Drinking a giant glass of juice, a liter of soda, or even a mocha is something many people do without thinking each and every day, not realizing that even if what they are drinking isn't filling them up, its still adding on the calories. Even if you are one of those people who doesn't care about calories and isn't concerned about gaining weight etc, many of these beverages are actually full of sugar and not exactly healthy for us.
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| Speaking of unhealthy habits... |
This is the last thing you probably want to hear, and being a college student, I realize it is somewhat hard to avoid, but drinking alcohol really overall isn't going to help your health. Obviously no one thinks of alcohol as a healthy thing, but people out there tend to not take the effects into long term consideration. The other day someone asked me why I don't just drink vodka instead of passing on alcohol, because "vodka is clear" it has no calories".... yeah clearly they were uneducated, because vodka has roughly 100 calories per shot. Like I said before those are empty calories, because they don't provide your body with nutrients to use, and don't fill you up. I am not suggesting that you go become antisocial and never have a drink again, be realistic about your life, but keep your health in perspective, even if you are at an age where it seems like you are invincible. If I had to choose an alcoholic beverage that is "better" when dieting, I would probably say some form of a red wine lower in sugars. Obviously moderation is key as well here. If you aren't a wine drinker, try calorie free seltzer with a little vodka or something, maybe with a twist of a citrus fruit in it. Dark beers, mixed drinks, and dessert drinks are probably the worst for you often loaded with sugar, syrup, and artificial ingredients. Here's a corny video of a lady making a "healthy cocktail" but you get the point from it...:
Regularly drinking soft drinks may not be the cause of obesity alone, but it is definitely a contributing factor to an unhealthy diet. I get it, soda is sweet, gives you the idea of being thirst quenching, generally inexpensive and conveniently located just about everywhere. However keep in mind, one bottle of soda from the vending machine has about 180 calories in it. Sugary ones that damage your teeth, weaken your bones, lead to diseases (such as diabetes), kidney/liver/digestive system damage, heartburn, increased blood pressure, dehydration, toxin chemicals etc. There are so many healthy alternatives out there to soda, so it might be a good resolution to try to kick the habit if you are a regular soda drinker.
Another thing people may not realize is how much sugar other beverages contain. Many chocolate milks seem like a healthier option, yet some of them contain the same sugar content and more fat than the soda just discussed. It is nice that milk actually has some nutritional value, but as an alternative, I would recommend adding your own bittersweet dark chocolate to milk without all the sugar. On a similar level, 100 percent fruit juice isn't bad for you, its definitely got its vitamins and nutritional value, but it is much more beneficial to eat a piece of fruit than drink a glass of juice. Not only do you feel more satisfied, but the fruit is in a purer form and has less calories and more fiber.
As far as many of the no-calorie drinks go, it is nice that they don't have calories obviously, and there is some benefit to that if you are trying to watch calories. The biggest issue here is that almost all of these types of beverages are made with the chemical aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener like you might find in those little pink sweet-n-low packets you see when getting coffee at a diner. If you must have artificial/chemical sweeteners, I would recommend looking for things made with splenda, which is made with sucrolose a less harmful chemical, or better yet something more natural like stevia.
Your best bet is to stick to good old H20! You can and should always load up on plenty of water every day because there is tonsss of benefits and not too many risks of water drinking here in the US. Drinking plenty of water may actually have side effect to aid you in weight loss. Herbal tea is a good alternative if you want something warm, and as I previously said nonfat milk and 100 percent juice are good as long as you are watching your serving sizes. Obviously not everyone can follow this, some of us like myself are coffee drinkers (try switching to black coffee and only using a small splash of nonfat to save some calories!) and some have other vices. The message here is just be informed of what you are drinking and think about the effects on your body. Doing this and cutting out many unnecessary beverages and calories in them may save you pounds!
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