Healthy Drink Swaps: 9 Ways To Cut Back On Calories And Sugar | HuffPost

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Trade in your frozen coffee with whip cream for this instead!

Arti Patel— The Huffington Post Canada

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photo by micha via Getty Images

Iced Latte

It's summer, so our hot chocolates and Irish coffees have turned into sangrias and iced brews.

While we'll never tell you to stop indulging in delicious summertime beverages, it's also good to be aware of how much sugar you're actually drinking in one cup. The infographic by popular calorie counting app MyFitnessPal below, shows us nine super easy (and equally delicious) healthy drink swaps that won't have you worried about drinking too much sugar.

For example, a 16-ounce frozen coffee topped with whip cream is generally 400 calories with 13.25 tsp of sugar, while a 16-ounce ice coffee with one Tbsp of half and half and two tsp of sugar has only 55 calories.

Check out the graphic below and let us know, what's you go-to summer drink?

ALSO ON HUFFPOST:

Are These Healthy Drinks Unhealthy?

Store-Bought Smoothies(01 of11)

If you're looking for a nutritious smoothie, you're better off making your own. "Homemade is way better because you can reduce the sugar and boost the protein with yogurt, tofu, nut butters, protein powder or others," says Patricia Chuey, a registered dietitian based in Vancouver. Chuey adds commercial smoothies (like the ones from juice bars or the Tim Hortons mixed fruit smoothie with 30 grams of sugar) often tastes sweeter and have added carbs from sugar. (credit:Alamy)

Red Wine(02 of11)

We've all heard about health benefits of red wine including reducing the risk of breast cancer and promoting a healthy heart. "Red wine is cardio-protective due to the presence of resveratrol — a naturally occurring substance in grapes," Chuey says. But other studies have shown that if you're already healthy, red wine isn't always needed to boost life expectancy, according to The Daily Mail. Chuey says you says you can skip the alcohol and get healthy heart benefits from eating fresh grapes or unsweetened grape juice instead. (credit:Alamy)

Green Tea And Black Tea(03 of11)

On their own, both green tea and black tea actually quite good for you. "They are rich in various antioxidant nutrients that offer heart protecting and cancer preventing properties," she says. But don't ruin the benefits by adding sugar. (credit:Alamy)

Milk: Is Soy Milk Or Almond Milk Better?(04 of11)

"Whether you drink dairy milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or potato milk, ensure it naturally contains or is fortified with calcium and vitamin D," Chuey says. She notes that people don't need to drink more than two glasses of a milk per day. (credit:Alamy)

Coconut Water(05 of11)

If you're comparing this to pop, go for it. "It's far more natural than pop, but you should still read labels and check sugar levels," she says. However, other reports have shown that coconut water or juice isn't always hydrating and shouldn't be replaced for water if you're active. (credit:Alamy)

Diet Pop(06 of11)

Just because you don't see any sugar or calories, it doesn't mean diet pop will help your health. Even though artificial sweeteners are safe for most people, don't rely on diet pop to help you lose weight or have a healthier lifestyle, according to The Mayo Clinic. In fact, research has also shown that artificial sweeteners can confuse our brains to thinking were drinking calories, making our body release unwanted insulin, according to The Doctor Oz Show. (credit:Shutterstock)

POM Juice: Is It A Miracle?(07 of11)

"Miracle drink? No. Tasty for an occasional treat? Sure," she says. Pomegranate juice has been hailed as a trendy super drink but Chuey says even though pomegranates are nutritious, pomegranate juices carry excess sugar. For example, POM's 100% Pomegranate juice has 32 grams of sugar. (credit:POM)

Iced Tea: Safe?(08 of11)

"Well it depends. Many commercial iced teas are lousy. They are too high in sugar with little or no real tea," she says. Instead, try making your own iced tea with brewed tea, lemon and honey. (credit:Alamy)

Hot Chocolate(09 of11)

Hot chocolate made from a tin can? You might want to skip it. "Hot chocolate made from lower fat milk (dairy or otherwise) with real cocoa and a bit of sweetening is fine," Chuey says. "Made with water from a pseudo-cocoa chemical concoction? Not good." (credit:Alamy)

V8 Products(10 of11)

For vegetable-based drinks such as V8 and Mott's Clamato, the best scenario would be to make your own or just eat your vegetables. "Although V8 and tomato juices can be nice for variety, these drinks are notoriously high in sodium," she says. (credit:Alamy)

Bubble Tea(11 of11)

For this drink, think about additional toppings and calories. "The black "bubbles" are tapioca pearls that have been soaked in tea and 50 grams of the pearls are about 100 calories," she says. Bubble teas are also often high in sugar as well. (credit:Alamy)

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