The hard truth about Frappuccino, Mochas, and Lattes
I am not usually a party pooper, but
someone has to push the warning button. Those fancy tall coffee beverages that
have invaded coffee shops are bad for your health. There, I said it. Now, here
is why and what you should do about it.
Let me first reassure coffee lovers.
Drinking reasonable quantity of coffee is good for your health. In Harvard’s Dr.
Frank Hu’s words, “There is certainly much more
good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health” (1). Therefore, the
problem lies in what is added to the coffee.
More of everything
I enjoy reading
and writing in coffee shops. One day, as I passively observed the commotion
around me, 2 women settled at a table near by. Shortly after, a phone shaped
device started vibrating on their table. The younger one quickly rose from her
chair to go get the drinks, but apparently, she did not feel confident carrying
the tray and asked one of the employees to help her with it. On top of the tray
sat 2 large, imposing glasses filled to the full with a creamy chocolaty drink.
Passed the initial kid like surge to taste it, I wondered how someone could
drink half a liter of this mix in one go. A glass like this can have as much
calories and sugar as there are in a bottle of regular coke. Many people
thinking that they are just drinking a coffee with some milk and flavoring do
not realize the high concentration of sugar they are consuming. Starbucks, which
has popularized this type of beverages, has on its menu the ‘Double Chocolaty
Frappuccino’ that comes with 500 calories and 98g of sugar (One liter of
regular coke – about 34 ounces - contains 480 calories and 120g of sugar). A
simple Latte is about 200 calories. A Cafe Mocha topped with whipped cream
contains 330 calories with 15 g of fat and 44 g of sugar. These highly caloric
and sweet beverages present another concern. They have the sometime explosive
mix of coffee and milk, which can affect the quality of digestion.
Most of us are lactose intolerant
Many people have
a hard time digesting milk due to lactose intolerance. They have a deficiency
in the lactase enzyme, which is necessary to break down milk protein. This
condition is common to all mammals. When the baby starts to transition from the
mother’s milk to solid food his ability to digest milk naturally decreases.
About 75% of humans have in adulthood some degree of lactase deficiency, the
people in the south hemisphere presenting a higher deficiency than their
northern counterparts (2). Therefore, drinking milk can disturb someone’s
digestion and bowel transit without necessarily being aware of it. In addition,
the combination coffee and milk seems to be even more challenging than milk
alone, on the digestive tract, especially on the duodenum part. If science
doesn’t motivate you to slowdown on that hazardous mix, maybe a cultural
outlook on that matter will.
What the Italians have to say?
If Starbucks has
contributed to make Espresso, Cappuccino and Latte, household names across the
globe, it is important to remember that the country of the Espresso remains
Italy. In this land where eating and drinking are closely interlaced with the
culture, no one pour milk in their coffee after 12:00am. In fact, most Italians
will only do it for breakfast, if they do it at all. Passed morning time,
having milk with your coffee will be viewed as simply peculiar to sacrilegious
depending on the hour of the day. I remember attending a conference in the city
of Como, in the Lombardy region. Many of the attendees were coming from abroad
and stayed at the same hotel of the event. In the evening, a dozen of us dinned
at the hotel restaurant. At the end of a glorious meal the waiter asked us if
we would like coffee. “One cappuccino, please” answered a young man on our
table. Being in a four stars hotel, the waiter was well trained and
professional. I could yet see in his eyes a look of disbelief bordering on
indignation. So why Italians do not add milk to their coffee passed morning
time? “It’s bad for digestion” most would reply. Italians like to eat good food
and in generous quantities, so out of pragmatism, they simply choose to avoid
the risky mix.
There you have
it. Science and cultural wisdom do not encourage these fancy drinks that have
became so popular in most coffee shops across Beirut. Nonetheless, I have a
confession to make. I am an espresso drinker, a simple, ‘one-shot’, no milk
espresso guy. Therefore, it is easy for me to unleash on these savory and
luscious drinks. So let me tone down my accusation and end up with this advice
that apply to most treats. Enjoy it but consume with moderation!
Moutassem H.
Ref.
1) www.webmd.com
2) Lactose
intolerance / Wikipedia.
Are you a coffee drinker? American, Espresso, or Frappuccino? Leave a comment!
