I have heard that Starbucks has reformulated their Frappuccinos so that the light base is now made with Stevia. Apparently it has has "some" sugar in it, but I've not been able to get nutrition information. The nutrition info on the site appears to be old. Has anyone tried to order a new customized sugar-free Frappuccinos? I've not had one in years, they have been in my "off-limits" category of items. I've been thinking that maybe I could consider it if the carb content has gotten down to a "reasonable" level.
Has anyone tried the new Frappuccinos? Has anyone found the nutrition info? Has anyone taken advantage of the half price Happy Hour (http://www.frappuccino.com/happy-hour)? Am I just causing trouble?
I dunno if it’s new (and I’m in Canada so for all I know our frappuccinos are different anyway), but I’ve recently gotten a few tall decaf skinny (sugar-free and fat-free) vanilla frappuccino. I bolus 30 grams of carbs, but don’t really know if this is accurate. I figure a tall skinny vanilla latte is 15 grams of carbs so I double that.
I’d e-mail Starbucks and ask them for the nutritional information. I’ve had good luck doing this with coffee shops and rstaurants in the past. The only time it hasn’t worked is with smaller local companies.
I haven’t gone to Starbucks, yet… but we have local cafe with sugar free flavored Chai teas… and they are pretty awesome. They haven’t spiked me, yet… but then again, I walk to the place, instead of driving. Prolly helps a good deal with the numbers.
So according to the website, the tall skinny vanilla frap is 48 g carbs, the tall skinny “light” vanilla frap is 30g carbs. What I don’t know is whether these figures are for the new frappuccino formulation. If they are the new, then I am “hosed” yet again, and I’ll still have to consider these “off-limits.”
Perhaps you are right, I may need to contact them directly. There is also a blog (blogs.starbucks.com).
I look at the calories and the type of fat to decide if something is a good choice and am loath to call something diabetic friendly or not. Our dietary requirements are vary from person to person. When I’m running 3-4 days a week, I can consume mountains of calories (and carbs! 300 or more per day), bolus a lot less insulin for carbs and fight to keep weight on. A frappuccino would be a welcome addition to my diet. When I’m not running, I cut back my calories to around 1600 per day, and make each calorie count as high as possible for nutritional value. I would pick something else to fill out those 280 calories.
The info at the website lists a non-fat grande frappuccino at about 280 calories.
You got me all excited- so I went to the SB Blog and found a conversation talking about the now “customizable frap”- no nutrient info- but it looks like some locations do have a Frap Stevia base…as of May 2010. Looks like the same info you saw.
Any way the SB blog says that
They are working on a few more of the sugar free syrups- and that they will have more news to share later this spring. Starbucks Frappuccinos are now customizable. You can order your frappuccino with nonfat milk, no whip cream and the light version is made with Stevia, a natural sweetner. I think a frap without whip and whole milk would be too disappointing to be worth the calories. sigh…
Maybe they can’t post nutrition info because there are literally hundreds of possible combinations? But they could post the ingredients separately…but then we’d know what’s in their magic concoction and save the $5 and make one at home 'eh?
I was just blogging about my Frappucino wants. Where did you here about the Stevia?
The Fraps are now “customizable” as T1Tambien is saying - which for me is good because I can now get a soy milk one. But I did a search on here for Starbucks and someone was saying they have gotten sugar-free Frap before but I guess they worked there - so don’t know if that is really an option for the customer or they just did it themselves.
I am still getting my Soy Frap in a day or two I have decided - sugar free or not. A bunch of my friends were all excited about the Frap Happy Hour - I didn’t go - but I planning my Frap day for this week. One friend of mine tried the new Strawberry with Creme (soy based) and she said it was wonderful. To me, a Frap isn’t a Frap unless it has coffee in it and that ones doesn’t have coffee. I stick with the classics.
I think it is the syrup they use that will be the prob. So if you get one of the flavored ones than it will be a little higher. Sad because why can’t they make a vanilla one with vanilla powder - probably because the sugary coffee syrups is cheaper. I will probably get a Tall Soy Coffee Frap which is around 30. It looks like they have a “Short” size now too but when I went to Starbucks the other day I didn’t see it on the menu. I think I will ask about the sugar free Frap if it is not to busy.
It would certainly be wise for Starbucks to offer a sugar-alternative or sugar free drinks - diabetic or not - teens these days go to Starbucks and they all eat enough sugar as it is!
I was just fooling around with the customizable Fraps on the Frap site and I realized if you pick the one you want and than open the nutritional info and than go and do your customizations above - watch the nutritional info for the carbs and the numbers do change - although not for everything you change because I guess there isn’t too much of a different in the carbs for every change. The default is a Grande with 3 flavor syrups and 3 coffee shots and I think 2 percent milk. I did a Coffe Light one which default is 27 carbs. I changed it to a tall and carbs went down to 22 and than I change my milk to soy but that didn’t change the carbs. So a Light Soy Coffee Frap will be 22 carbs. Not too bad. Calories is 90 but I hardly get enough calories as it so I rarely look at that.
When I changed it to Whole Milk with Whipped Topping it actual went to 20 carbs and only 80 calories - which seems wrong but don’t know what sort of whipped creame they use. I know the Soy milk probably has some sweetner in it while the Whole Milk does not which why it would be higher - only 2 carbs though- not a big deal at all.
So fool around with that Frap site a bit and you will be able to figure out the carbs for which drink you want.
Having had the “old” Frappucinos in past years my guesstimate is 70 to 80 carbs for a Venti Coffee Frapucinno. Was pretty succesful with a couple units of insulin to accomodate it. In a year I might get between zero and two, so don’t assume that I have one every afternoon or something :-).
Mentally I think of that as something about the same as a slice of pie. Not completely “off-limits” but something to be carefully planned around with insulin.
For the “light” version? I wouldn’t count on it but my guess is maybe half to two thirds the carbs.
It’s a horrible habit I have from the 60’s, but if there is a question that is unanswered I go straight to the top source. I just wrote to Starbucks, tomorrow I will call them, and see if they can send me out the information we need. I told them there were millions of diabetics who didn’t want to be left out of the fun, simply because we don’t know the nutritional info…MILLIONS…
As soon as I get it I’ll post it.
We just got a starbucks here, so this will be good to know.
Thought I would give an update on my Frap-trying status. Today was a girlie shopping day and the Starbucks was right there and it was Frap Happy Hour (ends tomorrow) and I thought OK this is the day I try my Frap. So I got the Mocha Light Soy Tall which according to the website I believe I calculated at 22 or 24 carbs - no biggie if this is all I have. First off, boy is it tasty - tasted like Chocolate Milkshake and than once I got down to the icey part reminded me a Fudgsicle - haven’t had one of those in a while. It was sure sweet too. Almost too sweet for me- but of well. I only paid 86 cents becuase it was half price and I had some gift card $ left. Nice deal eh?
I saw the barristia girl use boxed Chocolate Soy milk I believe - which is my guess NOT the unsweetened variety. Ugh. So I am not really sure that the “Light” version of doing the Soy will be diabetic friendly. So, I tested at 83, ran around for two hours shopping (trying on clothes) nursing my Frap - two hours later 168! Yikes! That is the highest I have been since my first week on Metformin.
My guess is that it is the Choclate Soy milk because it is sweetened and that the carb are probably actually higher than the website suggests - or it also could have been I was running around - maybe adrenaline too - but I wasn’t stressed. I was quite content sipping on my Frap and doing some shopping. But maybe the test wasn’t as controlled as it should have been. I feel OK though - I can tell I have had some caffefine but I don’t feel weird because my blood sugar is a bit high.
The Frap was yummy but I think in order for the light to be diabetic friendly - you can’t get a Soy one. Whole Milk probably with no carbs - would be a better bet but for me, a no-no since I am vegan. Funny how my mouth got very phelmy a few sips in which usually happens when I have dairy but I know she used soy so don’t know what was up with that but my tongue is back to being dryish again but coffee will often do that to me (or I think espresso in the Fraps right?).
I do intend to try the Coffee Light Soy one - as I know that Chocolate Soy milk has more carbs than plain but we shall see. If that sends me up to 168, I won’t be having it again. The Mocha one was not coffee enough tasting for my taste buds and I like to taste my coffee in my Starbucks drinks. So my second test will be the Coffee Soy Frap Tall - but I think the Mocha will have to never be had again which is fine because it was too much like a milkshake to be a Frap. Other than that, I think I will had to stick with the Iced or Hot Soy Latte or Cap - which didn’t spike me. Which is fine by me.
They were pretty busy because Happy Hour just started so I didn’t ask about the diabetic- friendliness of the Light Fraps but I don’t think the guy working registar would have known anyhow. I didn’t notice a book with the carbs listed in it out anywhere but I will check more carefully next time.
So now I will be having a super low carb meal for dinner tonight. I am sure my blood sugar will be down to normal in the next few hours. Starbucks - you still have some work to do on the diabetic end of things.
Yes, be cautious if you do change your mind. But I think the sweetened soy milk was a factor in mine too. The whole milk lights on the Frap site for a tall say only 20 carbs but who knows if it is accurate ( whole milk has no carbs right? can’t remember.) or even accurate for all the versions (vanilla, mocha etc.). Those flavored ones will be if-y because they have those syrups they use.
I allow myself once a week to get a frappachino, I order a grande caramel frappachino light with sugar free syrup and light whip, they even put a little caramel drizzle on top, I bolus for 30 carbs and enjoy every last drop of it. Never had a problem running too high after.
Well I did contact the Starbucks company…and the answer I got was they haven’t formulated that information yet. BOOO HISSSS. So I suggested that in the future, for the sake of the MILLIONS of diabetics in the US alone, that they figure it out before bringing out a new product. If Mickey D’s can do it, so can they. So, no news is no news, sorry. I’ll keep trying.
Prolly helps a good deal with the numbers.
