From hot chocolate to flavoured coffees, each shop has its own menu of Christmas indulgences. But while it’s hard to keep track of what you treat yourself to this time of the year, it’s still good to be considerate and not overdo it.
With that in mind, OnBuy.com decided to take a closer look at the nutritional value of the favourite drinks released by five major coffee chains in the UK: Starbucks, Costa, Caffè Nero, Pret a Manger and Greggs.
By comparing each festive hot treat, the team analysed the number of calories and grams of sugar in each festive hot drink (as stated on each brand's website) in order to see who slips in the most sugar and contain the most calories before additional sugar is added by the customer.
OnBuy.com has revealed the festive drink containing the most grams of sugar is Pret’s Mint Hot Chocolate, which contains 47.9 g of sugar, the equivalent of 11.4 teaspoons. In second place is another Pret a Manger festive drink, the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, containing the same amount of sugar. These drinks are also the most calorific, at 439kcal each.
However, if you are shopping at Pret a Manger, there are some healthier options, such as the Gingerbread Latte which contains half the amount of sugar (22.2g) which is the equivalent of 5.4 teaspoons.
If you are conscious of your waist line, then you should probably head over to Caffe Nero, as they serve the least calorific and sugary festive coffee, the Ginger Latte, containing only 86 kcal and 14.9g of sugar (the equivalent of 3.5 teaspoons).
For the research, the drinks selected contained skimmed milk and the cup size opted for was regular, which represents roughly 12 oz. It must be noted that while 'regular' was chosen, the measurement is approximate.
