What are you drinking

Did you realize that most people get up to one-fifth of their calories from the beverages they drink? The University of North Carolina researchers have come up with Healthy Beverage Guide which is essentially a food pyramid of what adults should drink. Unfortunately the proportions would be camel-like for most.


We all know that we as Americans consume far to many calories and drinking sugar-sweetened soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks, and sugary tea and coffee just adds to the problem.


The good news is that the study doesn't totally eliminate all the good things we enjoy. The following will help you make better choices for a healthier lifestyle.



BEVERAGES

Water - 0 calories, and we should all be consuming between 32 to 48 ounces per day. Water helps to lower your risk of colon and bladder cancers because it moves toxins through your system.


Coffee and Tea - Unsweetened they have 0 calories. The top amount of coffee would be 30 ounces and 64 ounces for tea. Coffee does have it's benefits, it's a mild antidepressant and in some cases has lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes. Tea has also shown to help protect against heart disease.


Low-fat/nonfat milk or soy beverages - The average calorie intake from these products is approximately 100 calories per 8 ounce serving. Consuming up to 16 ounces would be acceptable. Some recent studies have shown milk's ability to lower diabetes and your heart disease risk.


Believe it or not but it's effects on bone health are still unclear. Soy, though touted as the perfect food, the only clear evidence I've found is that it "may" lower some cancer risk ... and that's highly debated.


Diet soft drinks - These have 0 calories and you can consume up to 3 cans per day. The only benefit of these types of drinks is that may help curb your sweet tooth. Actually the artificial sweeteners in some of these drinks have been shown to cause cancer. So I would say there are zero benefits of drinking them.


Regular sodas - There are about 100 calories per 8 ounces of soda and no nutritional benefits. They have excessive calories and there has been some linkage between soda drinking and not only obesity but diabetes as well.


Veggie, fruit and alcohol drinks - Fruit and veggie beverages can have between 50-150 calories per 8 ounce glass. Alcohol (beer) averages about 150 calories per bottle and wine on average 100 calories per glass.

The only people who benefit from drinking fruit and veggie drinks are the people who eat no fruits or veggies. These juices tend to be high in calories and filled with sugar and sodium. Eat the fruit it taste better and is better for you.

As for alcohol moderation is the keyword here. The guidelines advise no more than one drink per day for women, two for men. A drink is one 12-ounce beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5-ounce drink of distilled spirits. And remember, alcoholic drinks are high-calorie drinks.


So what's the bottom line? If you are trying to lose weight or eat healthy, start to watch what you drink. Read the back of those cans, you might be surprised at how much sodium and sugar they contain.

Be mindful of all the calories you consume, particularly those in beverages -- they all count. The guidelines don't say you have to limit liquids to water, but just be mindful of the excess calories in the average beverage.


What ever happen to making homemade iced tea or lemonade, that way you can determine how much sugar you want to consume without any artificial sweeteners, colors or the other stuff they put in those powdered drink mixes, and it's much cheaper.


I am the ice tea queen I hope you try these and make up some of your own :)

6 tea bags, about 1 quart of water. Bring to a rapid boil.

Now here's the fun part - you can add just about anything to flavor your tea. I like to add 1/2 cup frozen orange or lemon juice, a capful of vanilla or 5-6 cloves. I then add some extra water to make an about a gallon. Refrigerate and watch it disappear.


You can add mint sprigs, cinnamon sticks, lemon or orange rinds, or ginger root and I have even added frozen cranberry juice. When I add the frozen juices there is no need for extra sugar. Let me know what you guys come up with perhaps we'll get a cookbook together.



To Your Health