Paleoista’s Peppermint Mocha

Confession: back in the day, I used to purchase this drink from Starbucks once each Christmas.

It made its debut in 2002, long before I knew about balancing my macros, the paleo diet or how to properly source foods.

At that time, it was all about counting calories, and eating very little to no fat.

God help us.

Coming back to today, when we’ve al learned a plethora about everything when it comes to food (in some cases, too much? ), I believe firmly that there needs to be space for things that we enjoy to be incorporated in a way that makes sense.

For me, someone who loves her daily cup of coffee but not someone who’s a big sugar fanatic, going into Starbucks to order their beverage would not be something I’d choose to do.

As is almost always the case, making something at home is far better from a health perspective because you’ll know exactly what you’re putting in any given recipe and you can select ingredients that are all actually food!

Let’s start with the Starbucks ingredient panel for this particular drink (1):

MILK, MOCHA SAUCE [WATER, SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, NATURAL FLAVOR], BREWED ESPRESSO, PEPPERMINT SYRUP [SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, SODIUM BENZOATE, CITRIC ACID], WHIPPED CREAM [CREAM (CREAM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CARAGEENAN), VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)], DARK CHOCOLATE CURLS [SUGAR, CHOCOLATE MASS (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT, MILK]

Milk is a food as is butter, chocolate and vanilla, but everything else? Not exactly food.

Plus, it’s highly unlikely that the milk is raw and organic and grass fed, and even if it were, many people would prefer not to ingest dairy in the first place.

All things considered, if this drink is something you’re inclined to have on occasion, try this recipe at home and see if it doesn’t suit you better all around.

INGREDIENTS
8 oz freshly brewed, hot coffee
1 scoop Paleo Valley Chocolate Bone Broth Powder
1 Tablespoon Fresh Mint
1/4 cup raw cream
1 T raw chocolate, grated

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine first three ingredients in blender
Whip cream with whisk
Pour blended drink into mug
Top with cream and shavings

Enjoy!

 

 

https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/496/hot/nutrition