How many calories in a latte

How many calories in a latte, you ask? Well, it depends ...

Although coffee beans contain mono-unsaturated oils, coffee itself is virtually calorie-free; an 8 ounce cup of coffee brewed from grounds only has 2 calories.

All the calories in a latte come from the extras -- the milk, sugar and syrup which mask the bitter taste of caffeine.

At Starbucks, a 16 ounce grande latte has two espresso shots or 3 ounces of espresso as its base. Picture that lying at the bottom of your mug. The other 13 ounces is steamed milk.

What kind of milk you choose makes a huge difference. A cup (8 oz or 250 ml) of skimmed milk contains 80 calories, low fat milk 120 and whole milk 160.

Then consider sugar. Each serve contains 15 calories. By itself, not a lot, but one sugar per coffee every day totals 105 calories for the week. Two coffees a day totals 420 calories per week, the equivalent of running for 60 minutes!

If you add flavored syrup, one pump equals 20 calories. Three pumps are added to a 12 ounce (1.5 cup) coffee drink, 4 to a 16 ounce drink (2 cups), and 5 to a 20 ounce (2.5 cup) drink. So flavored syrup alone adds a whopping 100 calories to a large drink.

Then what about the cream. At Starbucks a whipped cream topping is about 130 calories. Or for every tablespoon (15 ml) of cream add 52 calories, for every tablespoon of sugar add 48 calories.

Look at the difference in calories between plain coffee, lattes and lattes made with different types of milk:

1 rounded teaspoon dry instant coffee powder - 4 calories
8 ounces instant coffee - 4
1 ounce espresso coffee - 1
8 ounce brewed coffee - 2

For 8 ounces or 1 cup:

Latte with fat free milk - 86 calories
Latte with whole milk - 146

10 ounce Dunkin Donuts brewed coffee - 15 calories
10 ounce Dunkin Donuts latte - 120
10 ounce Dunkin Donuts mocha swirl latte - 230

For 12 ounce servings:

Regular coffee with no cream and no sugar - 10 calories
Regular coffee with cream and sugar - 110
Cappuccino - 120
Latte - 200
Mocha with whipped cream - 310
Starbucks white chocolate mocha frappuccino - 370

Notice how the more elaborate the beverage, the greater the calorie count.

14 fl oz Coffee= 1 3/4 cups or 414 ml:

Latte with skim milk - 110 calories
Latte with low fat milk - 150
Latte with whole milk - 180

16 ounce McDonalds brewed coffee - 2 calories
16 ounce McDonalds latte - 180

16 ounce Starbucks brewed coffee - 5 calories
16 ounce Starbucks cafe latte - 220

How many calories in a Starbucks Cafe Latte?

Nonfat milk - 160 calories
Soy milk - 210
Whole milk - 260

And the flavored Starbucks lattes

Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte - 160 calories if no whipped cream.
Vanilla Latte with whole milk - 240 calories and 80 calories from fat.
16 ounce Gingersnap Latte with nonfat milk - 220 calories.
Eggnog Latte - 510 calories and 29 grams of fat for a grande with whole milk and whipped cream. A tall made with nonfat milk and no whipped cream, 270 calories and 8 grams of fat.

But, according to Starbucks, a tall 12 ounce Caffe Latte or Caffe Mocha skinny containing sugar-free syrup and nonfat milk with a dash of foam, contains only 90 calories.

Dunkin Donuts flavored lattes

Caramel creme iced latte - 260 calories
Iced caramel swirl latte - 240
Iced caramel swirl latte with skim milk - 180
Iced latte - 120
Iced latte lite - 80
Iced latte with skim milk - 70
Iced latte with skim milk and sugar - 120
Iced latte with sugar - 170
Iced mocha swirl latte - 240
Iced mocha swirl latte with skim milk - 180
Mocha almond iced latte - 290
Medium Pumpkin Latte - 330.

How many calories in a Chai Tea Latte?

Grand sized 16 oz made with whole milk - 320 calories
Grand sized 16 oz made with 2% milk - 260
Grand sized 16 oz made with nonfat milk - 210
Starbucks made with 2% milk - 120

If you enjoy an occasional milky concoction, savor it because its calorie content could pass for a small meal. But if it forms part of your daily routine, remember there is always a price to pay; every calorie you eat or drink contributes to your weight loss or lack of it.

Should you be a coffee-lover but would like to cut back on calories, here are six ways to do so. If not, read no further.

Downgrade in size from a large to a medium or from a medium to a small.

Baristas are notoriously generous with their sugar servings so add your own, order sugar-free syrup or cut out sugar altogether. If you think substituting with brown sugar will make a difference, don't bother, it's just as bad.

Instead of asking for whipped cream, ask for extra foam. It tastes just as good and saves you between 60 and 120 calories and 6 to 11 grams of saturated fat.

Choose nonfat or skim milk and almost halve your calorie intake. Imagine how that accumulates over time.

Choose something 'light'. At Dunkin Donuts a medium 14 ounce Latte Lite contains 100 calories.

Or even better, become a java connoisseur by going for a short espresso shot or a long black coffee. That way you still get your caffeine infusion, but without the thousands of calories which add up over a year.