[00:00:00] Jenn Trepeck: Welcome to Salad with a side of Fries. I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck, talking wellness and weight loss for real life. We're here to clear up the myths, misinformation, bad science and marketing to teach you how to eat and how to cheat. Are you ready? I'm having salad with a side of fries. This week we're talking about Dunkin's protein drinks.

[00:00:28] So you may remember last year. So that was 2025 Starbucks came out with their protein drinks and I went into Starbucks, one of the locations by me in New York City, and I asked a ton of questions. Admittedly, I caused a little bit of a scene and you know that whole story you can find in our bonus episode from December 12th, 2025, nutrition nugget, Starbucks protein drinks.

[00:00:52] So anyway, fast forward.  Dunkin announced their protein drinks earlier this year in 2026. [00:01:00] And naturally, many of you asked me about them. So I went to  Dunkin and I did the same thing. Now, I did start on their website to see if I could get some information before I went into the store. I also found their press release around it.

[00:01:16] And so I looked at all that before I went into the store because of course I had lots of questions. So anyway, here's the scoop. The press release highlights that they're using protein milk. They highlight their partnership with Megan Thee Stallion for the campaign and the press release focused on protein refreshers and protein lattes.

[00:01:37] They also mention in their a milk or non-dairy base, and so I'm gonna come back to that in a second. Now on their website in the PDF of their nutrition facts, they do in fact have the protein drinks there and there are quite a few of them. So in my opinion, this is better than what Starbucks offered because for their nutrition facts [00:02:00] related to the protein drinks that you really couldn't get that information in their advertising.

[00:02:05]  Dunkin says, a medium beverage has 15 grams of protein. In the PDFI see that that's not entirely the case. The medium of some drinks had 10 grams, the large of some showed 13 grams. So whatever drink you prefer, please be sure that you're looking at those nutrition facts. And by the way, make sure that you're looking at all of the nutrition facts, not just that protein content.

[00:02:34] So then. I went to the store and I really should say stores because I had to go to more than one in order to get my questions answered. Now, just like I did with Starbucks, I went into the store and I said, I have some questions about your protein drinks. Can I see the protein powder you're using? And you know, Starbucks, they were creating their own [00:03:00] protein milk with protein powder and milk.

[00:03:02] Of course they're, everything is their own brand, so I could only get information from them. And even then, it was sort of a bit of a guesstimate. Dunkin though is using lactate brand protein milk. So I'll go to those nutrition facts in a second. It was interesting, I mean, in the store they were kind, they let me take pictures of the latte, milk carton, and then of course I had more questions.

[00:03:30] So first I wanted to confirm that that was the only protein source. So if someone orders a protein drink, it has to be made with that, which means then going back to their press release, the idea of the milk or non-dairy base isn't quite the reality of what I saw. Now, it's possible that the New York City stores are just not participating in parts of this rollout.

[00:03:55] I don't really know. But the only option in the stores, the Dunkin locations [00:04:00] that I went to was the lactate protein milk. The other curious thing is that on the menu in the store, like on the board that lights up, they highlight this almond protein MAA latte. So I now asked about that one and I said, so that's not almond milk.

[00:04:17] And they said No. And the woman held up the almond syrup. She said It's sugar free almond though. And then she showed me a vanilla syrup, which they use in other options. So the bottom line is if you order a protein drink from Dunkin, you are getting lactates protein milk, and then anything else in there is syrups.

[00:04:41] So we also have a nutrition nugget on coffee syrups that you can go back to on that one. And then I felt like we needed to look at the lactate brand. Milk, right? So lactate as a brand is lactose free dairy milk. It's [00:05:00] not a plant-based, you know, milk in air quotes. So what lactate says is they start with milk from cows, which they note are free of artificial growth hormone treatment.

[00:05:13] So I like that. And yet we also. Don't know that that means it's completely hormone free. 'cause that's not what they're saying. They're saying it's artificial growth hormone free. Okay. Anyway, then they add lactase enzymes, which break down the lactose. Lactose is the naturally occurring sugar and milk that many are allergic or sensitive to, and that's where they get to their lactose free milk.

[00:05:41] Now they also highlight that it's lactose-free. 2% protein milk is fortified with ultra filtered skim milk, which is higher in protein than regular milk. So this reminds me of when we talked about fair life, right? What they do to their milk. When we looked [00:06:00] at the Fairlife protein drinks, so that was a listener request, by the way.

[00:06:03] You can go back to that nutrition nugget too. So anyway, ingredients of the lactate, 2% protein milk are reduced fat milk. Ultra-filtered skim milk, lactase enzyme, vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin D three. In the nutrition facts we see serving size is one cup. We get 150 calories, five grams of total fat, of which it's three grams of saturated fat.

[00:06:28] Zero grams of trans fat, 12 grams of total carbs, of which we have zero grams of fiber, 11 grams of total sugar, zero of which is added sugar, and then 13 grams of protein. And the micronutrients, the amounts are pretty low, like even though they've added vitamin A and vitamin D three. The amounts are still pretty low, and I will say I appreciate that there are not any sweeteners or emulsifiers in those ingredients.

[00:06:58] You know, I think for me [00:07:00] personally, I don't love the taste of regular milk and lactate tastes like regular milk, so I probably wouldn't drink this, and maybe that's the best barometer for us to use. Right. Would you normally choose lactate? I suppose if you wanted a lactose free option, I would say go for the Dunkin Protein drink over the Starbucks.

[00:07:25] You know, I think as always, we need to carefully choose the other add-ins like flavorings and syrups and sweeteners and other things that they're putting into these drinks. And like I said before, you can certainly check Dunkin's website, their nutrition facts, PDF, to see if your favorite drink is there.

[00:07:43] But on the whole. If it makes you happy, great. Go for the Dunkin Protein drink. I think it's important that it just doesn't become the justification for ordering something that maybe we otherwise wouldn't. And [00:08:00] I wanna remind you, you do not have to order coffee with protein. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

[00:08:07] It is okay for us to not protein pack every single thing that we consume. I get why Dunkin wants to jump on that bandwagon and just because they are doesn't necessarily mean you have to, but that's the scoop on Dunkin's protein drinks. Well, as always, I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck. Connect with me on Instagram or all social media.

[00:08:31] I am at Jenn Trepeck, J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. Website is a salad with the side of fries.com. Pick your platform, send a message. I love hearing from you, your ideas, your questions, your takeaways. This is also the easiest way to learn more about working with me as your health coach. Cecily, thank you again for being here.

[00:08:51] Cecily Mak: Thank you, Jen. What a joy. I love your work. Thank you for continuing to do what you do. This is such an important perspective and place and I, I'm grateful to have been a part of it. [00:09:00]

[00:09:00] Jenn Trepeck: Well, likewise, I appreciate you and friends. If you are not already a member, join us in the Happy Healthy Hub. You'll go to a salad with the side of fries.com/membership.

[00:09:09] This shows your support for this podcast, this community, and your health. On top of this week's episode, in full video with Behind the Scenes pieces and your 24 7, ask Me Anything in the community board, you'll get this week's recipe for the hot pink coconut slaw.

[00:09:26] well, friends. That's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries. Congratulations for making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform.

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