Think those trips to the coffee shop are sin free? Well, think again.

One piece of coffee crumb cake and a Frappuccino with whipped cream at Starbucks (1,180 calories total) adds up to more than a Big Mac, medium fries and a soda (1,060 calories). If you've heard rumors that caffeine helps you burn calories, you'd think Americans would be in pretty good shape since we're the world's largest consumers of caffeine, drinking about 300 million cups of coffee a day. Here are hints to help you make better choices the next time you have your cup of java.

Starbucks reduced-fat blueberry coffeecake versus chocolate-filled croissant

Surprisingly, the croissant at 350 calories is a better choice than the 380-calorie coffeecake. Plus, the coffeecake has 500mg of sodium.

Fit tip: Just because it's reduced fat or has yogurt doesn't mean it's healthful. Starbucks Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake is certainly not a healthful choice at 350 calories.

Dunkin' Donuts Strawberry Cheese Danish versus chocolate-frosted donut

The doughnut wins. The Danish (250 calories) isn't bad considering other dieting nightmares, but the doughnut has "only" 200 calories.

Doughnuts aren't diet food, but, if you avoid the cake and cream-filled varieties, they might be better than many muffins, scones and Danishes. Even a jelly doughnut has just 210 calories; compare that with a Starbucks Crumb Cake at a whopping 670 calories.

Fit tip: Cake doughnuts have twice as much fat as yeast doughnuts and are higher in calories. Look at the difference between Dunkin' Donuts Chocolate Frosted Yeast Donut (200 calories) and the Chocolate Frosted Cake Donut (360 calories).

Starbucks white chocolate macadamia nut cookie versus raspberry and cream-filled croissant

The cookie (470 calories) has almost twice as many calories as the croissant (260 calories).

Fit tip: For baked goods, your best bet is typically biscotti at around 110 to 150 calories.

Dunkin' Donuts egg-cheese English muffin versus reduced-carb bagel

The English muffin sandwich (280 calories) wins. The Reduced Carb Bagel starts out with 380 calories, and if you add cream cheese (190 calories for 2 ounces), you'll have eaten 570 calories before you even get to your coffee.

Even a Starbucks Sesame Bagel has 440 calories (not to mention toppings) — the same as their Raspberry Scone.

Fit tip: Scoop out the inside of the bagel to save up to half the calories. Additionally, try low-fat cream cheese (110 calories for 2 ounces). A better breakfast would be low-fat yogurt or fresh fruit. Try Starbucks Fresh Fruit Mix: A cup of sliced fruit has 44 calories. It might be the best deal of all.

Starbucks fruit and cheese plate versus roasted turkey and swiss sandwich

The Roasted Turkey and Swiss is one of Starbucks' best lunch deals at only 320 calories — much better than the Fruit and Cheese Plate at 430 calories. However, Starbucks' other sandwiches and salads are mostly very high calorie.

Fit tip: Many prepackaged sandwiches have nutrition labels — don't choose one over 400 calories.

Chocolate milk/hot chocolate versus chantico drinking chocolate

The Chantico at Starbucks has 390 calories and 21 grams of fat (10 of them saturated) for only 6 ounces. Sixteen ounces of chocolate milk/hot chocolate, on the other hand, has 340 calories and 15 grams fat (8 saturated). Try 12 ounces of nonfat chocolate milk/hot chocolate (no whipped cream) for 190 calories.

Fit tip: Have regular coffee with skim milk and Splenda, and if you're at Starbucks, get one of those little dark-chocolate squares at the counter (60 calories). Or try the sugar-free flavored syrups for no calories.

Espresso versus cappuccino versus latte versus cafe au lait

At five calories per ounce, a shot of espresso is your best deal. A 16-ounce Starbucks Cappuccino (an espresso with steamed milk and a layer of foam) has 150 calories. A latte is an espresso with more steamed milk than a cappuccino, also topped with foam — it has 260 calories for 16 ounces. Cafe au lait is a one-to-one mix of coffee and steamed milk and has 140 calories for 16 ounces.

Fit tip: Skip the whipped cream and save at least 100 calories and as much as a quarter of a day's worth of saturated fat.

Charles Platkin, nutrition and public health advocate, author and founder of Integrated Wellness Solutions. Write to info@thedietdetective.com