I took a little field trip last week to Seattle to hear, see and taste what the folks at Starbucks headquarters are up to. I got to visit the Coffee Education room and learn the professional technique for tasting coffees and teas. (It’s called cupping). I tasted the new and improved baked goods, salads, smoothies and sandwiches, toured the facility and met the people behind the development of all these foods and drinks.

I have to say, I was very impressed.  I walked away with a clear notion that the people at Starbucks genuinely care about the quality of what they serve and the impact they have on the health and well being of their customers and the earth at large.

Big changes they have made recently reflect this commitment. Starting last week, all of their baked goods are free of trans-fat, artificial dyes and flavors and high fructose corn syrup. Each piece of their banana bread now has 1/3 cup of actually banana instead of banana flavoring! (I laugh that is really is a brave new world when banana bread that actually has banana in it is newsworthy!). They are moving in this “100% real ingredient” direction with all their drinks as well.

And they are offering a whole lot more healthy options, which make it easier to eat well on the run. One I have to highlight is their Vivanno smoothies. They are made with pure ingredients like whole fruit and milk, they are frothy and absolutely delicious. They are as close to one of my homemade smoothies I have seen. Unlike many store bought smoothies they aren’t just full of sugar- they have protein and fiber and come in at under 300 calories.

I applaud Starbucks for making such healthful changes. They serve 50 million people every week so they can have a huge impact on making America healthier. Case in point: when they switched their standard milk from whole to 2% they saved customers 7 billion calories and nearly 5 million pounds of fat that year! Thanks Starbucks for helping making it a easier to eat better.