Don't Drink Your Calories

As you saw in the post about high fructose corn syrup, most soft drinks available for purchase are sweetened with some amount of that sweetener.  So are many fruit based drinks.

It's possible to drink more than 50,000 empty calories per year if you regularly have pop, fruit juice and/or sweet tea.  That converts to a lot of pounds.

I always advise people not to drink their calories Or their fruit. the vitamins and fiber in fruits is not nearly as available to us when the fruit has been processed into juice. Read the label on a carton of orange juice in comparison to the nutritional content of a whole orange and you will see what I mean.

By and large, we should be drinking water. It doesn't matter if it is tap water, spring water or bottled water; I do draw the line at the flavored waters that have a sweetener added and "vitamin" water. To me that is a waste of money, when you can get the vitamins and minerals you need from healthy whole foods.  My philosophy is to consume *real* food...that's one of the reasons I don't like pop as a daily beverage: it's a manufactured, processed product (I can't even call it a food). And did you know that unless your bottled water specifies it is spring water, it is probably purified water from some city's tap.  Doesn't mean it's bad -- just means you can drink your own tap water and save money and plastic.

I know several pediatricians who tell their young parents to only give their infants formula, milk or water. No juice. I applaud them!  Their reasoning is that the juice is basically a sugary drink.  Don't feel that you are depriving your young ones! They don't know what they are missing, and they are much more likely to eat the beneficial fruit itself if their taste buds don't get used to juice.

The Best Life's Bob Green (formerly Oprah's trainer!) has teamed up with Nestle to challenge Americans to replace a sugared drink each day with water.

Here's what he has to say:

Water is a good alternative for your weight management compared to sugared beverages, which may contain up to 160 calories and 40 grams of sugar per 12 ounce serving.

Drinking water is a simple way to keep well-hydrated and as a consequence help maintain concentration and alertness.

Take a water break! Busy days at work, home, or even running errands can keep you from meeting your food and fluid needs. A lack of water can leave you dehydrated; even mild dehydration can drain your energy.
Stay hydrated while working out: Before you begin, drink 8 ounces of water, and then during your workout, drink about 4 to 6 ounces of water (about 5 to 7 gulps) every 15 minutes. After the workout, follow-up with another 8 ounces of water
 
Click here to find out more or to join the more than 32,000 Americans who have taken the Pure Life Challenge to replace their pop with zero-calorie water!