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Is it unhealthy to drink one latte a day?
Replies
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Pretty sure a Big Mac is full of nutrition (fat, protein, carbohydrates are nutrients), which is actually how it becomes unhealthy in the wrong context. And that is the rub, what is healthy or unhealthy must always be in a context, I think it might even be the case that it is always relative to alternatives, and that possibly we can't have a healthy simpliciter or an absolute measurement of health like we can have meters to measure distance.
If you want to say a Big Mac is unhealthy, full stop, no qualification, tell me that it would be worse to give a starving man a Big Mac than nothing, with full honesty. Or tell me that is is healthier than giving him equal calories of kale, even - keeping in mind starvation involves a lack of body fat and kale is rather poor in fats and not great in terms of available protein either. If you can't, I think you're forced to consider the health of the Big Mac is relative and contextual.9 -
There have been recent studies stating that dairy in general is not really a necessity in a good diet. Apparently we are the only creatures on earth that drink the milk of another animal after the necessary growing period..any kind of sugar is a no for me (sans fruits)..the debate can take you many places but it is fact that sugar in general is as addictive as recreational drugs..and finally coming from a family of heavy coffee drinkers (it is a staple in my culture)..ive seen some folks drink cofee but only black..the modern american drinks a lot of cafeine and lattes sold at the starbucks and other places are more like a highly sugary milk shake..the cofee is the last thing on their mind.
To answer your question more directly..it depends on what your school of thought is..if you follow IIFYM regardless of what type of food you ingest then you shouldnt have a problem if it fits your macros right? But quality and quantity are very different things..
Well there are all kinds of animals that occasionally drink the milk of other animals - pretty common for a predator that kills a mammal that is slow from a recent pregnancy. That said, even if that wasn't the case, that humans are the only things that do X does not make it unhealthy. Humans are the only animals with an Encephialization Quotient above 7, but I don't think that's unhealthy unless except to someone allergic to intelligence.
It also is not a fact that sugar is addictive as recreational drugs. It isn't even a fact that sugar is addictive. All the studies that show an abuse behavior of sugar by rodents involve time restriction, but drugs produce addiction even with free access.6 -
I hate the whole "healthy" or "unhealthy" labels put on certain types of food and drinks. Too much of anything can have a detrimental affect. Even if it doesn't at the moment, our bodies change as we age and what we can tolerate now we may develop an intolerance for later. How about this for an entry into the debate:
Tom Naughton did this a few years ago and recorded his 30 day all McDonald diet in the documentary 'Fat Head'. End result was weight loss and improved health markers.
OP, while many of us have definite ideas of what's 'healthy' or 'not healthy' I think a latte would be something most would consider pretty harmless in the scheme of things. Coffee has antioxidants in it, and you're not adding a bunch of crazy extras to it, so I'm not sure why you think it's a bad thing? Did someone tell you coffee was unhealthy?2 -
There have been recent studies stating that dairy in general is not really a necessity in a good diet. Apparently we are the only creatures on earth that drink the milk of another animal after the necessary growing period..any kind of sugar is a no for me (sans fruits)..the debate can take you many places but it is fact that sugar in general is as addictive as recreational drugs..and finally coming from a family of heavy coffee drinkers (it is a staple in my culture)..ive seen some folks drink cofee but only black..the modern american drinks a lot of cafeine and lattes sold at the starbucks and other places are more like a highly sugary milk shake..the cofee is the last thing on their mind.
To answer your question more directly..it depends on what your school of thought is..if you follow IIFYM regardless of what type of food you ingest then you shouldnt have a problem if it fits your macros right? But quality and quantity are very different things..
While the OP's latte is made with non-dairy "milk", my full grown cat drinks cow's milk every night.5 -
@bmeadows380
I drank 2 unsweetened, nonfat, decaf lattes (usually homemade) each day as I lost 10’s of pounds of weight, and I still one daily (having swapped out the other for a bowl of nonfat Greek yogurt.)
My doctor wants me eating dairy (osteoporosis) & I love it with peanut butter Ezekiel toast, fruit, and a small bit of 82% dark chocolate.
I consider it a healthy choice for me.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »There have been recent studies stating that dairy in general is not really a necessity in a good diet. Apparently we are the only creatures on earth that drink the milk of another animal after the necessary growing period..any kind of sugar is a no for me (sans fruits)..the debate can take you many places but it is fact that sugar in general is as addictive as recreational drugs..and finally coming from a family of heavy coffee drinkers (it is a staple in my culture)..ive seen some folks drink cofee but only black..the modern american drinks a lot of cafeine and lattes sold at the starbucks and other places are more like a highly sugary milk shake..the cofee is the last thing on their mind.
To answer your question more directly..it depends on what your school of thought is..if you follow IIFYM regardless of what type of food you ingest then you shouldnt have a problem if it fits your macros right? But quality and quantity are very different things..
While the OP's latte is made with non-dairy "milk", my full grown cat drinks cow's milk every night.
Mine loves goat milk. And any kind of cheese.
Did you know humans are the only creatures on Earth that pilot airplanes, count calories, and post on the internet?13 -
I drink a latte a day. I gave up all my other sugary crap to lose weight. Not my coffee drink. I fit it into my calories.3
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I have at least 2 espresso drinks a day..sometimes even 4...I’m doing just fine (:1
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I have an espresso machine at home and have two café au laits a day, which adds up to as much milk as a latte. It's just milk (or oat milk). Perfectly healthy. So are granola bars, which you were also worried about. I eat bars frequently. Good on the go snack.0
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EnergyBender667 wrote: »I recently got myself into starbucks because I've always loved the taste and smell of coffee, but I like to avoid caffeine due to it's effects on anxiety and heart palpitations, so I started ordering tall decaf lattes and have one almost every day. I use almond or coconut milk and don't usually add any sweeteners to it. Would this be considered unhealthy? Should I cut down my consumption?
You talked about caffeine's effects on anxiety and heart palpitations, and asked if a tall decaf latte would be unhealthy. I believe even decaf coffee has some small amount of caffeine. Whether that amount of caffeine is healthy or not would depend on how sensitive you are.
A couple of years ago, I ended up in the emergency room twice in two weeks due to caffeine from coffee (it made my blood pressure go sky high), so I gave up coffee. A cup a day probably wouldn't hurt me, but I tend to overdrink it. Only you can tell about your tolerance. Checking your heart rate would be one way to tell. Good luck.
Edited to add this link: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-in-decaf#bottom-line
This article lists the caffeine in decaf Starbucks coffee. Only you can tell if it bothers you. If not, enjoy your drink!0 -
seltzermint555 wrote: »
Unsolicited comment, I know, but I'd be more concerned about spending roughly $1,000 per year on Starbucks (assuming they're about three dollars per day). For me that's an extra mortgage payment.
I'd be more concerned about the time it would take me to get to nearest Starbucks every day and the carbon footprint of my cars petrol to do so.
For me that's an hours drive each way.
Oops, totally irelevant to OP's question.
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