How to look Instagram-Ready With a Cup While Staying Healthy

Nearly every young female Instagram influencer will in someway, at some point, find themselves in the coffee heaven known as Starbucks. What's not to love about it? There is access to wifi, and lots of choices for snacks and treats. The main reason that people continue to comeback for their overpriced caffeine is obvious:

They don't just sell morning pick-me-ups, they sell an experience.

Starbucks has crafted fancy drinks and created an atmosphere that feels classy! Many things in life are made simplistic, so when you find something that provides a classy, upscale experience... you know to hang on to it. So, it's no surprise that among movie star sunglasses and manicures , a Starbucks cup is often seen on the "Gram". Even I myself have fallen victim to wanting a piece of that perfect "Insta life", and buying a little cup of sugar to boost my esteem while I walk around with it. Don't get me wrong though, I wouldn't buy something if it didn't taste good, or if I didn't enjoy it.

Most of the Starbucks locations offer gluten-free healthy breakfast sandwiches, as well as fresh fruit parfaits to go along side their coffee. It just seems to me to be an odd inclusion because their drinks are basically cups of sugar. But, their Refreshers™ seem to not have as much sugar and calories as a lot of their other products, however they do maintain a great flavor. It's just very watered down. Sometimes I am in the mood for it, but other times not.

Though I like plain coffee, I mainly return to Starbucks for their Frappuccinos because I like the experience of buying a crafted drink. I can easily make a normal cup of coffee at home with a Keurig. But, I don't always want a Frappuccino either. Sometimes I just want a healthy drink to go with my healthy breakfast sandwich.

I don't want to deal with the heavy feeling after drinking a large sugary drink, I don't want to deal with sudden heart accelerations from time to time. I just want a drink that isn't water, that has texture and tastes good that I can sip on while I am on my way back to work: I just want a smoothie.

It appears that Starbucks used to have smoothies in the past, or they are seasonal, but I don't typically see them on the menu in my area. I work in a mall that has a Starbucks, and my coworkers and I would frequent it on our break. However, one day... I just... did not feel like coffee. My weight had really been bothering me because it was turning into more an more of a habit, along with some other issues that was causing moderate weight gain over time. So, I thought I would try to change it up.

And though it was fun, and I enjoyed the experience and healthier options at Starbucks, I just didn't always want those options, and my coworkers were starting to feel the same. I just really wanted a happy medium drink that still tasted good, and would help me get more fiber and vitamins.

Just down the way was a smoothie shack called Jamba or sometimes known as Jamba Juice. I started thinking more and more that I should change my habits and start frequenting there instead. If this was going to turn into a habit, why not try to find an opportunity to get more fiber and vitamins?

I just want to compare the stats of my two favorite drinks from both stores, because of the difference I made with what I put in my body:

The Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino® Blended Beverage from Starbucks in the Grande size (16fl oz) has 370 calories, and 53g of sugar. Some other ingredients in that drink are whipped cream, syrup, milk etc. So by drinking this, I would not get not a whole lot of nutrition or fiber from the drink. Plus, it will cost me 370 workout coins to work off, lol.

I don't necessarily feel the need to calorie count, I just try to have a nice balance between leafy greens and/or veggies for a fiber fulfillment compared to the rest of the food I have eaten in my day. It may be easier for some to visualize if they get a small fold-up workout bike that has a feature to measure calorie burn rate.

Now, the Vanilla Blue Sky (small/16 fl oz) with added kale and blueberries (for antioxidants) comes in at 27g of sugar. Other ingredients are bananas, pineapples, unsweetened almond milk etc. and will cost me 210 workout coins (calories) - cheaper is better.

It's good that there is half the amount of sugar in the smoothie than what is in the Frappuccino.

You have to consider the types of ingredients that are in the drinks: the Frappuccino has a lot of refined sugar, while the smoothie has fruit and/or natural sugar. The smoothie is a much better option for consumption because of the greater amounts of nutrients that are important for our bodies.

Sometimes you need a Starbucks day, and want to feel glamorous. On those days where maybe feeling glamorous isn't as important, and you just want a snack that you can sip on for a while, you should maybe look into just getting a smoothie. Even if its not name brand Starbucks, you can still walk around with a cute drink. Except now you will not only be looking cute, you will also feel a lot better physically and mentally.

Jamba Juice has a great mobile ordering feature just like Starbucks, fyi. And get this... their rewards are called "Banana Points"! How cute is that!

By incorporating more natural, healthy ingredients into your diet, your energy will have more of a boost even without caffeine. What you put in your body affects more than what people realize. It is no news that poor diet can aide and contribute to depression, acne, as well as a number of health issues and more.

It's not even like you need to break up with Starbucks, though. Just having a happy medium between the two could be one of the most positively life changing decisions that you make if you drink coffee often. In fact, those who start on a diet cold turkey without slowly adjusting their life and eating habits are more likely to get frustrated and return to their old habits. So, if you make small changes, even if it isn't the healthiest diet, anything helps. After all, you will be the one with your body for the rest of your life... you should take care of it.

This maybe something that you will need to custom make, or pour in to your smoothie after you order and sip it down a bit, but if you need a caffeine boost, you should research different teas that you could try to mix into your smoothie. Certain types of tea can provide a healthier caffeine boost compared to Coffee.

So, it just may be good food for thought that if you find comfort in splurging on a fun little drink very often, try something like Jamba Juice every now and then. Or, swing by the store and buy a few frozen bags of fruit to use with your blender, then grab one of those Starbucks cups that you probably got at their giftshop, dump in your smoothie and go. Voilà! You are now Instagram ready.

Thank you so much for reading. I want to disclaim that I am not a health expert, I'm just a normal person talking about the choices that I made to make positive improvements to my life and diet. Please speak with a professional about your situation.

I hope you enjoyed!

Again, thanks!