Is Coffee Ruining Your Figure?

Drinking your favorite cup of coffee may not only cost extra money, but it also might add extra pounds.

According to the Starbucks Web site, a vanilla bean frappuccino with whipped cream is over 500 calories.

So what's the real price you pay for your designer coffee? Elisa Zied of the American Dietetic Association visits The Early Show with details.

On its own, a 16-oz. cup of coffee has about 10 calories and no fat. So how does 10 calories balloon to 400, 500 and 600 calories? It's the accessories: milk, cream, sugar, and flavored syrup.

Here is the caloric and fat breakdown:

• Coffee = 5 calories, 0 fat
  
• Espresso = 9 calories, 0 fat
  
• Whole milk = (1oz/2 tablespoons) 18 calories, 1 gram fat
  
• 1 packet of sugar = 11 calories, 0 fat
  
• Half n' half = 20 calories
  
• 2 percent milk or soy = 15 calories, .6 grams fat
  
• Skim milk = 10 calories, .3 grams of fat

When you get past 100 to 150 calories for something you are drinking, you have to rethink your options, says Zied, considering the typical serving size in coffee houses is 10 to 20 ounces.

The typical coffee drink with whipped cream could mean 90 to 100 calories and 8 grams of fat and more than half of those grams are saturated. Fatty additives are milk, regular cream, and whipped cream. Sugary additions, like syrups, add 80 to 110 calories per two tablespoons.

People with weight issues and health issues need to be mindful of how much fat they are ingesting.

So here is a way you can cut the calories in the decadent coffee beverages you are buying:

Dunkin Donuts' coffee coolata with cream
350 cal.; 22grams; 14 saturated fat

A Dunkin' Donuts cheese danish and a 10-oz. coffee with milk and sugar is comparable in fat and calories.

Alternative: If you make this with whole milk or low-fat milk instead of whipped cream, it will have less fat and fewer calories.
Skim milk: 170 calories, no fat.
Whole milk: 210 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Starbucks cafe mocha with whipped cream (grande)
400 cal.; 22 grams fat - of that 13 grams are saturated fat

Alternatives: Cafe mocha no whipped cream is 230 calories; it has 2 grams of fat and no saturated fat.

Starbucks cafe vanilla frappuccino with whipped cream (grande)
470 cal; 16 grams fat - of that 10 grams are saturated fat

Alternatives: Cafe vanilla frappuccino light blended coffee without whipped cream and nonfat milk = 230 calories; 1 gram of fat; no saturated fat.

Lastly, be mindful of your options at the coffee shops. The big chains offer nutritional information on their web sites. Always look for lower caloric additives. A latte is a good option – it is not a straight cup of coffee but it is not as high in calories as the trademarked drinks at the coffee houses. Also, watch portions. Ask yourself do you really need 16 to 20 ounces of a coolata?