As college students we pretty much run on coffee. It gets us through the all-nighters, makes the perfect addition to breakfast, makes those back-to-back power lectures bearable and warms us up on a cold winter night.

Where oh where would we be without our coffee? Dare I say perhaps a few pounds lighter?

Gone are the days of the plain and simple cup of joe or cappuccino. Today’s coffee shops are serving up much more elaborate coffee concoctions, such as flavored mochas, frappes and lattes. With the holiday season approaching, the options for these types of drinks only get more indulgent (I’m looking at you Starbucks caramel brulèe latte). With any treat, an occasional indulgence is perfectly deserved, but a daily Frappuccino habit can wreak havoc on your diet.

While they are delicious, specialty coffee drinks can boast up to more than four times the calories, five times the fat and eight times the sugar as a simple, traditional latte made with reduced-fat or skim milk. These drinks have gone way past breakfast-morning staples and have made coffee into a form of dessert.

As college students, most of us look forward to an occasional — or daily — stop at a favorite coffee shop. But no worries, we don’t have to give up our daily java habit! Read on below for some tips on how to make smart choices when it comes to coffee clutchin’.

Keep it simple.

The more elaborate a drink, the more calories, fat and sugar it tends to contain. Take Caribou’s Pumpkin White Chocolate Cooler for example, which contains 590 calories, 18 grams of fat and 89 grams of sugar — and that’s just a small. As a rule of thumb, select simple drinks with wholesome ingredients such as a plain coffee, a latte or a cappuccino. Avoid any concoctions with tongue-twisting names.

Try this: Order a small cup of your favorite coffee blend. If you need some sweetness, add a splash of skim milk, stir in some Stevia, a natural sugar-free sweetener or try adding flavor with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa. By adding on the extras yourself, you control what’s in your drink.

Ditch the embellishments.

All the extra drizzles of this and sprinkles of that, can contribute outrageous amounts of added sugars to your drink. All that extra sugar can lead you to a major energy crash instead of giving you the jolt of energy you were hoping for.

Try this: Ask the barista to leave off that extra drizzle of chocolate and caramel and instantly save more than 100 calories. The flavor should be in your drink, not sitting on top of it.

Size matters.

While it may seem like a good deal to your wallet to upgrade to the largest size, your body thinks otherwise.

If you must indulge, keep portion sizes in check and order the smallest size offered. Make a simple swap and save 100 calories by choosing a tall over a grande at Starbucks. After all, they do say good things come in small packages.

Skim it down.

Ask for your beverage to be made with skim or soy milk. Whole milk is high in fat and contains eight grams per cup, with a whopping five grams being artery-clogging saturated fat.

Switch to skim or even soy and shave off 25 percent of the fat and at least 30 calories from your favorite drink.

Skip the whip.

That small squirt of whipped cream melting on top of your mocha may seem innocent, but can add on up to 10 grams of fat, most of which is saturated.

If you really can’t give it up, ask for nonfat whip. This is offered at most big-name coffee shops, such as Caribou, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.

Get out of line and DIY!

Many indulgent specialty drinks can be easily recreated in the comfort of your own home with the right ingredients and a little effort. With you in control, these drinks will offer much better nutritional stats and still satisfy your coffee cravings.

Give this cocoa-vanilla frappe or festive eggnog latte recipe a try. They’ll save you some calories and a few extra bucks, which is always a good thing.

While icy cool, this classic creation is a favorite during any time of year. This version blends both vanilla and chocolate flavors for a tasty twist.

Cocoa-Vanilla Frappe

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup double-strength brewed coffee or espresso (see tip)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process), plus more for sprinkling
• 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 ice cubes, if needed

Directions

1. Freeze coffee in an ice cube tray until firm, at least four hours or overnight.
2. Combine the frozen coffee cubes, milk, cocoa, maple syrup to taste and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding plain ice cubes or a few drops of water to reach desired consistency.
3. Divide between two glasses, sprinkle with cocoa powder and serve immediately.

DIY Cocoa Frappe: 100 calories, 0 grams fat, 12 grams sugars

Starbucks Tall Vanilla Frappuccino (made with skim): 280 calories, 8 grams fat (5 grams saturated fat), 48 grams of sugar

Recipe adapted from “Eating Well.”

A festive favorite, this spiced eggnog latte is perfect for whipping up on a cold, winter morning and will warm you from the inside out!

Eggnog Latte

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light eggnog
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Stevia or 1 tablespoon sugar (to taste)
• 1/4 cup brewed strong coffee
• Sprinkle nutmeg

Instructions

1. Pour brewed coffee into mug.
2. In a small saucepan, add eggnog, milk and sugar. Whisk together until heated and frothy, about two to three minutes. Pour milk mixture into mug.
3. Stir and sprinkle with nutmeg.
4. Enjoy immediately.

DIY Eggnog Latte: 150 calories, 3 grams of fat, 24 grams of sugar

Starbucks Short Eggnog Latte (made with skim): 220 calories, 9 grams of fat (6 grams saturated fat), 24 grams of sugar

Recipe adapted from “Peanut Butter and Peppers.”

Nutritional information sourced from Starbucks’ website.