HOT BEVERAGE BREAKDOWN

There are many hot drinks one can choose from to start the day, but coffee is king according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, which says that 17% of Americans down a cup o’ Joe on a daily basis. On its own, a cup of black coffee (no full-calorie sweeteners or cream) is zero POINTS values — an excellent choice for those on plan.

But fall into the trap of buying an enormous specialty coffee from your corner coffee shop with cream, sugar and flavored syrups,and you can count on using somewhere in the vicinity of 8-12 POINTS values — or about the equivalent of a full healthy meal or even a big dessert. “Some people probably never thought they'd gain weight drinking coffee. After all, it's not cake,” says Weight Watchers nutritionist and recipe editor Leslie Fink. “But in some cases, it can be like having a pastry.”

The same goes for tea — drink it with water only and you won’t use up your precious POINTS values; add creamers and full-cal sweeteners and you’ll watch the POINTS values add up in a hurry. Use our interactive drink maker above to see how various coffee, tea and hot chocolate concoctions tally up.

Use your bean
When it comes down to it, you just have to watch what you’re adding to your coffee, says Fink. "In my opinion, there are no ‘bad’ ingredients, just too much of some things,” she says, referring to cream, milk, syrups, sugar, chocolate shavings and the like. “And all of those extra ingredients can turn an innocent cup of coffee into a caloric dessert."

Fink says you can avoid a POINTS values disaster drink by using sugar-free syrups, non-fat milk, and low-cal sweetners. But she’s also quick to point out that most drinks, hot or cold, lack fiber, protein and healthy fat — the three food components that can make a balanced meal. “That doesn't mean these beverages don't have a place in the American diet,” she says. “But they shouldn't be considered a meal or meal replacement.”

Tips from a java expert
Michaele Weissman, author of God in a Cup and longtime Weight Watchers member, has a very simple approach to the hot-drink dilemma. She says to ask yourself, "Would you put cream in a fine wine?" Her point is that coffee is so rich in flavor that it can be enjoyed with very few add-ins. She says keeping your selections simple and ordering drinks with simple ingredients will not only keep you on track, but will let you enjoy the aromas and tastes of coffee the way it is meant be consumed.

Weissman says that next to red wine, coffee has the strongest and most abundant flavor profile of any beverage. While it’s true that much of the coffee Americans drink comes from South America, Weissman points out that coffee actually originated in Ethiopia. Nowadays, coffee beans are fermented and packaged, then ground and brewed before serving, a process which is similar in many ways to making beer.

Some of the earliest coffee beans — which are actually considered fruit — were stolen from the African nation and grown in other parts of the world, creating more than 1,000 different types of beans. As such, she suggests experimenting with different coffee selections to find one to your liking. “You may be more inclined to drink it black rather than add condiments that actually mask the taste,” she says.

Size does matter
Since coffee drinkers are consuming an average of 2.63 cups of coffee a day, size really does matter. "Americans want the biggest bang for their buck and we live in a ‘super-size’ decade. Many Americans seem to value quantity over quality,” Fink says. And far too often we get the up-sell from the barista, offering you the 20 oz. drink for only 50 more cents. And that means trouble when you consider a 20 oz. caramel macchiato with whole milk packs a punch that will cost you a whopping 8 POINTS values.

Going big isn’t always the problem. You have to watch out for the little things, literally. Even though a splash of milk or pinch of sugar you put in your coffee might not add up to one full POINTS value, you can’t ignore it. You need to be aware that these things can add up. “If you really keep stock of every item that passed your lips, it should all balance out,” Fink says. “For instance, some food items round up to one but are closer to a half a POINTS value. Other times, items that are close to half a POINTS value round down to zero. So it should equal out in the end. Consistency (in tracking) is the name of the game.”

Food for thought
Here are a few substitutions that might make you think twice about your next latte: A 20 oz. Café Mocha with whole milk from a well-known coffee and snack chain has 12 POINTS values; a small has 7 POINTS values. To put that in perspective, you can have:

21 Hershey's kisses for 11 POINTS values
5 Oreos for 6 POINTS values
6 KFC BBQ chicken wings for 11 POINTS values
1 small fast-food hamburger for 6 POINTS values
1 large order of fast-food fries for 10 POINTS values
(For the hungry person...) Scrambled eggs made with 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites, 2 slices of whole wheat toast spread with 2 teaspoons of whipped butter, 3 slices of cooked crisp reduced-fat bacon, 1 cup of skim milk and a small clementine.