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HEALTHY EATING: Don’t drink excess calories

8:41 am July 9, 2009, by JG

BY CAROLYN O’NEIL

Hot weather trimming your appetite, but you’re still not losing weight? Maybe it was something you drank.

The first line of diet defense in the battle of the bulge focuses primarily on food choices. Although we still need to watch our plates, we may need to add a serious look at our glasses, cups and car’s drink holders. It turns out that beverages play a significant role in supplying the excess calories that can cause weight gain.

Researchers who watch what we drink —- and how much —- found that on average, 22 percent of the calories we consume are the ones we drink. And too often, they’re calories from soft drinks and other sugary beverages.

Here’s what to consider when you’re adding a soft drink to your fast-food combo, grabbing a fruit juice out of the cooler at your favorite sandwich place or responding to the server’s query of “What would you like to drink?”

Water’s the winner. Water is, of course, calorie-free and the ultimate thirst quencher. But if you think it can be a bit boring, add a splash of fruit juice to make your own flavored water. Zero-calorie, fruit-flavored waters with no added sugars are a good choice, too.

Enhanced waters. These products add everything from herbs to vitamins to the watery mix. Many are artificially sweetened to keep calorie levels down, but make sure to read the nutrition facts label and choose one with less than 20 calories per 8- ounce serving.

Sports drinks. They may be associated with winning big on the tennis court, but their dehydration-fighting electrolytes come with a calorie price tag because of their sugar content. You might try the new crop of artificially sweetened, lower-calorie sports drinks.

Coffee/tea. Calorie free all by themselves, coffee and tea gain weight when you add sugar and cream. Choose nonfat or low-fat milk and watch the sugar and honey factor. And even though pitchers of free-flowing, supersugary sweet tea are a Southern institution, why not update tradition by asking for a customized mix? Try 90 percent unsweetened and 10 percent sweet tea in your glass. You’ll save hundreds of calories, and you’ll still get a hint of sweet tea taste.

Fruit juices. Full of nutrients but relatively high in calories per ounce. I make a 50-50 mix of orange juice with sparkling water to cut calories and get some good nutrition. A serving of fruit juice is 4 ounces, not a 36-ounce tumbler.

Soft drinks. Count about 150 calories for a 12-ounce can of soda. Diet drinks are calorie-free. There are no nutrients in either choice, but if you drink more than three cans a day —- or drive around with a 36-ounce cup of soda —- you can cut 450 calories a day when substituting the diet version. In fact, you’d lose about a pound each week.

Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and co-author of “The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!” E-mail her at carolyn@carolynoneil.com.

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19 comments Add your comment

Pam

July 9th, 2009
10:35 am

I’ve found a new favorite, all natural diet soda. It’s called Zevia and comes in great flavors: cherry, cola, rootbeer, and lime. I no longer consume chemically sweetened (Splenda, aspartame) diet sodas and my body is thanking me for it.

Lar

July 9th, 2009
12:09 pm

Go even better with True Lemon or True Lime. Just crystalized juice to add to water. No other additives or strange aftertastes like so many of the “instant drinks.”

Steve

July 9th, 2009
1:09 pm

How does Zevia taste? Is it expensive? I see you can find it at Whole Foods.

Gandalf, the White! (!)

July 9th, 2009
1:26 pm

Beer is good for ya! Full of Vitamins!

JS

July 9th, 2009
2:19 pm

^^Yeah, and full of calories moron.

OneFreeMan

July 9th, 2009
2:52 pm

Water, plain and simple. Can’t beat it.

san francisco perspective

July 9th, 2009
3:00 pm

keep a pitcher of water in the fridge with some meyer lemon wedges & fresh mint sprigs in it…..it’s refreshing, tasty, and adds no calories or unhealthy sweetener to your diet

SHJ

July 9th, 2009
3:14 pm

Re: beer, try MGD 64. Only 64 cals and 2.4 gm carbs per 12 oz. Not bad if you want an adult bev on a hot day.

Songbird

July 9th, 2009
4:41 pm

I love Coke Zero cause it tastes like real Coke with no calories. I also love Honest Tea because it is very lightly sweetened, about 70 calories in 16oz bottle.

MANGLER

July 10th, 2009
11:50 am

Don’t tell that to the throngs at every Starbucks though.
However, what I’ve found that most people never do when “dieting” (even though the word is used wrong these days) is that they never actually find an accurate # of calories they burn in a day. You may be using 2,000, or 1,500, or if exercising 3,500.
Also, the way the body works, you can have a bad day, or a bad meal and be just fine. Your system won’t really even notice if you gorge yourself one time. Its the general patterns over time that have the real effects. Losing ½ to 1 lb per week is about where the safe limits are to sustainable weight loss. Anything more and you will likely just gain it all back as soon as you finish your perceived diet or cave to that dessert.

andy

July 10th, 2009
12:56 pm

“Fruit juices. Full of nutrients but relatively high in calories per ounce. I make a 50-50 mix of orange juice with sparkling water to cut calories and get some good nutrition.”

This is a great idea to cut the calories in fruit juice but still get the nutrition. It would be like having a sparkling orange juice or cranberry. Maybe in the evening, throw in a bit of vodka (low cal)!

Craig

July 10th, 2009
3:27 pm

My new favorite drink is Efusjon- the all natural energy drink with no caffeine or chemicals. Can’t find it in stores only online:
https://www.myefusjon.com/CraigRS

Kristin

July 10th, 2009
4:02 pm

Sorry but Vodka is not low cal – it has about 98 calories in 1.5 oz serving size.

Personally I’d rather run a little extra on the weekends and enjoy a good hearty Belgium beer than drink the low carb version of beer.

And I agree with what MANGLER said. Very many people over estimate how many calories they burn through exercise and under estimate what they eat and drink.

dizzy5dean

July 11th, 2009
10:01 am

I quite drinking diet sodas and lost weight, plus my memory came back due to the effects of Splenda. I like drinking H2O with a splash of lemon or orange juice.

jack

July 12th, 2009
2:57 pm

I looked up that efusjon stuff 60 calories a serving for one can 80 for the other that doesnt sound too healthy to me.

Summer dieter

July 14th, 2009
11:21 am

I try to drink mostly water. On occasion I will drink diet soda but it always gives me a headache. I like buying those 10 cal Crystal Light packets and adding them to my water because there are so many flovers.

boozer

July 14th, 2009
12:39 pm

miller beer w/64 calories – yum

common sense

July 14th, 2009
1:55 pm

for all you beer haters – yes it has calories in it, miller lite my beer of choice about 105 per 12 oz. I drink atleast a 12 pk or more a week. Yet I maintain my weight and a low body fat % ( around 8% 4 weeks ago). How? I run between 4 and 7 miles a day. It’s all about moving your body. You can drink what the hell you want to drink, you just can’t be a fat a$$ and sit around!!!!! heck you can get fat eating fruit if you never move your body…I’m just saying.

Barry

November 6th, 2009
2:27 pm

The best drink is probably Yoli (10 cal.). It is the next best thing to drinking plain water. Better than juices, and those unhealthy energy drinks. Take a look at the ingredients and tell me there’s something better. Yoli is definitely the drink for me and my kids. I have had enough of the price war on these high energy drinks, to include the new fad, Efusjon.

Ingredients

Supplement Facts

Serving Size: 1 TRUTH™ Blast Cap® (5.7g)

(Add water, prepare as directed)

Servings Per Container: 1

% Daily

Value

Amount Per

Serving

Calories 10

Total Carbohydrate 2g <1%**

Vitamin C (as Ascorbic acid) 130 mg 217%

Proprietary Antioxidant Blend 425 mg †

Pomegranate fruit, Acai (Euterpe oleracea) fruit 4:1 extract,

Lycium (Goji) berry (40% ellagic acid), Resveratrol (from Polygonum

cuspidatum root), Oxyphyte™ White Tea leaf extract,

and Superoxide-dismutase enzyme.

Proprietary Absorption Blend 76 mg †

Alka-Plex ® (calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, potassium

hydroxide), Enzyme/Probiotic (Galactosidase, Beta-glucosidase,

Acid-phosphatase, Alpha-mannosidase, Lactobacillus acidophilus),

and Monatau® (mon-atomic gold, rhodium, iridium).

**Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Read more about the product and watch the videos to see the truth about what is in these drinks:
http://toyoursuccess.goyoli.com

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