Are You Drinking Your Calories?

Wait, before you reach for a soda/pop, regular with the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar per 12 oz can or a diet soda/pop with a list of unpronounceable ingredients, try an alternative.

If you like the carbonated beverages, try seltzer or club soda—they both lend themselves well for flavoring with any of the following: Fruit juice, herbal tea, a slice of lemon, lime, orange, berries, peaches, fresh mint, fresh grated ginger, lemonade--all make for a tasty, healthier and refreshing beverage.
Experiment with flavors and spices:
· Cinnamon sticks with a slice of orange
· Cloves with peaches or peach nectar
· Fresh sliced ginger in your lemonade

http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18003/1350/1 A fun website for spicy information.

I pay $2 a bottle for a bottle of lemon ginger tea, very refreshing and worth the money since I can’t find an easy way to make it myself!

Want a fruit smoothie? Get creative, have fun—toss 1 cup fat free yogurt (plain, vanilla or any fruit flavor) into the blender with some ice and some fresh or frozen fruit, whip it up in the blender and enjoy. If you want to thin it out a bit, add some fruit juice or water or ice or leave out the yogurt and choose water or juice. Want extra protein? Add a TBS of protein powder. I like to buy vanilla soy powder at the health food store. If you want it sweet, add a bit of honey to taste or use sugar substitute. Don’t be afraid to experiment, you can’t go wrong with fresh fruits.

I love iced chai tea, an exotic spicy (not spicy hot) refreshing beverage that comes pre-made, convenient but it is too sweet for my taste. A little goes a long way. I recently bought a box of it forgetting how sweet the packaged stuff is. I diluted it with water and added more ice. It’s a bit labor intensive to make but you can control the sweetness and play with the spices. There are a variety of companies that are making chai tea in tea bag form and you can try those. I have tried a few, depends on your taste. It is good with some milk in it and delicious hot or iced.

Gosh, I gave chai tea such a build up; you may not know what it is: Chai is the Hindi word for tea. Technically, the chai tea we are drinking in the U.S. is masala chai, which means spiced tea. Chai tea latte is the spicy tea with milk added and this is what is most commonly being served at coffeehouses in this country. You can make chai tea using black tea, green tea, decaffeinated black or green tea, red tea (naturally decaffeinated).

Some beverage information:

“The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories, almost all of them from sugar, usually high-fructose corn syrup. That's the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose). If you were to drink just one can of a sugar-sweetened soft drink every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 15 pounds in a year”
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugary-vs-diet-drinks/index.html


When I moved from New York to California I called that carbonated, flavored beverage “soda”. I learned that Californians call it “pop”. It’s regional. Midwesterners and most Canadians call it “pop” and folks form the Northeast call it “soda”. Southerners call it by a well known brand name.

Pop, soda, whatever you call it, it’s bad for your teeth

· From www.colgate.com, “Soft drinks have emerged as one of the most significant dietary sources of tooth decay, affecting people of all ages. Acids and acidic sugar byproducts in soft drinks soften tooth enamel, contributing to the formation of cavities. In extreme cases, softer enamel combined with improper brushing, grinding of the teeth or other conditions can lead to tooth loss. Sugar-free drinks, which account for only 14 percent of all soft drink consumption, are less harmful1. However, they are acidic and potentially can still cause problems.”

· Beverages with lots of sugar have a “high glycemic index” and drinking these sugary beverages is associated with an increased risk for diabetes. Foods with a high glycemic index trigger sustained spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn may lead to increased diabetes risk. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/diabetes-prevention/preventing-diabetes-full-story/index.html

Fact: diet soda consumed with a double bacon cheeseburger and French fries does not negate the calories of the burger and fries.

Did you know? 20% of our daily water intake is from foods we eat. 80% will come from beverages we drink that’s why water is the preferred choice.

Coffee drinks can have lots of calories, don’t let the fact that it is coffee based trick you into thinking it is low in calories.

Designer coffee place
· Caffe Latte, 16 oz w/ whole milk 220 calories, 11g fat 18 g carbohydrates
· Caffe Mocha 16 oz whole milk 290 calories, 12 g fat 40 g carbohydrates
· White Chocolate Mocha 16 oz w/ whole milk 360 calories, 11 g fat 55 g carbohydrates

From another fast food chain:
· Mocha, 16 oz 590 calories, 23 g fat, 82 g carbohydrates

Better choice:
· 8 oz cup coffee w/ 2 tablespoons 2% milk 20 calories, 0.5 g fat 2 g carbohydrates
· 8 oz cup coffee w/ 2 tablespoons nonfat milk 15 calories, 0 g fat 3g carbohydrates
· 8 oz cup coffee w/ 2 tablespoons whole milk 25 calories, 1 g fat 2 g carbohydrates

Sweeteners
· Sugar 1 teaspoon= 25 calories 0 g fat 6 g carbohydrates
· Artificial sweetener, 1 pkg= 0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbohydrates

Make sure to check out this week’s recipes for some refreshing homemade beverages, guilt free. Here’s a link with some ideas http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/low-sugar-drink-ideas/index.html

Read your labels. Buying fruit juice? You want to make sure it says 100% juice or 100% pure. If it is called fruit: “cocktail”, “beverage” or “drink”, beware, it will be high in calories, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, I repeat: read your labels. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/beverages/juice/juice-label-lingo-5-08/overview/juice-labels-ov.htm

“Water is the only drink for a wise man” Henry David Thoreau