Starbucks Gets a "Health" Conscience

That's right, the land of Venti Double-Chip Frappuccinos, Caramel Macchiatos, and Blueberry Scones rethinks their dining experience. I walked into the Starbucks on the corner of 75th and Lemont in Darien, IL, to have coffee with my dad, and was immediately welcomed by 3 new food displays. Apparently Starbucks, now a coffee shop/café, wants to ensure the availability of well-rounded meal options for their customers.

Is this a complete surprise? No. Starbucks has been slowly introducing new foods to their menu for the past few years, including breakfast sandwiches and "Signature Oatmeal". However, its true health food has often been relinquished to the drink department: Organic Horizon milk, Naked fruit juice, and the Vivannos (a protein and banana smoothie made popular last year). Today, I was pleasantly surprised to see their new options have expanded to food "bites" and not just food "sips".Four new hot sandwiches line their menu including a Ham and Swiss panini, all of which sounded and smelled wonderful and are around 400 calories (so they claim). Yum.

The other displays included new, what I call Whole Foods inspired food: Two moms in the Raw granola bars, Kind fruit and nut bars, dried fruit packets, sweet potato crisps, and organic chocolate.

I highly recommend the Kind Almond and Cashew bar. 180 calories, 4 grams of fiber and protein, and absolutely delicious. It's the perfect snack with a cup of coffee or Starbuck's full leaf teas. Eat on and live well. Thanks Starbucks!