There you are standing in the Starbucks line, stifling a guffaw as the chump in front of you orders a Frappuccino with whipped cream. Why so smug? Well, because you have cracked the secret to enjoying delicious Starbuck's beverages that are actually healthy. That's right, your matcha tea latte with soy milk is delicious and it's going to help you look amazing in that bathing suit too.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but you may want to take a closer look at just what is in that matcha tea latte. You are absolutely right about the matcha tea; it does help you lose weight by improving your metabolism, it does increase energy levels and it even helps you to stay focused at work. However, there's more than just matcha in your latte.
Hidden Sugar
If you have had traditional matcha tea, you'll know that it has a creamy vegetable taste with undertones of umami that set your taste buds aflutter. But you will also notice that a Starbucks latte is much sweeter, even if you forgo the sugar syrup. That's because the matcha tea powder used to make lattes contains sugar.
That means your grande latte comes in at a hefty 280 calories for whole milk and 240 calories with soy milk and a fairly mind-blowing 32g of sugar for the milk and 34g for the soy milk latte, not much better than a can of Coke which weighs in at 35g of sugar.
Milk and Matcha
According one study, adding milk to matcha reduces the amount of anti-oxidants. Another study found that the caseins, proteins found in milk, bind with the catechins in matcha tea and reduce their efficacy.
Matcha Saves the Day
So here's a solution for you; ditch the Starbucks line, save your money and actually treat yourself with a healthy beverage. You see, matcha tea has been enjoyed for around 900 years as part of Japanese traditional tea ceremonies. Get yourself some ceremonial-grade matcha tea powder and, for less than a dollar a cup, you can have matcha the way nature intended. No added anything, just pure green tea powder.
And the best part of all? Each cup of matcha contains just 3 calories per gram, and zero sugar. Say hello to a healthier, calmer, more focused you!