WEIGHT LOSS SECRET – “Avoid High Calorie Drinks”

Yesterday, I had a word with one of my dear friend who was quite frustrated with her weight loss issues. She had tried her every possible way to lose weight but all in vain. Even after following a healthy diet and gymming, she was not getting a desired result. So, I looked into the matter and found out that she used to start her day with a glass full of “EMPTY CALORIES”. Not only this, she had a habit of downing those high calorie drinks throughout a day. It was just because they have been marketed as “healthy”. Problem was, she was only keeping a watch on the calories in the food she ate, completely ignoring the calories in the beverages she consumed during the day. When I tallied it all up – she realized that she was taking in close to 1000 calories a day from unhealthy drinks alone.

Have you ever given a thought, how many calories are you drinking ? Let’s take a brief look here….

HIGH CALORIE DRINKS – FRUIT JUICE

Most juice that you purchase at the grocery store is pasteurised, to make shelf life longer. It destroys the wonderful enzymes. Always try to eat whole fruit instead of fruit juice because fruit is full of  fibres, flesh and pulp which makes you feel full. When you drink a juice, which are made of concentrates, there is a less of  a ”satiation response” and you get only sugary soft drink filled with preservatives and sweeteners. Unfortunately, canned fruit juices are one of the more fattening things out there so better say no to them as they are simply high in calorie and low in healthy nutrients.

According to USDA ( United States Department Of Agriculture)

AERATED DRINKS

High sugar content and caffeine are two chemicals which are perfect storm for a lifelong addiction to carbonated drinks. Apart from sugar, caffeine which is a diuretic can cause dehydration and when you are dehydrated, water retention may be more common as your body attempts to conserve water. Single Can of Soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. This amount of sugar, in liquid form, skyrockets the blood sugar. There is absolutely no nutritional value in it. According to some researches, these aerated drinks make you feel hungrier because of artificial sweeteners and artificial colouring that signals a brain to crave extra food.

Drinking just one 12 ounce can of soda every day for a year = 55,000 calories, or 15 pounds a year, reviewed by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. It also lead to intestinal bloating as it releases CO2 bubbles into the stomach which causes gas and belching too.

During childhood, I was an avid drinker of aerated drinks. As I grew up, I became more of health conscious and eventually cut off from all these unhealthy drinks. Now it’s very difficult to digest how and why I was putting so much of chemical junk into my body way back then.

ICED TEA

I know water doesn’t sounds appealing and Iced tea is an extremely attractive option on a hot and humid day as it quenches the thirst like anything. But it is not at all a smart and healthy choice. It is one of high calorie drinks that contains even more sugar than you would expect to find in most aerated drinks. It poses a serious obstacle to fitness and weight loss. Still, if you want to consume, it would be better to read the ingredient list on the back label. If it has added sugar or sweetness, avoid it. It can be a major sugar bombs.

ALSO READ : Tips To Control sugar Cravings (SWEET TOOTH)

SPORTS / ENERGY DRINKS

They are potentially unhealthy and can be a insidious cause of weight gain. It adds unnecessary calories and not satiating even. It contains carbohydrates (sugar) and electrolytes to meet the demand of athletes who participate in intense sports or endurance activities. So better not to be given to people with sedentary lifestyle as they don’t need them because they already get more than enough calories and nutrition from their meals.

ALCOHOL

“If you Booze, you won’t Lose”. Drinking alcohol in moderation might benefit your health but excess of anything is not good. One study has shown, people who consider themselves an average wine drinkers consume an excess of 2,000 calorie per month which is equivalent of 141 ice-creams a year.

I have seen many diet conscious people downing several glasses of unhealthy drinks a day thinking it’s good for their health but they are not aware how much sugar they are sucking down.

ALSO READ : Best Tips To Control HANGOVER

So, “BETTER BE MINDFUL OF WHERE YOUR CALORIES ARE COMING FROM” !