A big part of diet culture that plagued me for a majority of my life was a fear of liquid calories. There is no need to fear liquid calories, period.

What we can do, however, is better understand the pros and cons of drinking our calories and whether that’s something we want to do in any given situation.

Liquid calories are fantastic when you want them, and you have a lower appetite but need to get calories in due to illness, heat, low appetite, etc.

Liquid calories are less ideal when hunger is high and you will be more full by focusing on higher volume foods, like those high in water, protein, and fiber content.

Personally, I’d always rather eat a salad or fruit bowl than drink a smoothie, but absolutely love a sugary/milky tea drink. Some people feel the opposite!

All of that is ok because we have the ability and flexibility to make food choices that align with both our preferences and our nutrition goals.

Obviously, coffee is not a high calorie drink. It is virtually zero calories, but not everyone enjoys their coffee black.

For those who love a high calorie latte, mocha, etc., here are a few tips for how you can make a generally calorie-packed drink a little more “macro friendly.” Most of these tips come from one of our absolute favorite accounts, @themacrobarista on Instagram.

1. Be intentional about the sweeteners used. You can use a zero-calorie sweetener like Stevia or the sugar-free vanilla sweetener at a local coffee shop, or ask for less sweetener in a drink you order from a coffee shop. When ordering from somewhere like Starbucks, this can look like asking for just ‘one pump’ of flavoring as opposed to the standard 4-6 pumps given.

STARBUCKS WHITE CHOCOLATE AND PUMPKIN COLD BREW

STARBUCKS SALTED CARAMEL MOCHA

2. Add flavor without sweetener. If you want to avoid artificial sweeteners, there are still ways you can add flavor to your coffee! Sprinkle in a bit of cinnamon or pumpkin spice, or even ginger. (Note: when going into a coffee deep dive while writing this, I also stumbled upon many Scandinavian Coffee recipes where the special ingredient is an egg!)

3. Add protein to your coffee for a balanced snack. This isn’t because everything has to have protein in it, I promise. Coffee can just be coffee! However, adding protein can make coffee into more of a balanced snack - something that provides some nutrients and keeps you full. One way to go about this is to add in collagen peptides, which are tasteless and clear and essentially unidentifiable in a drink. Another way is to turn your coffee into more of a smoothie with a traditional whey or plant based protein powder.

AT HOME PROTEIN FRENCH VANILLA COLD BREW

Again, there is absolutely nothing “wrong” with a delicious coffee drink with all the fixin’s. We know that food is neither good nor bad, and that we can make the best food choices possible by being knowledgeable and intentional with how we view food. These tips may come in handy at times where you want to enjoy a flavorful drink while also allowing for more high volume foods in your life. Enjoy!

EDITED OCTOBER 2023: Matt of Cheat Day Design has created an incredible new resource, a Starbucks Nutrition Calculator! Find it here:

Find more macro-friendly recipes here or grab our free cookbook Everyday Macros here for simple and streamlined meal prep recipes and ideas.