When I sat down with my friend and Registered Dietician Lisa Cianfrini, MSc just before Christmas we talked about how to get through the holidays without gaining about 14lbs of blubber. The holidays were not too bad for me from that perspective, although it feels like I am just getting back into my normal nutrition routine now.
We also talked about one of my favourite topics… Starbucks.
You might remember that I quit putting sugar in my coffee about a year ago and I haven’t looked back. As a matter of fact, it only took me about two weeks to get used to it.
What’s even better is now I can actually taste the coffee and I have enjoyed trying different types of coffee and learning a little more about their flavours.
This almost cost me my friendship with Lisa
…and then I made this confession… I still have a Carmel Macchiato on the weekend as my Saturday or Sunday morning treat.
If you cannot see the video above, just click the link
http://youtu.be/wAtLPnuiMDg
Lisa was shocked; her jaw almost hit the floor (okay, that is an exaggeration).
She was actually okay with a treat every so often, but she gave ma a way that I can salvage something of nutritional value from that carmel-y foam-y coffee-y goodness and here it is…
>> Add a sprinkle of cinnamon to it.
Cinnamon (not our cat)
When I was a kid we had a cat named Cinnamon. One of those cats who thinks he is actually a dog. He had seven toes on one front paw and six on the other – this was a very cool cat.
Anyway – – I am talking about the spice ‘cinnamon’, which as Lisa explains is uber good for you (in addition to being delicious) so I have started sprinkling it on each and every Starbucks coffee I consume.
A Latte Is A Good Snack
I was pleased when Lisa mentioned that a latte (just a plain latte, no syrups, sprinkles or whip) is a pretty good snack. It has carbs, protein and fat – then add that sprinkle of cinnamon and you are off to the races.
Where folks get into trouble is they discount those calories, think of the latte as ‘just a coffee’ and then have a ‘snack’ on top of that. Can’t do that – that is double dipping on your snack.
So – there you have it. Nothing to do with off-ice hockey training really, but another topic I am passionate about and I know some of you are as well.
Hmmmmm – – all this talk about Starbucks makes me want a coffee. My go to these days is a grande decaf Americano with room. Then I add my cinnamon and a splash of cream, then top it up with milk. Yum.
Cheers,
M