Water Works!
What You Drink Makes More Difference Than You Think!
You may not realize just how much your drinks contribute to your
total nutrition intake. A 2007 analysis of our national drinking
habits, “What America Drinks”, found on average, we consume nearly
one-quarter (22%) of our calories from beverages. High calorie
beverages include soft drinks, sweetened teas and fruit drinks,
sports drinks, “energy” drinks, and alcohol. Children who drink lots
of soda, sweet tea, sports drinks, and fruit drinks:
- may be too full to eat healthy foods
- have trouble keeping a healthy weight
- get more cavities
- may drink less milk and have more bone problems later in
life
Some people try to reduce their calorie intake by focusing on
food, but another way to cut calories may be to think about what you
drink.
 How
Many Calories Do You Drink Each Day?
Calories in drinks are listed right on the Nutrition Facts label, if
you dare to look! When you look at the number of calories per
serving, be sure to look at the number of servings in that
container. The labels of most 20 oz. soda bottles indicate there are
100 calories per serving, but 2.5 servings per bottle. So, if you
drink the whole bottle (and who doesn’t) you are getting 250
calories not 100! Since you are reading the label, look for the
amount of sugar too. Sweeteners that add calories to a beverage go
by many different names and are not always obvious when you look at
the ingredients list. If these common caloric sweeteners are on the
ingredients list of your favorite beverage, you are drinking a
sugar-sweetened beverage: high-fructose corn syrup, fructose, fruit
juice concentrates, honey, sugar, syrup, corn syrup, sucrose and
dextrose. The nutrition information at your favorite coffee place
may help you decide!
If you have figured out that many of your calories are coming from
what you drink instead of what you eat, drink more water!
Water:
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