Dutch Bros is known for its colorful and flavorful drinks and they can really be enticing, especially if you want something refreshing on a hot summer day.
But, with all their almost seemingly endless options of drinks with flavored syrups, sauces, and whipped cream, is Dutch Bros actually healthy?
With the amount of sugar in most Dutch Bros drinks, it can be very unhealthy if you drink them all the time. However, if taken in moderation, you can enjoy a Dutch Bros drink without feeling guilty about all of the calories and sugar that you consume.
In this article, I will be talking about why Dutch Bros can be potentially unhealthy and how you can make healthier choices when ordering a Dutch Bros drink.
In this article:
- Potential Downside of Dutch Bros
- Side Effects of Having Too Much Dutch Bros Drink
- Should You Stop Drinking Dutch Bros?
- Customize Your Dutch Bros Experience
Is Dutch Bros Healthy?
Potential Downside of Dutch Bros
As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. As flavorful and delicious as Dutch Bros drinks are, most of their drinks do contain a lot of sugar.
Of course, it will depend on the drink but let’s take a look at one of their most simple drink, the classic Mocha.
A small iced mocha at Dutch Bros has 190 calories and 23 g of sugar. On the other hand, a small hot mocha has 310 calories and 39 g of sugar. While it may not seem like a lot, you are practically allocating all of your daily added sugar intake to one drink.
According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily sugar limit for men is 36 g or 150 calories and 26 g or 100 calories for women. If you buy a large cup, then that’s more than your recommended daily sugar intake.
The added sugar on Dutch Bros drinks comes from both natural and artificial flavorings because of the flavored syrups, and if you drink Dutch Bros every day, it can have a negative impact on your health.
Effects of Drinking Too Much Dutch Bros
Many of their popular drinks like the Golden Eagle, Caramelizer, and Rebel drinks all have high amounts of sugar. Too much sugar can cause a lot of side effects to your health that you may not like.
Weight Gain and Obesity
Unlike solid food, liquid calories are not registered by the body as much so you don’t really feel full easily. This is why it is easy for us to drink large cups of sugary drinks and somehow want more.
These added sugars can make you gain more weight as you continue drinking large amounts of sugary drinks. Even the smallest cup can add to your weight if consumed every day.
Risk of Heart Disease
Drinking too many sugary drinks can also affect other things in your body such as HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and triglycerides. HDLs are “good” cholesterol that absorbs bad cholesterol away from your blood while triglycerides are a type of fat found in the body.
Too many sugary drinks can lower the “good” cholesterol and can also increase triglycerides in your body. This means that there is a higher chance of heart disease if your body’s HDL is low and triglycerides are high.
Risk of Diabetes
Another major impact on your health if you have sugary Dutch Bros drink all the time is getting diabetes. Your body can develop resistance to insulin which leads to higher blood sugar levels. This means that you can have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if you consume too much sugar.
Should You Stop Drinking Dutch Bros?
All the points I have talked about so far point to Dutch Bros being an unhealthy choice of beverage. Well, if you drink multiple drinks for Dutch Bros a day and you do it daily, yes it is unhealthy. This goes for all sugary drinks and not just the ones at Dutch Bros.
However, everything can be taken in moderation. As long as you keep track of how much Dutch Bros drink you consume regularly, you don’t have to stop drinking Dutch Bros.
The good thing about Dutch Bros is their drinks are totally customizable so you can ask for fewer flavored syrup pumps on some of your drinks. If you are a daily consumer of Dutch Bros, try to lessen your Dutch Bros intake to, say, 2 times a week instead.
You don’t have to totally give up your love for Dutch Bros. You just have to be mindful of your sugar intake. Besides, you might probably consume sugary food and drinks throughout the day. So, make room for them and not consume all of your recommended sugar intake.
Customize Your Dutch Bros Experience
If you can’t let go of your love for Dutch Bros, you can still order drinks that are low in calories and sugar-free. As I said earlier, Dutch Bros drinks are fully customizable and you can order a drink that can fit your dietary needs.
Here are some of the ways you can customize your favorite Dutch Bros drink:
Go Sugar-Free
Dutch Bros gives you the option to use sugar-free syrups and sauces in your drinks. Opting for sugar-free drinks can still give you a delicious treat without the extra sugar. Some of the drinks that you can get sugar-free are the Annihilator, Cocomo, Caramelizer, Golden Eagle, and White Mocha.
Go For a Smaller Size
This might be hard to do, especially if you have a favorite drink that you always order. However, going for the smallest size can limit your sugar and calorie intake.
Also, remember that a small iced mocha has 23 g of sugar? Well, the large size has 47 g of sugar. It’s double the amount of a small cup. Always remember that moderation is key. You can always order a large size but try not to do so all the time.
Go For Other Milk Options
Substituting whole milk for other alternatives can lower the amount of sugar in your drink. If you typically get your drink with whole milk, try going for almond milk as it has less sugar than regular milk.
Make Your Own Dutch Bros Drink at Home
Another way you can control the amount of sugar in your Dutch Bros drink is to try recreating one at home. Now, you might think that it will be hard to do but there are Dutch Bros drinks that you can easily make at home.
Some of the Dutch Bros drinks you can make at home in 5 minutes or less are the Dutch Bros Annihilator, Dutch Bros Kicker, and Dutch Bros Caramelizer.
These are copycat recipes that you can tweak to include fewer syrups or other milk alternatives.
Final Thoughts
Dutch Bros, and other coffee chains that sell sugary drinks, are unhealthy if you consume these drinks every day. These sugary drinks can definitely pose a risk to your health if you don’t keep track of the amount of sugar you consume regularly.
You can still have your favorite Dutch Bros drink but make sure to drink them in moderation.
