Hi guys,
I have heard from a few different people that if you must go to Starbucks while LCing, a breve is your best choice. (For the uninitiated: A breve is a shot of espresso in a cup filled with half 'n' half, whereas a latte is a shot of espresso with 2% or skim milk.)

For 5 weeks I've stuck to plain coffee w/ a small amount of half 'n' half, but this morning I wanted a latte. At our neighborhood coffee stand I purchased a 12 oz breve with a shot of sugar-free hazelnut syrup. It tasted like beautiful, fattening sin.

I started to wonder: how is this a better choice? Is the carb count really that different? I know that Dr. A has a thing against milk (I intend to re-read that section of DANDR, but I haven't yet), but realistically speaking I'm more likely to indulge in a coffee drink than anything else, so I feel that I should be educated about it.

According to Fitday, these are the stats for 1 cup of each:
Half 'n' half -- 10g carb, 28g fat, 7g protein, 315 calories
2% milk -- 12g carb, 5g fat, 8g protein, 121 calories
Skim milk -- 12g carb, 0g fat, 8g protein, 86 calories

It seems to me that for the "price" of 2 more carbs I could get more protein, less fat, and fewer calories (using either 2% or skim). Why is a breve better? I feel like I must be missing the obvious.

I've also heard that some people get soy milk, but I was confused by these two different entries in Fitday:
"Milk, imitation, fluid, soy-based" -- 15g carb, 8g fat, 4g protein, 150 calories
"Milk, soy, ready-to-drink, not baby's" -- 4g carb, 5g fat, 7g protein, 81 calories

Naturally if I bought my own soy milk I would read the label, but at a coffee stand/Starbucks I won't know what they have and there's a big discrepancy there.

So, coffee lovers, come out come out wherever you are! What do you do? Why? (Please do not reply to this post by telling me to give up caffeine. These drinks come in decaffinated too.)

Hello Rosa,

I too am a "coffeeholic" and the scoop on Half 'n' Half to me is it's what I have when I'm out and about and want one...... you have done the math and it's grim, isn't it???

What I do when I am a little more prepared is to buy a small container of whipping cream and take it to them, they have always made my "latte" that way and then you get the benifits of the 3.32g carb per cup!

I drink about 5 of these a week, with splenda or SweetnLow and I ignore the peanut butter cookies that keep calling my name... lol

later,

Carl

I think it's because you need much less Half and Half than milk to make a drink more creamy. A cup of skim milk may equal a tablespoon of H&H in the creamyness department.

Just to complicate things, the amount of cream or milk used is probably quite a bit less than the cup size. Steaming adds volume (air) and some water (steam is of course water vapor) Anyone who's ever steamed milk on an espresso machine knows that the volume increases by as much as a third when you don't foam it and by much more when you do.

As for why a breve might be better? I can think of a couple reasons. One is, the extra fat might make you feel more satisfied; the appetite control might be worth the extra calories. Another, I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that milk has a higher gycemic index. Finally, though some low-carbers may count calories, and while most low-carbers never count calories, some count them ONLY when they aren't getting ENOUGH of them. Why? because the appetite suppression of ketosis can make you feel too full to eat as many calories as you need to support basal metabolism. This can lead to a "starvation mode" stall. The easiest way to up the calories is liquid fats like cream or olive oil.

Another thought, if you like the breve, but are concerned about the fat and calories (but of course it's good to start getting used to not being concerned about them), you could alter the proportions dramatically by having an americano and asking them to add some steamed half and half. One great thing about Starbucks is they're very accommodating. I'm sure they'd do it. The espresso would make it taste stronger and they're likely to put more half and half than you've been putting in your plain coffee.

As for the caffeine... I love coffee and I think decaffeination alters the taste. I prefer either espresso or brewed black coffee without sweetener so the flavor is important. I still drink it caffeinated, and I've been doing fine. I drink a LOT less now that I don't eat sweets (the sweets seemed to trigger the coffee cravings, not the other way 'round). Now I often don't finish my coffee when I do have it, and some days I don't think of having it at all, but when I do I want the real McCoy. I even put real sugar in my espresso (about 1/4 tsp or less). Since I only drink it right after dinner I figure blood sugar shouldn't be a problem. So far so good.

well, i am a Starbucksaholic, and i just couldn't seem to give up my latte, breve or not! ....and the only soy they have is a higher carb vanilla and so that's out (i don't like flavored coffees ) so here's what i did...

i went to meijers and bought an espresso maker...for only 29.95...i also found "soy silk" unflavored with 3% carb per 8 ozs. and i make my own lattes...they are a bit of work but well worth it...as a treat, once a day i make my own breve latte, only a much smaller amt of half and half...i have also completely stopped the caffeine...i buy Starbucks whole bean decaf and i grind it myself...mavelous!

Thank you everyone for your responses and great suggestions!

Carl, I never thought about bringing in my own cream. That's a great idea. The fact that you drink 5 of those a week and are still losing weight also proves that I need to let my fat worries go. I've gotten a lot better about it than I was at first, but sometimes it still concerns me. I think "fat=bad" is burned into my brain.

Deiesse, you are right about the volume changing; I hadn't thought of that. Again, I don't usually worry about fat & calories now that I'm LCing, but when I saw the stats on Fitday I thought, "OMG!! I just drank 28g of FAT?!?!" It was disturbing. I hadn't taken the possible difference in their GIs into consideration, either. That's another thing I'm getting used to on this WOE.

I like the taste of decaf just fine and usually if I have a second cup I make it decaf, but I still need the caffeine. (And I am happy with my rate of weight loss too.)

kingb123, you're right when it comes to making my own drinks, but at a coffee shop they'll use the same amount of whichever I choose (they just fill the cup).

MsAtt, I have my own espresso machine too (wedding present), but I hardly ever use it because it is such a pain in the butt to clean. I should remember to drag it out on weekends, though. It doesn't get used enough to justify its space in the cupboard right now!

Vile depravity!

Which is to say, I couldn't agree more.

For a while now I've been considering bringing along my own cream, as well. I would recommend using the ultra-pasteurized stuff, but make sure it's just cream -- I've stumbled across some that contains carageenan, which leaves this disturbing (yes, disturbing) scum on top of the coffee as it cools.

If you're looking to make your own at home and space is an issue, you might try a french press for making coffee. Since I am the only person in my house who drinks coffee, most of the time, I find that this is as nice or nicer than a large coffee maker or cumbersome espresso machine (both of which I've had in my house -- sold the espresso machine last year in a garage sale). Takes a bit of eyeballing and guesswork to get the proportions to taste, but it makes a really great cup of coffee. Also, I discovered recently that I have been inadvertently making a trendy-yet-still-underground form of poor man's espresso by letting the stuff steep too long. Not kidding -- there is a (not really) snobby little coffee shop on Clark? Broadway? in Chicago that pushes this stuff!

I'm getting great results with this and Chock Full-o-Nuts French Roast (usually decaf); the latter based on a recommendation from Cook's Illustrated, my bible in all things taste-test-related.

Hope this helps.... Erin

hi erin...thanks for your post...my new espresso machine is a tiny little thing and barely takes up ant counter space, which is good for me since i have barely no counter space in my humble little condo!

i have to respond about your screen name: moth

there is a local rock group that has been around for quite a few years now, and has had some national success named "moth"...i find that very cool, indeed!