For the few of us left in the world that do not drink coffee, there is little reason to go to a coffee shop such as Starbucks. Or is there…On a recent trip in for (free, perfectly good tap) water after a long hike, a treasure trove of healthy, interesting, and TASTY food options were sitting on the shelves, much to my satisfied surprise.
Long hailed for its giant donuts/muffins/pound cakes, Starbucks has changed with the times as the times have called for more nutritious options for the working professional on the go. Realizing that this particular Starbucks is a busy outpost in health-conscious Portland, OR, and knowing not all stores are same, here is a list of some of the options available on a Tuesday afternoon:
- Dehydrated fruit chips/freeze dried fruit slices
- Regular cut fruit
- protein plates (think an egg, cheese slices, meat slices)
- high quality trail mix
- air popped popcorn (and pop chips)
- KIND fruit and nut bars
- Raw food bars, local too!
- greek yogurt
- Nice sandwiches without mayo slathered on, with respectable nutrition stats, protein, whole grain bread, etc.
- cut veggies/veggie trays with hummus
- Salads with protein
- Nuts
- Fresh pressed juices, locally bottled (not Odwalla or another national company; something with short shelf life)
- The usual milk, soy milk, and other healthy options available steamed, in a latte, etc.
- numerous gluten free, GMO free, dairy free etc. options
- Also, many of the less healthy treats are much smaller and have calorie content listed
This is impressive!!! A picky, raw-food-eating paleo gluten free vegan could come in here and do just fine. Pretty cool, huh?
Fun fact – Between my first and second year of business school I interned at Starbucks corporate in Seattle – and happened to sit next to a food procurement team. This was 2005, and it was all cookies, cakes, muffins, doughnuts. Exclusively. It was hard to resist (though I did a great job) but now it would be FUN to sit next to that team.
So, the next time you are hard up for a quick healthy meal, head to Starbucks – you can actually get your needs met, walk away feeling satisfied, and even grab and raw food bar for the road!