Daily Mail Article - hidden sugar in drinks

Buxtonstill

Buxtonstill

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Did anyone see the Daily Mail article on the sugar in drinks today? I have had a few Chai Lattes from Costa on my way to work, thinking - hot milk and tea - probably my best option. TWENTY TEASPOONS OF SUGAR? They don't even taste that sweet. The worst thing is, my sister lets her kids have the hot chocolate as she thinks the caffeine will be harmful.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...king-sugar-favourite-hot-drinks-revealed.html
 
noblehead

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Shocking amounts, I'd be sick drinking them.

The Costa Coffee chain often comes under criticism for the amount of sugar they add to their drinks.
 
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Buxtonstill

Buxtonstill

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They don't even taste that sweet (chai latte) no wonder I'm struggling to get my bg under 13. I had one a couple of weeks ago. It is probably still sitting on my liver. Any time I have had chai latte in Asia it has literally been a tea net (like a tea bag) infused into boiling milk. I have even made it in this country with chai tea bags in boiling skimmed milk. Why the the hell put 20 spoons of sugar in it. Jamie Oliver should include these chains if he wants an anti sugar crusade.
 
noblehead

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I'm not sure why they do this @Buxtonstill, I find tea/coffee tastes so much better without sugar or artificial sweeteners as you taste the true flavour of the drink, but I've never had a sweet tooth so can't relate to why people like the sweet taste of drinks.
 
PenfoldAPD

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Get yourself some Chai tea bags and heat up your own soya milk at home (no carbs), it's much better than all that sugar ... and cheaper too since been diagnosed I've cut down my coffee shop coffees, sparkling water is better to keep hydrated - wean yourself off them, much better for your BG and your wallet!
 
LucyM88

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I was so disappointed and sad when I read this! I absolutely love my chai latte from Costa I guess I should stay clear now....
 
Brunneria

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I'm kind of stunned that people didn't know this already.

All the big chains (targeted by the article) have their nutritional info available online.

And as for the sweetness... those chai lattes are powdered sugar, tea and spice mix added to milk. So carbs/sugars in both ingredients, made in front of you...

Don't get me wrong. If i wasn't D, i would be troughing them with the best. But i am. So i check new foods (or old familiar foods) before i eat them. Heck, i knew the rough calorie/fat content of most common foods decades before diabetes hit.

How can people not know these foods are empty calories and seriously bad for them?
 
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tim2000s

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It surprises me that people don't realise how much sugar is in these type of drinks, but it's hardly new news. Starbucks have been making toffee nut lattes for years and they've always been full of sugar.

I'd have expected people to notice in the flavour as well.
 
phil1966

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I absolutely love Vanilla Chai but the way I have it is just use a vanilla chai teabag (from tesco) with hot water: no milk and a total carb content of zero :)
 
I

iHs

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If I ruled the world, I would make the Costas and the StarBucks close down. We dont need this type of business in the UK serving highly expensive drinks to people. A good souce of employment for some people but that's about all.

The only time I have ever gone into a StarBucks was up in London attending a diabetes event. I got there early and it was freezing cold so went in search of a McD's to sit down and drink a coffee and kill time. After walking about a mile in the wrong direction, I saw a StarBucks so said to OH, come on I'm freezing and most likely my bg has fallen with all the walking, so we'll have a coffee in there instead of searching any longer for McD. Skinflint said you can have one but Im not so we sat down, chatted to some other people and I drank what I thought was a normal coffee made with water and topped up with milk and then whisked up to be frothy. It tasted lovely but I had no idea what the carb content was until I tested my bg at the event and then was shocked to see a bg of 15mmol on my meter A certain someone then grinned and said that coffee had about 45g carb in it.
Waaaaaat.......you are joking. Well had to do 2 bg corrections in order to get bg back to being ok and spent the evening, drinking mineral water and only eating pieces of meat in the laid on buffet.
 
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Pinkorchid

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Never had a Costa or Starbucks drink myself but do they automatically put sugar in all their drinks what about people who do not take it surely they won't want one with 20 spoonfuls of sugar it must be like drinking pure syrup don't they get the choice in those coffee places to have sugar or not. Whenever I have a tea or coffee out the sugar is always given separate to use or not as you please.
 
tim2000s

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Pinkorchid said:
Never had a Costa or Starbucks drink myself but do they automatically put sugar in all their drinks what about people who do not take it surely they won't want one with 20 spoonfuls of sugar it must be like drinking pure syrup don't they get the choice in those coffee places to have sugar or not. Whenever I have a tea or coffee out the sugar is always given separate to use or not as you please.
Click to expand...
No, they don't aadd sugar to all drinks. The drinks in question contain added syrups or ingredients that contain large amounts of sugar.
 
Brunneria

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Pinkorchid said:
Never had a Costa or Starbucks drink myself but do they automatically put sugar in all their drinks what about people who do not take it surely they won't want one with 20 spoonfuls of sugar it must be like drinking pure syrup don't they get the choice in those coffee places to have sugar or not. Whenever I have a tea or coffee out the sugar is always given separate to use or not as you please.
Click to expand...

If you don't want a drink with sugar (added, or not) you just choose another option from the menu.

When I go into a chain like that, I order a decaf coffee and ask for cream, not milk.
Then I pull my handy pot of erythritol out of my bag and tip in half a teasp.
Delicious and nil carb.
Simples.
 
Pinkorchid

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tim2000s said:
No, they don't aadd sugar to all drinks. The drinks in question contain added syrups or ingredients that contain large amounts of sugar.
Click to expand...
Right so I presume it is the people who really love sweet drinks that have them not diabetics I hope
 
Pinkorchid

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Brunneria said:
If you don't want a drink with sugar (added, or not) you just choose another option from the menu.

When I go into a chain like that, I order a decaf coffee and ask for cream, not milk.
Then I pull my handy pot of erythritol out of my bag and tip in half a teasp.
Delicious and nil carb.
Simples.
Click to expand...
Well if I go to one I will just ask for a straight forward coffee and not one of their fancy ones I don't have sweetener in drinks
 
JohnEGreen

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I sat in a Costas last Sunday killing time waiting for grandson and his partner to do some shopping he baught me a regular latte without syrup. I was amazed by the consumption of huge speciality coffees and hot chocolate marshmallows and extremely sugary cakes of all kinds.people where stuffing into their and their childrens faces.

And pondering on just how much trouble they where storing up for them selves have vowed never to step foot in one again if I can avoid it.

Mind you if I am honest there was a little bit of envy mixed in with my feelings at the time.
 
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