CAREFUL WITH THOSE FALL DRINKS

Now that we are into Fall the holidays will soon be approaching. Many of the Fall and holiday drinks are already out at our favorite beverage shops. If you are a diabetic or you are trying to watch your weight beware of all those tasty toasty coffee shop beverages. A 100 calories drink can quickly balloon to 400 or 500 calories! When you add syrups, whipped cream, caramel, etc the calories keep piling on. So what is a person to do? We don't want to give up those wonderful beverages but we can keep the calories count down.

Laura Jeffers, nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic says the more flavors and names you add to your beverage, the more calories you are piling on. After all, adding 200 calories to your diet a day can add up to a weight gain of 40 pounds a year. Yuck!

Ms. Jeffers suggests replacing whole milk or cream with skim milk and asking your barista to substitute sugar-free syrups in your drinks. Yes, they do have them and you will hardly, if at all, notice the difference. So enjoy your favorite Fall and holiday beverages but make a few changes when you place your order or make them at home.