Et tu Coffee?

Coffee lovers have had it good recently. Study after study continue to show that drinking moderate amounts of coffee ( 2  - 3 cups a day) is not only not bad for us, but may actually offer some significant health benefits. So its disappointing to find coffee shops misleading (or is it lying to?) us about the trendy "coffee drinks" that they offer.

Take, for example, Dunkin Doughnuts, long synonymous with coffee. When you order your Dunkin' Frozen Coffee you might expect to get a cold cup of coffee with perhaps some sort of flavorinig and creamer. A reasonable expectation. But Dunkin Doughnuts has a surprise for you!

What you are actually getting is 840 calories, 27 teaspoons of added sugar and 22 grams of fat (a two and a one day supply respectively), in a 32oz cup. That's right. You can now get sugary beverages by the quart. How do they manage to pack so much goodness into the frozen treat? Simple. A blend of water, cane sugar, phosphoric acid, natural coffee flavor (why not just use coffee??), salt (yes, salt), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and, of course, everyone's favorite coffee add-in, xantham gum.

Dunkin Doughnuts is far from the only company to be pulling this kind of crap on their customers. Pizza Hut recently unveiled its 1,150 calorie Meaty P'Zone, a calzone-like pocket of cheap white flour stuffed with salt, cheese and processed meats.

The point is, eating out is a mine field for anyone who aspires to spending the rest of their lives not requiring a seat belt extender when they get on an airplane. Restaurants are now required to put calories on their menus, and that's a great start. But the burnden is on each of us to be aware of what we are stuffing ourselves with, and how that might affect our waistlines and our health.

"There is a whole generation of people who have never had the P'Zone," Pizza Hut's Chief Brand Officer told Forbes magazine. That's about to change.