Starbucks and Dunkin Coffee Calories

In New York City, chains with 15 or more outlets are required to post calorie counts for food next to price.

The city believes that outing this information will help NYC residents select lower calorie meals and improve public health.

I've started to obsess over the calorie counts at Starbucks and Dunkin. Plain coffee is pretty much fat and calorie free.

But coffee drinks that go beyond the drip at Starbucks and Dunkin use whole milk and sugary syrups which often have as many calories as a small meal. Starbucks recently switched to 2% milk in its standard espresso based beverages. But that doesn't mean the drinks are low in fat or calories.

2 percent milk has only about 1/3 less fat than whole milk. So a grande latte made with 2% milk has 190 calories and 7 grams of fat vs. 220 calories and 11 grams of fat when made with whole milk. And a grande White Chocolate Mocha with 2% milk has 400 calories and 11 grams of fat.

To save on the Starbucks and Dunkin calories, El Cubano Gordos can request non fat or 1% milk and order the smaller size. That same grande latte with nonfat milk has 130 calories and no fat, a cappuccino, only 80 calories.

Or just skip the Starbucks latte entirely and switch to water. You'll save the $3 bucks a day and 200 calories. Over a one year period just by skipping your latte you'll lose 9.7 pounds on the waist and save $1,095 dollars.