Dietitian Gives the Best Starbucks Breakfast Order for Weight Loss

Here's how you can eat breakfast at a popular chain of coffee shops and still lose weight.

If you always eat breakfast while you're on the go, it can be hard to lose weight. Most of the options at coffee shops and fast food places are high in carbs, fat, and sugar. But if you stop by Starbucks, you can get a lot of healthy breakfast options that will help you stay on track with your weight loss goals. Best of all, you can figure out what you want for breakfast in advance by looking at their nutrition facts.

Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, a board-certified sports dietitian, says that chain restaurants, fast food places, and even coffee shops with more than 20 locations are required by law to list the number of calories on their menus. "This makes it easier for customers to choose foods with fewer calories or to compare options when they are deciding what to get."

1. A grande caffè latte is the best drink to get for breakfast at Starbucks.

PER GRANDE CAFFE LATTE (16 FL OZ): 190 calories, 7 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 170 mg sodium, 19 g carbs (0 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 13 g protein, 150 mg caffeine

Even though it may sound simple, a plain grande-sized latte from Starbucks can help you lose weight.

"You can choose a latte made with low-fat or nonfat milk, soy milk, or even oat milk without any extra flavors," says Ehsani. "When you order a latte, you may feel like it's a step up from a regular coffee because it's fancier and has more milk than a regular coffee. So, it can feel like a treat."

But if your main goal is to lose weight, Ehsani says you shouldn't add any kind of sweetener, sugar, flavoring, or syrup to your drink. Adding these will only add sugar calories to your drink without adding much nutrition, which will work against your efforts to lose weight.

Ehsani says that a plain latte is also a good source of protein. "Depending on the size of latte you order, if you choose low-fat, non-fat, or soy milk, you'll likely get at least 1 cup of milk, which has about 8 grams of protein."

Ehsani says that eating proteins with your snacks and meals will help you feel full and satisfied, which will keep you from overeating at other meals.

"So, the next time you go to Starbucks, just get a plain latte instead of a pumpkin spice latte, mocha, or Frappuccino," she says.

2. Spinach, feta cheese, and an egg white wrap from Starbucks is the best thing to get for breakfast.

EACH WRAP has 290 calories, 8 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 840 mg sodium, 34 g carbs (3 g fiber, 5 g sugar), and 20 g protein.

"I like that the Starbucks spinach, feta, and egg white wrap has at least two vegetables, is wrapped in a whole wheat wrap, and has a good source of protein," says Ehsani.

Ehsani also says that this Starbucks wrap is a good choice for breakfast on the go because it has just under 300 calories. "Some pre-made menus are quite high in calories," Ehsani continues. So, it can be hard to find food with fewer calories.

Ehsani makes a point of saying that the wrap is made with whole wheat, which means that it has a lot of fiber. Because it takes longer to digest, this will keep you full for longer. Also, the fiber in this wrap can give your blood sugar energy in a slow, steady way over time.

"Dietary fiber-rich foods are always important for weight loss," says Ehsani. "I'd recommend looking for these high-fiber foods in every menu item." "Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains."

The egg whites in this wrap not only give you fiber, but they also give you protein.

"Protein will also help you lose weight because it makes you feel full and keeps you full for longer," says Ehsani. "Protein-rich foods can also help you lose weight because they fill you up and make it harder to eat too much later."