How many calories are in chai drinks?

Q. The sweet flavor of popular chai drinks makes me wonder, are they high-calorie?

A. Chai is usually black tea that is flavored with sweet spices, including cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. But that sweet taste also comes from one or two teaspoons of sugar or honey in each serving, usually along with a few tablespoons of milk. The chai latte served at popular coffee bars adds more milk and steams it, as well as more sugar.

Compared to an unsweetened espresso coffee latte, the tea chai latte is usually higher in calories because of the sugar, even though it has less milk. Typically, a 10 to 12 ounce chai latte drink contains 150 to 190 calories and four to six teaspoons of sugar: But this is no higher than many of the specialty cafe lattes sweetened and flavored with caramel or other syrups.

The mixes available to make chai latte at home typically include about four to five teaspoons of added sugar per serving with each cup containing 90 to 160 calories. Lower calorie options include sugar-free versions of chai latte mixes made with artificial sweeteners (about 20 to 60 calories per serving) or simply making chai tea and adding milk but no sweetener.

Q. Is "other carbohydrate" listed on food labels something I'm supposed to get more of or limit?

A. "Other carbohydrate" is listed on a food label's Nutrition Facts panel underneath "total carbohydrate." If a food contains sweeteners called sugar alcohols (xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol) they are included in this group, but "other carbohydrate" refers mainly to complex carbohydrates, commonly called starches. This is the main type of carbohydrate in bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes and starchy vegetables like corn.

Even in high-fiber whole grains and beans, starches make up more of the carbohydrate than fiber. Because foods that supply complex carbohydrates also provide important vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, the low-fat plant-based diet recommended for heart health and lower cancer risk includes a substantial amount of "other carbohydrate."

There is no uniform goal for how much starch we should get; it depends on individual energy needs, which vary with activity level, age and size. Complex carbohydrate is an important fuel for us with beneficial nutrients, so we should not avoid it; but eating amounts that supply more calories than we can burn makes weight control difficult and raises blood sugar in people with diabetes.

Q. Where can I find a list of the fruits and vegetables highest in phytonutrients?

A. Because foods contains thousands of phytonutrients - such as flavonoids and carotenoids - and many are measured in different units, it is difficult to combine them into a list of the top phytonutrient suppliers. It is much easier to find lists of one type of phytonutrient, such as the top carotenoids, which you can find online on the United States Department of Agriculture nutrient database.

You may see reports of individual studies listing the foods highest in antioxidants but at this point researchers have several systems for measuring antioxidant content, which leads to differences in the foods ranked as the top 10 or 20.

However, note that a 2006 study in the Journal of Nutrition suggests it is the diversity of vegetables and fruits that is most important for good health rather than focusing on the foods ranked highest in antioxidants. And remember that whole grains, legumes (dried beans and peas), nuts and seeds all supply protective phytochemicals, too.

• This column was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research. Learn more about the group and its New American Plate program at aicr.org.