6 Harsh Realities That Made Me Reevaluate My Love for Starbucks

Founded in 1971 by Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin, and Zev Siegl, these three men decided to start a coffee shop. As of 2024, there are over 40,199 Starbucks locations worldwide. It’s no secret that Americans love to eat fast food. In 2023, Drive Research conducted a survey revealing that 65% of Americans eat fast food at least once a week. Starbucks is a popular choice for on-the-go beverages and meals. For my New Year's resolution, I’ve decided to lose a bit of weight, get fitter, and eat fewer fast food meals. Some of the unhealthiest foods to eat at Starbucks include scones, sandwiches, and frappes. These foods are high in fat, sugar, and calories and should be avoided if you want to get healthy. Here are 6 harsh realities that made me reevaluate my love for Starbucks.

Who doesn’t love bacon, egg, and cheese? The Breakfast Double-Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich is a high-protein croissant bun. It features bacon smoked over hickory wood chips for six hours. It comes with a cage-free fried egg and is topped with melted cheddar cheese.

The Breakfast Double-Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich sounds delicious. However, one serving size is 148 g and has 500 calories, 27 g of total fat, and 8 g of sugar. Not to mention it’s also high in sodium, containing 960 mg.

The Iced Lemon Loaf is a buttery, citrusy lemon pound cake topped with icing. I found the icing had become too sweet. Furthermore, I think it’s quite expensive at $4.75. You can pick up a slice at Walmart for $1.48 that tastes just as good.

The Iced Lemon Loaf is a popular choice for those with a sweet tooth. But have you ever looked at the nutritional value? One piece is 115 g and has 410 calories, 17 g of fat, and 36 g of sugar. That’s quite a lot considering men should not consume more than 35 g of sugar and women no more than 25 g per day.

In 2017, Starbucks introduced its protein boxes. There used to be quite a range that would suit different taste buds. The assortment today is not as vast, and I was disappointed to see that not all locations stock the same protein boxes.

While these meals may be high in protein, they are also high in calories and may not be the right choice for your lunch depending on your personal needs. Let's take a look at the protein boxes I found at a location near my area.

• Eggs and Gouda: Contains multigrain crackers, two cage-free hard-boiled eggs, Gouda, peanut butter spread, a blend of dried apricots, apples, and salt and pepper. Serving size: 170 g and 530 calories.
• Cheese Trio: Contains sea salt and olive oil crackers, Gouda, Brie, and sharp Cheddar cheese with dried cranberries and apricots. Serving size 135 g and 520 calories.
• Eggs and Cheddar: Contains sliced tart apples, two cage-free hard-boiled eggs, grapes, white cheddar cheese, honey peanut butter, and multigrain muesli bread. Serving size 247 g and 460 calories.

Furthermore, I also think the protein boxes are expensive. You can make your own at home for a fraction of the price.

Back in 2016, Starbucks recalled breakfast sandwiches, cheese, and fruit boxes. According to CNN, these items were voluntarily recalled due to concerns of contamination with allergens or listeria. This reality made me reevaluate my love for Starbucks, especially after I found out that Starbucks does not make its food fresh. All foods arrive boxed up, frozen, and popped into a small machine to be heated up. With that said, this is my personal opinion and concern about contamination.

According to Mayoclinic.org, listeria is a foodborne bacterial illness that can affect people with weak immune systems, people over the age of 65, and pregnant women. The problem with this bacteria is that it can survive in the fridge and freezer. Symptoms can include, diarrhea, nausea, fever, chills, and muscle aches.

Sure, that Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino tastes like heaven, but have you thought about how much sugar and calories you're putting into your body? It might be time to think twice before you indulge in these extra-sugary drinks daily. I was completely shocked about the amounts.

Based on a grande size, 16 fl oz

• Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino: 60 g sugar and 470 calories
• Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha: 61g sugar and 460 calories
• Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino 63 g sugar and 410 calories

Starbucks used to be well known for its affordable fast food prices. However, the prices have increased a lot over the past few years making it less budget-friendly.  Finance Buzz used information from website menus to see how prices have increased since 2014.

• Cake Pop: in 2014 cost $1.50 and in 2024 it cost $2.95 that’s a 97% increase.
• Bagel: in 2014 cost $1.25 and in 2024 it cost $2.25 that’s an 80% increase.
• Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich: in 2014 cost $2.95 and in 2024 cost $4.25 that’s a 44% increase.
• Spinach and Feta Wrap: in 2014 cost $3.25 and in 2024 cost $4.45 that’s a 37% increase.

Finally, instead of spending money on Starbucks, I could save that money and put it towards a pension fund. 6 harsh realities that made me reevaluate my love for Starbucks are going to help me achieve my goals to get fit.