Design one that tastes delicious and will meet your athletic goals.
Many coffee shops have sumptuous seasonal drinks, such as the peppermint mocha, designed to tempt the tongue with strong flavors and plenty of holiday sweetness. But they don’t really support either health or performance. How do you adapt them so you can enjoy the season but keep to your goals? Every athlete I’ve ever worked with has body composition goals, calorie goals, performance goals, rehab goals… and probably all of the above!
Let’s assume that we’re starting with a grande peppermint mocha. A mocha is a latte with chocolate added; lattes are steamed milk, espresso and a little milk foam on top. The peppermint flavor is additional. This strategy would also work for a pumpkin spice latte, a white chocolate mocha, a caramel macchiato, or any other coffee shop offering.
Adjust the Size
Less volume = fewer calories as well as less protein and less sugar (added or inherent).
For a plain, skim milk latte, calories are as follows at Starbucks: Short: 70 calories. Tall: 100 calories. Grande: 130 calories. Venti: 170 calories. Expect a peppermint mocha to scale similarly.
Adjust the “Milk”
If you’re a dairy drinker, decide between skim, 2%, or whole milk. Do you need only the carbs and protein or do you want the fat? This will depend on what type of athlete you are, what you’re training for, and how well you handle a high fat intake.
For the fewest calories, go for skim. For the best recovery option, pick the milk that you like AND fits in your calorie/protein goals.
An advantage of dairy milk is that it contains complete protein that’s high in leucine, very useful for turning off hunger signals and stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
Reasons to not consume dairy include not being able to handle it, as in lactose intolerance, an allergy or just not wanting to consume dairy for ethical or other reasons.
There are also half and half, heavy cream and (seasonal) eggnog options. None of these support health or sports performance, nor will they improve your peppermint mocha!
If you’re not a dairy drinker, you have many options! These can have a particular taste or aftertaste that takes acclimation.
Soy milk: Soy milk has carbs, protein, and possibly fat.
Almond milk is low in calories in general, so low in protein, carbs and fat. It does have vitamin E, which is difficult to come by.
Coconut milk has carbohydrate and fat, no protein.
Oat milk is low in protein and fat and has moderate carbohydrates. Because it’s inherently low fat, oat milk often has added fat to increase creaminess. Many companies even have a “barista” version that is designed to produce excellent foam for espresso drinks.
Most of the non-dairy milks are fortified with calcium, vitamins A and D and vitamin B12, making them a good choice for vegans or vegetarians in need of those nutrients.
Adjust the Added Sugars and Flavors
This is somewhat dependent on size; smaller drinks have less flavoring.
That being said, it’s possible to adjust the number of pumps of syrup and sauce that are added to your drink. A grande peppermint mocha at Starbucks has 4 pumps each of peppermint syrup and mocha sauce. One pump of syrup is 20 calories, or 5 grams of added simple sugars. One pump of mocha sauce is 35 calories, 5 grams of sugar, 1 of fat, 1 of protein. Do you need that much added sugar in your day? Try cutting back on the pumps of flavor and see what you think!
Some flavors come in “skinny” versions, meaning they are sweetened with sucralose instead of sugar. This is a way to cut calories.
Adjust the Toppings
Whip or no whip? Whipped cream adds somewhere between 50 and 80 calories, depending on the size of your drink.
Peppermint mochas can also come with chocolate curls or cookie crumbles or a chocolate syrup. If you don’t need the calories or the sweetness or cookie crumbs in your drink, this is an easy addition you can subtract.
Adjust the Caffeine
Do you need caffeine? It can be a useful boost before or during a tough workout. Current guidelines recommend 1-3mg/kg whenever you start to feel fatigued. Find caffeine levels here at the Caffeine Informer.
It’s completely okay to ask for a decaf drink. Sleep is important!
It’s also completely okay to get a steamer, steamed milk without the coffee or espresso but with the flavors (remember, half the pumps)!
Consider Your Timing
When are you having this drink? If you’re having it before a workout, avoid anything that you know bothers you (dairy, too much fat from full fat dairy or oat milk, artificial sweeteners). If you’re having this during a workout (!), same. And maybe carry some snacks? If you’re looking for recovery after a workout, go for something with carbohydrate and protein and lower in fat. If you’re a fat-adapted athlete, opt for the higher fat choices but with no/low inherent carbohydrate and no added sugars in the forms of flavored syrups or sprinkles. The sugar-free versions are fine unless they upset your stomach.
Summary
Looking for a treat? Have at it! If you’re not indulging, I feel compelled to suggest small or medium sized versions of the splashy seasonal specialty drinks, as this is the easiest way to get the most flavor and enjoyment AND meet your goals. When performance is the goal, make choices that provide calories and protein at the right times, that are appropriate for your sport, your position, the goals of that day, and increase your energy!
For a personalized plan on building the best peppermint mocha for you, reach out here to set up a consult.
See this related article on using coffee drinks like the peppermint mocha or pumpkin spice latte as recovery drinks. Or this one on why you SHOULD include chocolate and cocoa in your training menu. And if you want more information about milks in general, here’s a great article comparing dairy with non-dairy milks.
Here’s the Caffeine Informer link again in case you missed it above.