I love Starbucks. Before I moved to Washington, the only fun thing to do in my small town was wait in line at our friendly neighborhood Safeway Starbucks (yes, the only one they had).

My Starbucks outings have slightly decreased since then, now going about twice a week. So, I feel strongly I am an adequate, if a not informed, connoisseur of the Seattle-based coffee company.

When I am in line at Starbucks, I frequently see high school or middle school age people ordering a “venti Caramel Frappuccino with extra caramel” (which, mind you, according to the Starbucks website is 84 grams of sugar which is about triple the amount of the daily amount recommended).

A single venti Mocha Frappuccino is 80 grams according to the Starbucks website. If someone goes to Starbucks and orders that same drink twice a week that’s 160 grams of sugar, only 29 grams less than the amount of sugar than what is recommended in a week!

Not only is it the sugar in the blended drink making it unhealthy, but also the extremely large amount of calories in Frappuccinos. The popular Java Chip Frappuccino is 470 calories which is 27% amount of the recommended 2,000 calorie diet.

A registered nutritionist, Kawther Hashem, a source of CBS News said, “These hot flavoured drinks should be an occasional treat, not an ‘everyday’ drink. They are laden with an unbelievable amount sugar and calories and are often accompanied by a high sugar and fat snack.”

So the key here is: awareness and moderation. Understanding that when ordering a sugary Starbucks drink shouldn’t be “on the reg”; rather, as a treat that you have in moderation.