The Unhealthiest Drinks People Can Order From Drive-Thru Restaurants

22. McCafe drinks sound fancier than they are.

When you order a latte, whether it’s hot or iced, you would think it’s a healthier choice than something like a frappe, and it is, but it’s still not the most nutritious. An Iced French Vanilla Latte from McDonald’s isn’t the worst thing you could be ordering, and it doesn’t have many ingredients in it, either. However, it does have a preservative in the French vanilla syrup, in case you were curious. They even give you a choice between the milk you would like to have added. 

Let’s say you order a large Iced French Vanilla Latte with whole milk. That will be 360 calories you are about to drink down. There are a few more calories in that drink than a cheeseburger from the same place. Think about that for a second. Would you rather eat a meal or drink your meal? You could have both, but then you would be doubling the number of calories you’d be taking in in one sitting. Furthermore, that drink alone also has 53 carbs. 

21. Maybe think twice about that Strawberry Banana Smoothie from McDonald’s. 

When people think smoothies, most of us think healthy. Smoothies are full of fruits or vegetables and are supposed to be healthy and full of nutrients that our bodies need to help us get through the day. However, if you are already at McDonald’s ordering food, are you making healthy choices as it is? Ordering a smoothie from here may make it seem like you’re making a healthy choice, but not when you hear about some of the ingredients it contains. You may think twice next time before ordering your next Strawberry Banana Smoothie from McDonald’s. 

You may think a large Strawberry Banana Smoothie isn’t bad when it comes to only having 1 gram of fat, but it also has 330 calories in it and a total of 76 carbs. Probably not the best drink if you have diabetes and have to watch your carbohydrate intake either, especially when thinking a smoothie would be a good choice in place of soda pop. One of the ingredients it contains is xanthan gum, pretty harmless, except that it can cause intestinal gas and stomach bloating.  

20. That Chocolate Shake is a whole meal. 

Many people like to order a chocolate shake to go along with their burger and fries, but do they ever think about just how many calories may be in the shake alone? Or how many carbs are they taking in, only by the drink itself, not including the food as well? When ordering a large Chocolate Shake from McDonald’s to go with your burger and fries, you are doubling those numbers fast. If you have diabetes or trying to watch your figure, you may want to rethink that before ordering. 

A large Chocolate Shake from McDonald’s contains 830 calories alone, 21 grams of fat, and even 139 carbohydrates. That’s many carbs in one drink! A Big Mac doesn’t even have that many calories. It only has 550. You could order a Big Mac and a medium fry, which would only be a total of 870 calories. That’s still ten calories less than one large chocolate shake. If you also got the shake to add to that meal, you would almost meet the total recommended daily calorie intake in one meal. 

19. Not the old black, white, and red all-over joke. 

The Black, White, and Red Over Freeze from Biggby sounds like a fun drink. Even the name makes it sound interesting. A fun drink does not mean a healthy drink, that’s for sure, especially when you order a large beverage. Having a hard day and want to treat yourself to something delicious? It may sound good with some of the ingredients that make up this tasty drink, but the numbers may make you rethink your choices after hearing what they are.  

Biggby Coffee has multiple sizes to choose from when ordering your drinks, which works out well for everyone. Nevertheless, you may want to rethink what you say before you decide on that 32oz drink. The 32oz Black, White, and Red Over Freeze from Biggby contains 904 calories. That’s about half of the daily intake of calories you should be having! In case you were also curious, it’s 182 carbohydrates for this drink of this size. So if you have diabetes, this may not be the drink for you. 

18. This Chocolate Chip Cookie Freeze from Biggby Coffee takes the cake.

If you are on a diet, you should not be ordering a specialty coffee drink from anywhere to begin with. Moreover, if you have diabetes, you probably shouldn’t be drinking many of these specialty coffee drinks either because the carbohydrates are ridiculously high in most of them. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Freeze from Biggby Coffee takes the cake when it comes to surprisingly high numbers for calories and carbs. Not only will you be full after sucking this beverage down, but you may be questioning your choices after this. We’re just as shocked writing about it as you probably are going to be reading it. 

Not only does this drink contain more than half of your daily recommended calorie intake, at 1510 calories at 32 oz, but a drink this size also has a whopping 256 carbohydrates. Talk about going into diabetic shock after this drink. Furthermore, the only ingredients this beverage contains are ice, tenacious tonic, chocolate chip cookies, and milk. We’re pretty sure that it’s not the ice that tips the scales over, but the chocolate chip cookies they added with the milk. You may want to be sure that you have your insulin ready when ordering this drink!

17. Red Bull Crème Freeze does not give you wings. 

Are you looking for a drink that’s an energy drink but like a milkshake? This would be your drink. If you’re a fan of Red Bull, you may be eyeing this up on the menu when you walk into Biggby coffee. It’s packed with 160 milligrams of caffeine in a 32oz drink, plus being ice-cold, you would think it’d be perfect as a refresher when you need the energy boost on a warm day. However, the number of calories and sodium in this drink may slow you down. 

We all know that a regular can of Red Bull doesn’t contain 700 calories. However, the Red Bull Crème Freeze from Biggby does. Do you want to take in all those extra calories to get almost the same caffeinated effect? Not only is this drink loaded with calories, but it’s also packed with 152 carbs and 500 milligrams of sodium. You’re better off drinking a couple of cans of Red Bull alone, even though that is not recommended either. This drink just sounds like a stomach ache waiting to happen. 

16. Strawberry Shortcake Crème Freezes are just dessert drinks.

When we think of summertime desserts, strawberry shortcakes may come to many of our minds. However, when thinking about what goes into making strawberry shortcakes, we may not believe that lemonade is one of the ingredients. In this drink, though, it is! You would never have guessed it when reading the name, in any case. It shocked us, too.  You wouldn’t think it’d have as many calories in it as it does since it is just made up of strawberries and lemonade. 

It’s no surprise, though, that another drink from Biggby Coffee isn’t as healthy as it may first sound. A 32oz of the Strawberry Shortcake Crème Freeze has 787 calories and even 101 milligrams of sodium. What on earth is in that lemonade they put into that drink? The carbohydrates stack up to 173, as well. Something to stay away from if you have diabetes or having to watch your carb intake. It’s also probably a good idea to stay away from most of these drinks if you have to manage any consumption that doesn’t include water.

15. H=MC2 at Biggby Coffee, you do the math. 

Ordering a H=MC2 Crème Freeze from Biggby may sound fancy or weird because we all know what the math equation is supposed to be. That aside, it’s important to remember that you should consider what you may be ingesting when ordering drinks. That doesn’t mean just the ingredients put into the beverage that makes it up, but the calories, carbs, fat content, and sodium. Also, think about the grams of sugar added to the liquid you may be consuming, too, and think about how unhealthy it is. 

When you order a 32oz cup of the beverage H=MC2 at Biggby Coffee, you’re not only getting the caramel, marshmallow, and cinnamon flavors you’re looking for. You will also be getting a whopping 1010 calories, 25 grams of fat, 342 milligrams of sodium, and 156 grams of sugar. That drink probably doesn’t sound as delicious as it did before knowing that, huh. If you are going to be ordering this drink, maybe try ordering the 16oz. At least it’s only 570 calories. That’s still a lot, but it’s a lot less than the 32 oz. 

14. Gotta lotta love for the Lotta Love Latte Crème Freeze.

So the name for this drink seems cute, right? Lotta Love Latte Crème Freeze from Biggby Coffee sounds sweet, of course, because it has the word love in the name. It doesn’t mean that it’s that sweet to your body in a healthy way. White chocolate and strawberries sound so delicious together, especially in a drink, hot or cold, but maybe not when it also comes with lots of carbs and calories. It’s like drinking a whole meal when it’s not even a protein shake or vegetable smoothie. 

The Lotta Love Latte Crème Freeze from Biggby does have almost 13 grams of protein in it. However, it’s not a recommended source to get it from. This drink has 342 grams of sodium and a whopping 1021 calories! If you have diabetes and count your carbs, you may want to skip this drink. That will spike your blood sugar, with carbohydrates of 187 in a 32oz cup. You can cut down the calories a little bit by ordering it with nonfat milk instead of 2%. However, it still doesn’t make it a healthy drink. 

13. The Matcha Boost Smoothie from Biggby Coffee is sure to give a boost. 

The Matcha Boost Smoothie from Biggby is high in protein, with 21 grams, but does that makeup for the calories or the amount of sodium that it contains? Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad, but is the bad worth the good? There are still many calories in this drink, along with the carbs and grams of sugar. However, you will at least get a boost of energy with this drink because it has 42 milligrams of caffeine in it. 

Although there are quite a few drinks from Biggby Coffee that have a lot more calories than the Matcha Boost Smoothie, for a smoothie though, this drink still has a lot at 431 for just 24oz. With 79 carbohydrates, it also has 72 grams of sugar. So this drink may not be the worst thing you could order off of the menu. It’s not the healthiest choice either. If you were looking to make a healthier choice, you should probably just buy some things and make your own smoothie at home. At least you’d have better control over what all went into it. 

12. Feeling lucky with a Lucky Charm Latte.

You may not think about specific allergies when ordering a drink like the Lucky Charm Latte from Biggby Coffee. However, if you have a tree nut, peanut, or soy allergy, you may not want to order this drink for yourself or anyone else with these allergies. Some of the ingredients are produced in the same line as tree oil and facility as peanut products and soy. Of course, you shouldn’t be ordering this drink either if you are lactose intolerant either, since it does contain dairy, as well. 

Lucky Charms are many kids’ favorite cereal these days, with the delicious marshmallows that have been around for years. So to hear that they now have a drink that contains your favorite childhood cereal is like a dream come true, right? Make sure you’re not watching your figure first, though, before indulging in this delicious latte. A 32oz Lucky Charm Latte from Biggby contains 705 calories. It’s loaded with caffeine, in any case. So if you need the 200 milligrams of caffeine to get you through the day, this drink has it, but the calories come along with it. 

11. Tropical Smoothie drinks aren’t so healthy after all. 

Usually, when we think of smoothies, we may think of them as refreshing and healthy. They may be refreshing due to the sweet flavors they may have. This smoothie from Tropical Smoothie, in particular, is not that healthy. Some people drink smoothies in place of a meal for breakfast or lunch, or even as a snack, but when it’s high in calories or carbohydrates, is it making a difference? Probably not. Take the Chia Banana Boost with Peanut Butter Smoothie, for example. You will be surprised by how unhealthy this drink is. 

If you’re trying to watch your figure or lose some weight and counting your calories, smoothies may be an alternative to a meal or two. However, you may want to avoid certain ones from Tropical Smoothie because some are loaded with calories and carbohydrates. The Chia Banana Boost with Peanut Butter Smoothie may sound healthy, but it has a total of 780 calories in one serving and 130 carbs. That’s not that healthy now, is it? It’s better than a couple of other beverages on this list, but it’s still up there in its numbers. 

10. White or dark chocolate won’t make a difference for a Beach Bum. 

Another drink from Tropical Smoothie that is oh so delicious, but maybe not oh so healthy, would be the Beach Bum. You wouldn’t think of a smoothie having chocolate in it, but this smoothie wouldn’t be the same without it. Another thing about smoothies is that people sometimes prefer them over a milkshake or a soda. However, this one has chocolate in it, making it similar to a milkshake in a way if you think about it but with fruit mixed into it. 

Thinking that the Beach Bum would be healthier than a regular chocolate milkshake would be healthier is not the case. They just so happen to be 550 calories in this beverage and 131 carbohydrates. To add to that, there are also 109 grams of sugar in the Beach Bum. Not that healthy of a smoothie, even though it is delicious in flavor. Whether you get the white chocolate or the dark chocolate for this drink, it won’t make a difference in how healthy you try to make it. 

9. Another Tropical Smoothie drink to add to the list. 

By now, you’re probably thinking about how many times you may have gone to Tropical Smoothie and bought a smoothie, thinking you were making a healthy choice. You may have been, not all the drinks there are high on the list of smoothies to maybe avoid, but another may be the Mocha Madness smoothie. Many smoothies already have the sweetness from the fruit put into them. However, at Tropical Smoothie, they add extra sweeteners to give it that extra sweetness, making them not as healthy as a smoothie really should be. 

Anything with the word madness in the name doesn’t sound like it would be too healthy of a drink choice, especially if it had the term mocha put in front of it, but that’s exactly what this drink is called, Mocha Madness. Maybe they are talking about the number of calories being madness, at a surprising 540. The sodium content in this drink is even high, at 120 grams. I thought smoothies were supposed to be healthy? Maybe making them at home is a better idea than buying them from Tropical Smoothie, then you will know what is all added to the drink. 

8. The large Caramel Malt drinks are practically entire meals. 

You may remember all the commercials that often played on the TV that advertised the slushies and shakes from Sonic. They talked about how delicious they were, how many combinations you had to choose from, adding candy and other flavors to make up your own flavors if you so wished. However, what they didn’t talk about was how unhealthy some of those drinks were. If you plan on ordering food from Sonic and having a malt beverage for dessert, you may want to rethink that. Because the malt drinks are so loaded with calories, you would be shocked. 

So let’s talk about the large Caramel Malt here. Caramel is a lot of people’s favorite flavor when it comes to treats. It is quite good. However, it’s loaded with sugar and calories, making it super unhealthy. This drink alone has a shocking 1340 calories! That is more than half of your recommended daily calorie intake. Five hundred sixty calories are from fat, and it also contains 880 milligrams of sodium. You may want to consider just skipping your dessert if this is what you were going to order. 

7. This Oreo Cheesecake Malt is an unhealthy drink — to say the least!

As long as we are on the subject of ordering malts from Sonic, another is probably higher on the list than any other when it comes to calories. A large Oreo Cheesecake Malt from Sonic has 1890 calories by itself! That’s pretty much all the calories that are recommended for your daily intake. Say goodbye to your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any snacks you planned on having if you were going to be counting your calories today. That just doesn’t even sound possible, but it is! 

Not only is this malt beverage so high in calories, it’s no surprise that it’s also super high in fat calories, at 730. With 195 grams of sugar and 265 carbs in just this drink by itself, no person with diabetes should be sipping on this drink. They would go into shock! Also, if you’re watching your sodium intake, this drink is not recommended for another reason, seeing as it contains 1550 milligrams of sodium as well. It’s a wonder if anyone has ever been able to order a large and finish it without getting a stomach ache afterward. 

6. Slushies aren’t just crushed ice and flavoring.

All kids love slushies, and Sonic is well known for their slushies. They have so many to choose from, you can mix and match the flavors, and you can even get some with candy added right into your drink if you want. That’s definitely not a healthy choice, but it’s one that the kids love, and even some adults, as well. They are fun summertime drinks and quite popular, too. So let’s talk about the Blue Raspberry with Rainbow Candy from Sonic for a minute here. Not only is it a colorful and tasty drink, but it’s also a favorite among many people.

When ordering a slushie, you may not think much of it. You may just think it’s crushed ice with some syrup added to it for flavor, but that’s not all that Sonic slushies have to offer. Not when they can also put candy and other flavors loaded with sugar into the mix. When ordering a large Blue Raspberry slush with Rainbow Candy, you will be drinking 730 calories that come along with it. Along with 185 grams of sugar. It doesn’t sound that refreshing after all, now that you think about it. 

5. A lot goes into that Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino. 

A popular drink at Starbucks would have to be the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino, and with good cause. It’s sweet, cool, and crunchy, all in one. However, we don’t think about what is put into our drinks to give them that fabulous taste. For example, do you know what Frappuccino syrup is made up of? Not many people probably do. One of the ingredients in it is called xanthan gum. It’s a common food additive, not harmful. Nevertheless, it may explain why you may get bloated and gassy after consuming certain beverages or foods that contain them. 

The Caramel Ribbon Crunch may have many ingredients that make it up that you aren’t concerned about. However, 24oz of this drink has 78 grams of sugar in it. It also has 24 grams of fat and 570 calories. That’s a decent portion of your daily recommended calorie intake. If you’re big into this drink, maybe try ordering the smaller size, seeing as it only has 330 calories in it. Saying that, however, a 12oz glass of this drink still holds 200 grams of sodium. That is quite a bit! 

4. Strawberry Crème Frappuccino is refreshing yet super filling. 

The Strawberry Crème Frappuccino blended beverage is another drink that may sound a bit more on the healthier side because it has fruit in it, but that’s where it gets you. Because not only does it have strawberries in it, but it’s a strawberry puree sauce, which contains a white grape juice concentrate, as well as xanthan gum that can cause you to become gassy and bloated as well. They also have to add fruit and vegetable juice for color. The strawberry puree wasn’t enough?

So the calories for the Strawberry Crème Frappuccino from Starbucks isn’t as high as other drinks on this list. However, it’s still up there. For a 24oz, or also known as a Venti when ordering, this drink has 460 calories per serving. It has quite a bit of sodium in it with 320 milligrams — and also 66 carbs. That’s still a lot if you have diabetes or having to watch your carbohydrate intake. Maybe this blended beverage isn’t as refreshing as it may look. 

3. That’s the way this cookie crumbles. 

When ordering a drink from Starbucks, you are given so many options to choose from. You can add a shot of espresso if you need the extra boost. Ask for another pump of flavor if you want it a bit stronger in flavor even. There are drinks from Starbucks that are a bit more on the healthier side when counting calories and carbohydrates. However, the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino is not on the list of healthy drinks, and for good reason. It even has the word cookie right in its name!

It may not seem so bad when ordering a Venti or a 24 oz. of the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino when looking at the carbohydrates since it only has 85, and other drinks have topped out over 100. However, it also has 590 calories in just this drink itself. It is possible to go to Starbucks and order a drink low in calories. However, this drink is not it. You could have a small meal in place of just this drink alone, doesn’t that sound like a better idea?

2. Tim Hortons isn’t just about the donut holes and hot coffee. 

When going into a Tim Hortons, some people still may think of it as a place to order a small hot coffee and a donut hole, but these days they have fancied up some of their drinks. They now have various drinks to choose from that vary from hot to iced to even frozen. So keep your options open when going to Tim Hortons next time. Also, keep in mind, though, that not all drinks are low in calories. You may want to ask for a nutrition pamphlet before ordering if you’re worried about ordering something high in carbs or calories. 

Tim Hortons has a delicious drink called Frozen Vanilla and Cream, and even though a large is only 20 oz., it is loaded with 660 calories. It definitely won’t seem like it when it’s sitting in front of you. That is why a nutrition pamphlet may be a good idea if you are concerned about what you’re ordering. This drink is also high in cholesterol, with 100 milligrams, and even has 180 milligrams of sodium. That’s quite a bit for such a small beverage, especially when you think about consuming 92 carbohydrates at once. If you have diabetes, you know that that is quite a lot for a drink that does not look very big.

1. Oreo Iced Capp drinks from Tim Hortons are just snacks.

Most people love Oreos, especially when they can dunk them in milk. When you can make it into a drink, that is a whole other ball game. That’s exactly what Tim Hortons did, however. They took a favorite cookie, and a favorite beverage loved by many and combined them to make a delicious beverage. It’s more like a snack than a drink, though, considering it contains cookies — and the massive amount of calories and carbs. You may not want to have this alongside a snack, though, seeing as it can be considered a snack itself. 

If you have a soy, wheat, or gluten allergy, you will want to avoid this drink. It’s also not a good idea to have this drink if you are lactose intolerant, but you probably already figured that out. Even though a large Oreo Iced Capp may not seem that big, the 670 calories loaded in this treat say otherwise. It’s also a bit high in sodium, containing 140 milligrams in it and 90 milligrams of cholesterol. That is just another drink on the list that you should probably avoid if you are trying to watch your figure or count your carbs because it also contains 86 carbohydrates. Do you still need more examples of unhealthy drinks? Check out these beverages that can cause serious health issues. 

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

Starbucks

dunkindonuts.com/en/menu/nutrition

Tim Hortons

Tropical Smoothie Café

hsph.harvard.edu/…ionsource/carbohydrates