Calories in a Latte

Latte originated in Italy, and is known as caffe latte in Italian, café au lait in French, café con leche in Spanish, and Milchkaffee in German. A popular type of coffee, it has become a part of the staple diet for a number of people in the world.

Most of the coffee drinks you see that are made at local coffee shops or in the most famous coffee chains are made using espresso machines. Espresso is an Italian method of making coffee, in which hot water is forced through slow, roasted, and finely-ground coffee beans.

This results in thick and intense coffee. Most of the coffee drinks made in the United States are made using the espresso method. Latte is actually a shot of espresso topped with a lot of steamed milk. Having said that, it is important for you to know about the calories in a latte. On that note, read the following paragraphs.

Consumption of coffee has steadily increased all over the world. When you want to calculate calories in a latte, you should know there are two components, which play an important role in increasing the number of calories. They depends on the quantity of milk used and the quantity of sugar added. Let's take a look at each one of them.

There are two types of milk that can be added to this coffee. One is full cream milk, and the other is skim milk. There are three sizes in which this drink is often served, namely, small, medium, and large. A small glass is approximately 300 ml, while a medium glass is 400 ml, with a large glass being approximately 550 ml.

The actual content of coffee is 20 ml per shot of espresso. In a small glass, there is one shot of espresso; in a medium glass, there are two shots; likewise, in a large glass, there are three shots. This simply means that the milk content in the three sizes are 280 ml, 360 ml, and 490 ml for a small, medium, and large glass respectively.

The number of calories in full cream milk are 65 per 100 ml of milk. Skim milk is lighter, and has 35 per 100 ml. In simple terms, the number is reduced by half in skim milk as compared to full cream milk. At the same time, skim milk consists of less saturated fat, hence it is better to opt for it.

The table clearly indicates that there is a big difference if you opt for full cream milk as opposed to skim milk. At the same time, the size of the coffee served also makes a lot of difference. The difference is approximately as much as double in case of coffee with full cream milk.

Sugar contains 15 cal per serving. If you consume one coffee per day with one sugar serving, you are adding as much as 105 cal to the total count for a week. At the same time, if you have two coffees per day and add two sugar servings, you will add as many as 420 cal to the calorie count for the week.

If you are on a weight loss diet or you want to lose weight, or simply if you are the calorie conscious, you can get an idea on what changes you will have to make to your coffee. If you are of the opinion that natural or brown sugar will make a difference, then you are mistaken. Do not be fooled, such a difference does not exist.

If you are a coffee connoisseur and wonder what should you drink to cut down on the number of calories, you can opt for the healthier cappuccino, as the calorie content is much less as compared to that of latte. If you like the latter, however, then you should opt for a small serving and have it with skim milk and without sugar.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.