Your Favorite Drink vs Unicorn Frapp
We’ve seen a lot of patients posting about Starbucks’ new Unicorn Frappuccino! While almost everyone agrees it is a beautiful drink, many people are concerned with the amount of sugar found in each cup. In fact, a grande (medium) has whopping 59 grams of sugar in just a 16oz drink. At Wurzbach Parkway Family Dental, we find this very interesting as the Unicorn Frappuccino’s sugar content ironically compares with many American drink favorites including…
Coca-Cola Classic
The world’s most popular soda, Coca-Cola Classic, has 65 g of sugar per 20oz bottle! For comparison, that’s 3.25 grams of sugar per ounce, compared to the Unicorn Frappuccino’s 3.69 grams. While the Unicorn Frappuccino has almost twice the calories per ounce as Coca-Cola Classic, neither are considered healthy drink options. In fact, there is a reason that Coca-Cola Classic is used by some people to clean off the corrosion from their car batteries. Yes, you read that correctly! The American Dental Association (ADA) lists Coca-Cola Classic, as well as the rest of the beverages in the Coca-Cola line, as extremely corrosive to your teeth. In fact, Coca-Cola Caffeine Free and Coca-Cola Classic had the most acidic pH level of all of the sodas on the market at a pH (Standard Deviation) of 2.34 (0.03) and 2.37 (0.03) respectively. For reference a 7.0 is neutral pH and 0.0 is the equivalent of battery acid.
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew isn’t as popular as Coca-Cola Classic is in Texas, but it does have a dedicated following of fans. When it comes down to statistics, this is one of the least healthy beverages available on the market. While it only is only listed as corrosive by the ADA with a pH level of 3.22 (0.07), its sugar content amounts to 3.85 grams per ounce. That’s more sugar per ounce that the Unicorn Frappuccino! Even though it is only listed as corrosive by the ADA, this assessment is only looking corrosion based on pH level. When you add in the amount of sugar in this drink, it is no surprise that it is one of the most notorious causes of cavities. In fact, there is a current phenomenon happening in the Appalachian area referred to as “Mountain Dew mouth.” According to Dentistry Today, many of the residents in this area have turned to bottled sodas as an alternative to questionable water sources, particularly Mountain Dew. This effects of this phenomena show that large quantities of soft drinks paired with poor dental care can lead to similar results as “meth mouth.”
Minute Maid Lemonade
Okay, so you always knew that Coca-Cola wasn’t the best option, which is why you often substitute a healthier option such as lemonade. What if we told you that Minute Maid Lemonade might be just as bad for you, would you believe us? Based on the ADA, Minute Maid Lemonade (along with many of it’s competitors) are considered an extremely corrosive juice with a pH level of 2.57 (0.01), which is worst than the least acidic drinks from the Coca-Cola line, Coca-Cola Zero and Coca-Cola Diet Lime which come in at a pH level of 2.96 (0.03). It’s got lemons in it though, so it should be acidic. How about the sugar content? Believe it or not, it’s sugar content is even higher than Coca-Cola’s at 3.35 grams per ounce! Don’t worry though, even some of the staff at our office have been fooled by this drink before.
Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino
So the Unicorn Frappuccino isn’t the healthiest, but what about Starbucks’ other frozen coffee drinks? The popular Mocha Frappuccino’s sugar statistics are surprisingly not much better. In fact, these favorite concoction contains 3.42 grams of sugar per serving! While that still puts them behind the Unicorn Frappuccino and Mountain Dew, it still beats almost all of the sodas available on the market and contains significantly more calories. This news could be disheartening for many Starbucks lovers. However, this doesn’t mean you have to ditch your favorite Seattle coffee company! We recommend trying their more traditional coffee flavors light on both sweeteners and creamers or their eclectic variety of teas (Tip: you can also purchase the same Tazo teas on Amazon to make at home.)
While this may not have been the news you were hoping for, an important part of maintaining a balanced diet is knowing what is in the food and drinks you consume! This is quite hard for busy families who eat out often. Knowing which drinks to avoid is a great way to limit the extra calories and sugar you intake. We believe in helping our patients achieve optimal oral and overall health! To us, this means that part of our job as our patients’ dental care providers is to keep them informed on dental research and health knowledge. For more information on drinks to avoid or to schedule an appointment, please feel free to contact us today.
