Starbucks Vs McDonald's: Which Chain Makes A Healthier Iced Vanilla Latte?

There are few nicer treats at the beginning of a long day than an iced vanilla latte, but just how much of a treat it is can depend on where you grab one from. If you are in a rush in the morning, and let's be honest, you probably are, Starbucks and McDonald's are going to be two of the best options, with online ordering and drive-thrus that your local coffee shop doesn't offer. But iced vanilla lattes at different chains can often mean a lot of sweeteners, which aren't always a good idea. And when it comes down to which choice is more of an indulgence, you might be surprised to find out McDonald's iced vanilla latte is a little healthier than Starbucks — another important detail is that McD's is actually French Vanilla.

This is a pretty subjective decision, and Starbucks does also have some small advantages. Still, the number one thing you should be looking to limit with a drink like this is added sugar, and Starbucks has more of it. A grande of Starbucks' Vanilla-Flavored Iced Latte, which has the same 16 ounces as a Medium McDonald's Iced Latte, has 28 grams of added sugar, while McD's vanilla only has 20 grams. Converted to volume, that's almost two full teaspoons more of sugar.

According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), you should be limiting your added sugars each day to under 50 grams. So both McDonald's and Starbucks' iced vanilla lattes are certainly possible to fit into a balanced diet as long as you don't have too much sugar at other meals. But that extra 8 grams at Starbucks might mean not treating yourself to dessert after dinner or a breakfast pastry.

As far as nutrition beyond sugar goes, the two iced vanilla latte options at Starbucks and McDonald's aren't that different from each other. The two other things the FDA warns consumers to limit, saturated fat and sodium, are pretty negligible in both. Starbucks' option has 2 grams of saturated fat, while McDonald's has 3, but that's only around 10% of your daily value. Starbucks also only has 100 milligrams of sodium, less than 5% of your daily limit, while McDonald's has even less at 75.

Being sugary drinks, neither offers much in the way of positive nutrition, but each one does have a modest amount of protein from the milk. Here, again, they are basically the same, as McDonald's latte has 6 grams, and Starbucks' has 7. Not nothing, but also not enough to help you add protein to your favorite meals. For that, you have Starbucks protein drinks.

The last thing you might be looking at is calories. Counting calories by themselves is not the best way to measure health or nutrition, but for people losing weight,  it can sometimes be helpful. And liquid calories are unfortunately a top cause of people having too many calories in their diet. Regarding calories, Starbucks is a little better, with only 190 calories to McDonald's 220. Like in most other areas, the difference is pretty negligible, so unless you are really watching your sugar, your decision is likely to come down to which chain latte you actually prefer the taste of. And neither is going to be that bad as an occasional treat.