There might be a reason you can’t find all the nutrition info for Dunkin’s new Ice Spice Munchkins Drink. The fall menu item — recently revealed in a commercial starring Ben Affleck and the It girl rapper herself — is the latest in the coffee house’s repertoire of creative celebrity concoctions.
But following the new release, the drink’s actual contents were called into question, along with the calories listed on the Dunkin’ app: 590 for a small, 830 for a medium, and 1080 for a large.
After learning each drink contains multiple blended munchkin donuts, it didn’t take long for the internet to start speculating about the drink’s sugar content, specifically.
Dunkin’ conveniently hasn’t updated its nutrition information guide since July 31, and the only readily available information about Ice Spice’s new drink is the calorie count. But we are nothing if not persistent, so here’s our mathematical breakdown, below.
A small size of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink contains four pumps of liquid cane sugar, two pumps of coffee syrup, two blended munchkins, caramel drizzle, and whipped cream.
- Dunkin’s liquid cane syrup clocks in at around seven grams per pump (with some nutrition trackers bumping that estimate up to 9.5).
- The coffee syrup is somewhere around 10 grams per two pumps (based on the company’s mocha syrup).
- Each munchkin adds another three grams.
- So, we’re looking at 44 grams of sugar for the smallest size. That’s not including the caramel drizzle or whipped cream.
Admittedly, Dunkin’ never claimed the Munchkins Drink was a superfood ready to dethrone kale. Still, consumers deserve to know what they’re putting in their bodies, and accessible nutrition information is a part of that.
“While there is no doubt that combining Dunkin’ coffee with munchkins, whipped cream, and a caramel drizzle is absolutely delish, we can’t ignore that this drink contains a significant amount of added sugar,” said Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian.
She also noted that the American Heart Association recommends men limit added sugar to about 36 grams per day and women to around 25 grams — both a far cry from the Munchkin Drink’s 44 grams.
Fellow registered dietitian Melanie G. Murphy Richter echoed these concerns about the new beverage. “When eaten in excess, sugar contributes to a rise in internal inflammation and can lead to fatigue, brain fog, feelings of heaviness, and anxiety and depression,” she said. “Trendy drinks like these might give us a quick dose of happiness and have us feeling euphoric, but are at the core source of our current health crisis.”
The sugar content in Ice Spice’s Munchkins drink is definitely something to consider, but you can still enjoy a donut-hole drink backed by Batman every once in a while.
“One sweet treat won’t completely derail your health goals, so for most people, trying out this fun seasonal drink can be a fun way to welcome the fall,” Manaker said. “Just keep it as a once-in-a-while indulgence versus an everyday drink.”
Source: Popsugar
