Coffee and cake - 5 minute CHOICE

Drinks as dessert

A standard latte or cappuccino may be relatively harmless in the nutrition stakes, but some coffee drinks, particularly the chilled, iced and frappa versions, provide a lot more kilojoules, fat and sugar than you might realise.

CHOICE tested the kilojoules, fat and sugar in a range of coffee drinks from coffee chains, and found that:

• One of these chilled coffee drinks could provide a quarter of the total kilojoules and almost half the fat that many people should consume in a day.
• One regular-sized chilled drink can contain the equivalent of around 15 teaspoons of sugar; that's more sugar than in a Mars bar or a can of Coke or as much fat as in not one but two 50 g bags of chips.

Customise your brew

While we wouldn't recommend having one every day, you don't have to deny yourself completely. Most chains are happy to accommodate individual drink requests, so to limit the amount of kilojoules, fat and sugar you're getting in these chilled drinks, CHOICE recommends:

• Asking for your drink to be made with skim milk (if it's not already)
• Opting out of the whipped-cream toppings; this can save you around 10 grams of fat and 400 kilojoules
• Choosing smaller rather than bigger-sized drinks

Supersize? Not a super idea

Some chains are going down the supersize path and offering drinks in cups that hold 600 mL or even more. At these larger sizes, a chilled coffee drink can deliver you as much as 80 grams (about 20 teaspoons) of sugar, and almost half the fat an average woman should be getting in a day. CHOICE says:

• If you're watching your diet, opting for the smaller sizes will save you more than just money; you get all the taste but far less impact.

Go to choice.com.au for more expert, unbiased advice on appliances, electronics, food and finances. Buy smarter, go to choice.com.au first.