, orange, cranberry and juice concentrates, along with green coffee extract for flavor — bucks that trend and is served over ice instead. It is also topped with freeze-dried cranberries.

It’s also the lowest calorie option of the bunch, at 100 calories for a 16-ounce Grande. However, those calories largely come from sugar: there are 20 grams per serving. (For comparison, the same amount of cola contains 52 grams of sugar.)

There is also a version of this drink on the menu with lemonade, the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher. This contains the same ingredients as above, but is mixed with lemonade, increasing the sugar content to 31 grams and the calorie count to 140 for a drink of the same size.

Lindsay Malone, a dietitian and instructor at Case Western Reserve University, tells Yahoo Life that we should be careful about drinking such drinks regularly because “sugar has no nutritional value and is a well-documented cause of common chronic diseases such as obesity and the metabolic syndrome. and type 2 diabetes.”

Then there’s the Cran-Merry Drink, the original refresher recipe, shaken with coconut milk – a twist on Starbucks’ iconic Pink Drink. Although the sugar content is only slightly higher than the original refresher (23 grams this time), the addition of the coconut milk makes the drink contain 140 calories, the same as the lemonade version.

Importantly, these refreshers also don’t contain many beneficial nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. While cranberries have some nutritional benefits (such as vitamins C and E), they are more of a garnish in the drink, meaning you won’t get many of these benefits. In addition, these drinks do not contain protein, which gives you a feeling of fullness.

It should also be noted that these drinks contain caffeine, which may surprise people who don’t necessarily associate these refreshing drinks with the stimulant. A Grande contains 55 mg of caffeine, which is significantly less than the Starbucks Caffe Americano espresso drink, which contains about 225 mg. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to monitor your intake.

Peppermint Mocha

This classic drink—a holiday staple—contains espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce, and peppermint-flavored syrup. It is also topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

The standard Grande-sized Peppermint Mocha contains 440 calories, 54 grams of sugar and 16 grams of fat — the equivalent of a “small meal,” says Malone.

“Regular black coffee is less than 15 calories and contains no sugar, while the peppermint mocha is more closely related to a peppermint milkshake,” says Malone. “Most people don’t choose a peppermint milkshake for breakfast, while a coffee drink, even dressed with sugar, cream and chocolate, seems like a better choice.”

Caramel Brulee Latte

This dessert-like drink, which contains milk, caramel brulèe sauce, espresso, whipped cream and caramel brulèe topping, contains 410 calories, 14 grams of fat and 48 grams of sugar, making it only a slightly lighter option than the Peppermint Mocha.

Chestnut praline latte

The Chestnut Praline Latte is made with steamed milk, espresso and chestnut praline syrup, then topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with a spiced sugar topping. It has about 110 fewer calories than the Peppermint Mocha, clocking in at 330, and also less sugar, at 38 grams. It has about the same amount of fat: 14 grams.

Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte

At just 150 calories, the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte is a much lighter choice than the hot coffee options mentioned above – and that’s partly due to the use of an almond drink instead of whole milk milk. The drink is also made with espresso and sugar cookie flavored syrup and contains about 25 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fat.

However, it’s worth noting that this latte may not fill you up as well as the other coffee drinks on this list. The drink contains only 2 grams of protein, while the Peppermint Mocha, for example, contains 13 grams. Protein is the most satisfying macronutrient.

“Some people may choose almond milk instead of dairy milk to save calories, but I recommend sticking with low-fat milk if you tolerate dairy – you’ll get about 8 grams of protein per cup, as well as calcium, vitamin D and potassium, ” Malone says.

Iced Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai

This iced drink combines oat milk, chai tea concentrate, gingerbread syrup, and a spiced topping made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Because it contains oat milk, unlike Starbucks’ almond drink, it contains slightly more calories than the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte: it clocks in at 310. It also contains 25 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fat.

Importantly, though, this drink also contains minimal protein – just 2 grams – meaning it may not leave you particularly satiated.

Holiday cold foam

Cold foam drinks at Starbucks contain ice, brewed coffee and a sweet cream topping that is flavored with various syrups and additives. The new flavors are:

• Gingerbread cream Cold foam

• Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam

• Sugar cookie cream Cold foam

• Chestnut praline cream Cold foam

• Caramel Brulée Crème Cold Foam

Specific nutrition facts for these drinks are not available at this time. However, the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew contains about 250 calories, 14 grams of fat and 28 grams of sugar. Because no milk is added (only cream), these drinks contain only 2 grams of low protein.

The bottom line

There’s no one “healthiest” Starbucks holiday drink — and how you incorporate them into your diet can make all the difference in your overall nutrition, says Malone.

“Like most foods, there’s a spectrum here where some holiday drinks, like flavored coffee, are quite innocuous, and at the other end of the spectrum you’re essentially consuming a dessert for breakfast,” she says.

Malone says it’s fine to make a daily Starbucks run for one of these holiday drinks, but if you want to be nutritionally smart, you may want to customize your drink. “Choosing fewer pumps of syrup or opting for sugar-free syrups is a great way to lighten up Starbucks drinks,” says Malone. “You can also forgo added drizzled sauces and opt for low-fat dairy products such as fat-free and low-fat.”

The easiest way to do this, notes Malone, is to order your drink “skinny” — that way, she says, your barista will use “skim milk and sugar-free syrup and skip the toppings like whipped cream and chocolate shavings.” ”

Do you want a fun drink that you can enjoy every day? Malone recommends “flavored coffee or a skinny latte with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on top.” You can then “save the fully loaded drinks for a treat you can enjoy a few times a month.”