Starbucks gives breakfast menu a healthier twist

By Carolyn O'Neil
Cox News Service

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ATLANTA -- Just in time for busy days spent in commuter traffic, school car-pool lines and "the summer's over" rush at work and home, popular on-the-go coffee shops are adding a new crop of healthy items to their morning menus.

Most notably, coffee giant Starbucks has launched an impressive selection of dietitian-designed breakfast foods including hot oatmeal (available all day), an improved apple bran muffin, a 100 percent whole-grain pastry made with seasonal fruit and a multigrain roll with seven different seeds and grains.

Katie Thomson, Starbucks' senior nutritionist and resident dietitian, says the new menu items reflect an evolution in what the chain's nutrition-conscious consumers want and don't want. "It went from an avoidance stage with fat free and sugar free," she says. "Then people realized they needed more healthful ingredients like whole grains, fiber and protein." To address customer demand for protein, Starbucks is introducing a Power Protein Plate that provides 16 grams of protein -- about one third an adult's daily needs. The plate, which sells for $4.95, includes a cage-free hard-boiled egg, small whole-wheat bagel, peanut butter, cheddar cheese, apple slices and grapes; it contains 330 calories and 5 grams of fiber.

Retooling bakery items meant upping their fiber and protein punch, too. The 330-calorie apple bran muffin made with whole-wheat flour, oats and wheat bran contains 7 grams of protein and

7 grams of fiber. "The apple bran muffin has a special place in my heart because bran muffins are either too high in calories or they taste terrible," Thomson says. "We challenged the product developers so our customers don't have to choose between taste and health."

And just as some like their coffee with cream and others with nonfat milk foam, customization is key with new menu items, too. Starbucks' oatmeal has a choice of toppings including dried fruit, a nut medley and brown sugar. Its multigrain roll is offered with an almond butter spread or strawberry preserves. All come in calorie-controlled packs you can grab as you go.