Do me a favor and think about what you ate today. I want you to include EVERYTHING, including every pack of sugar you put into your coffee and every drop of syrup that went onto your pancakes.
Now think about the beverages you chose to drink throughout the day. Maybe you started off with a mocha latte from Starbucks, and then drank a protein shake after your workout, and finished your day off with a cold, refreshing Coke. Do you realize that just consuming those beverages alone that you drank nearly 800 calories? YIKES!
So, what is a sugary drink?
A sugary beverage is any drink with added sugar. These include sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweetened coffee and teas, and many juices.
Sugar found in many of our foods and drinks can also be tricky, as it has many different identities. To find out if a drink contains sugar, look for any of these words on the list of ingredients: sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, honey, invert sugar, molasses, sucrose, syrup or cane sugar. Many beverage and food companies are sneaky and try to hide how much is actually in their product because there are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on food labels. It’s important to check the nutrition label for these names, because sugar is even hidden in savory foods such as pasta sauce and salad dressing! Who would of thought?
Is there a recommended daily intake of added sugar?
You don’t need added sugars in your diet at all, but there is a recommended maximum intake. A typical adult diet (2,000 calories per day) should include no more than 130 calories from added sugar, about 7.5 teaspoons. Sodas, sweet teas, sports and energy drinks, sweetened waters and juices, and blended coffee drinks contain a lot of sugar. On average a person usually gets about 16 teaspoons of sugar in a single 20-ounce serving - that is more than DOUBLE the recommended daily amount!!!!
Do you know how much sugar is in a can of soda?
One 12 ounce can contains more than 9 teaspoons! Liquid sugar is the leading source of added sugar in the American diet, and Americans consume 3-6 times more added sugar than the maximum amount recommended by nutritional experts! According to a study, drinking just one 12 ounce can of soda a day can increase your risk of dying from heart disease by nearly 33%.
There is a simple and easy way to knock away all these unnecessary calories and still quench your thirst. It is a nutrient that we, as humans, cannot live without. It’s known as water, and it has 0 calories and can be very refreshing. If you need more flavor, try infusing your water with fresh fruits such as strawberries or lemon! Your body may not be registering the calories you drink, because our bodies may not recognize a sense of fullness when the calories come in a liquid form. This causes you to consume more calories than you intend.
Cut back today and replace that can with a glass of water – Rethink your drink and substitute you high-calorie beverages for something lower in calories. You’ll be glad you did.
Want another way to think about this? For those of you who like math, here is a little equation for you:
What difference do 2 cans of regular soda per day make in a year?
2 cans/day = 150 cal X 2 X 365 = 109,500 calories/year from soda alone
Considering that 3,500 calories can add up to 1 lb:
109,500 cal ÷ 3,500 cal = 31 pounds
It is possible, depending on diet and exercise of course, that an individual can gain up to 31 lbs in one year just from drinking soda, 2 cans a day.
