Tim Horton Ice Cap Nutrition Information

When you purchase an iced cap from Tim Horton's, you are given the choice of cream, 2 percent milk or 1 percent chocolate milk as the dairy base for this beverage. Depending on the type of dairy you choose, the amounts of different nutrients vary significantly in the iced cap. Know the nutrition information of each type to assist you in enjoying the occasional iced cap best-suited for your health and lifestyle.

Pouring milk into a glass of iced coffee. (Image: Hue/amanaimagesRF/amana images/Getty Images)

Serving Size and Calories

According to the USDA MyPyramid recommendations, individuals should limit their intake of discretionary calories from foods with high added fats and sugars, and alcohol. Calories are a measure of the amount of energy a food provides. Based on a typical 2,000-calorie diet, approximately 250 to 300 calories can be consumed in the form of discretionary foods, such as an iced cap.

For example, one medium-sized iced cap from Tim Horton's is 16 oz. When choosing cream as the dairy base, the beverage provides a total of 410 calories. When opting for milk, the amount of calories is much lower at 250 calories. Lastly, a medium-sized iced cap with chocolate milk as the base contains 270 calories. As such, if you intend on enjoying an iced cap on any given day, choose the iced cap with the lower calorie content to help control your discretionary calorie intake.

Carbohydrates

Depending on the type of dairy you add to your medium-sized iced cap, the beverage will contain approximately 54 to 61g of carbohydrates, with chocolate milk providing the most added sugars.

The American Diabetes Association suggests that individuals with diabetes should consume approximately 45 to 60g carbohydrate in one meal, therefore, one medium iced cap provides the entire recommended amount. Since fruits, whole grains, and dairy products all contain carbohydrates, choose these foods more often because they provide much more of a nutritional benefit than iced caps. This is especially important if you have diabetes and are monitoring your carbohydrate intake.

Fat

The amount of fat found in one medium iced cap with cream is very high at 21g in the 16 oz serving. If you choose to enjoy the beverage with milk or chocolate milk, you cut 90 percent of fat out of the drink to 1 to 2g per 16 oz serving. The American Heart Association recommends limiting total daily fat intake to less than 25 to 35 percent of your total calories each day, which is approximately 55 to 75g of fat based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Because you consume many other foods during the day that contain fat, opt for the iced cap with milk or chocolate milk to assist in controlling your daily fat intake.

Protein

Dietary protein is important for the body to carry out many processes, including tissue growth and repair. Dairy products contain high quality milk proteins, however, the protein content in cream is much lower than that in milk and chocolate milk. For a medium iced cap made with cream, there is only 1g of protein in the beverage. When this same beverage is made with milk or chocolate milk instead, the protein content is 4g.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthy women age 19 and above need 46g of protein per day. Healthy men of the same age need 56g per day. Therefore, choose an iced cap made with milk in order to meet 7 to 9 percent of your daily protein needs.

Calcium

Calcium is an important nutrient for the health of your bones and teeth, and for many important metabolic functions. The CDC recommends that individuals age 19 to 70 consume approximately 1,000mg calcium per day. When reading a nutrition facts label, the amount of calcium in the food is expressed as a percentage based on a reference value of 1,000mg in a 2,000-calorie diet.

The amount of calcium in an iced cap varies depending on your choice of dairy. When you choose cream for the beverage, only 2 percent of your daily recommendation of calcium is provided. However, when you choose milk or chocolate milk, you are provided with 15 percent of your daily calcium requirements. For this reason, choose milk when enjoying your occasional iced cap.