Dunkin' Donuts is the second-most popular coffee shop in the US, and the brand sells a lot more drinks than coffee these days. They sell energy drinks, tea, coffee, sweet mixed drinks like frappuccinos and more.
But what are the healthiest drinks on the Dunkin' Donuts menu? Do all the sweet drinks have to be avoided? Are some of the drinks too high in caffeine to be healthy? And is coffee or tea a healthier choice?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we give our picks for the healthiest drinks on the Dunkin' menu at the time of publishing this article.
What to Rule Out
From a health perspective, the vast majority of drinks on the Dunkin' menu (as well as Starbucks and other major chain coffee shops) can be ruled out.
Drinks with high added sugar are unhealthy in our opinion.
A medium Iced Latte sweetened with sugar, shown below, contains 26 grams (g) of added sugar:
Diets high in added sugar promote the development of obesity (source), and the majority of Americans are already overweight or obese.
Drinks with synthetic ingredients and preservatives are unhealthy in our opinion.
The ingredient list for Dunkin' Energy Berry Burst are shown below:
Beyond the 27 g of added sugar, this contains two other ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Citric acid is a compound that can be inflammatory in some people, as we discussed in our is La Croix bad for you article.
Potassium sorbate is a synthetic preservative, and a 2010 clinical trial concluded it was "clearly seen to be genotoxic" to human cells when studied in a test tube.
Healthiest Dunkin' Drinks
Now that we've provided a guide for consumers to use to rule out unhealthy drinks at major coffee chains, below are our top three picks for healthy drinks that can be found at Dunkin':
1. Black Coffee
Black coffee (meaning coffee without any added dairy or sweeteners) is one of the healthiest beverages in the world.
Coffee consumption is associated in some clinical trials with improved longevity, reduced risk of developing diabetes, and reduced risk of developing depression, as we documented in our is coffee good for you article.
2. Black Tea
A medical review published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that consuming three or more cups of black tea per day was associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
Black tea is also a potent antioxidant that may have anti-inflammatory effects.
3. Green Tea
Dunkin's "Harmony Leaf Green Tea" has one single ingredient: steeped green tea.
Some of the other tea blends contain "natural flavors," which we generally recommend avoiding as this term may refer to solvents and preservatives (source).
Green tea is clinically shown to have anti-cancer effects.
Our Clean Coffee Picks
MBG Clean Coffee+ is our top coffee product, because it’s ground for convenience, organic certified, and third-party lab tested for purity (which is highly uncommon for coffee).
Four Sigmatic Think is our top nootropic coffee brand, because it contains organic Lion's Mane which is clinically shown to enhance cognitive function.
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
