Most people are aware that soda has a lot of sugar in it, but don't really know how much and the quality of sugar that is in it. Soda's are made with high fructose corn syrup, the cheapest and the worst form of sugar. Drinking a glass or can of soda is like eating a candy bar! There are many people who drink numerous glasses of soda daily. This can add pounds to your body each year, not to mention take you down the road to type 2 diabetes. What's just as bad is drinking diet soda. Why? Because by drinking these chemical laden drinks (which by the way are very addictive), I know because I was addicted, your body is tricked into believing it is drinking sugar, and you tend to have sugar cravings because of it. Therefore, it does you no good to drink diet sodas if you will utimately eat sugary foods later. The lesson from this is get rid of the soda out of your life, not only will it make you lose weight but also make you healthier too! What makes me so angry is that we still have these soda machines in highs schools and offices around the country. It is so easy to get them when you are thirsty, but they really don't quench your thirst. Many schools have replaced these machines with sport drinks and juices instead, thinking that these are much better choices. Wrong!
Sports drinks are nothing more than sugary water with dyes. They tout themselves as being able to replace electrolites in your body, however, they are missing a key component that makes these drinks taste not so good. Salt. When replacing electrolites in your body, you need a proper balance of water, sugar and salt. The best and most natural replacement would be coconut water. This is starting to get some attention out there and shelves are seeming to have more of them in your local supermarket, but the awareness is not there yet, and because they don't taste so sweet, many people are not interested in it and won't drink it. So if you don't like that then the answer would be plain old water. Water is definitely the best drink you can drink, day in and out. It has no calories, and replaces the fluids your body needs. Don't like water, squeeze some lemon, lime or a splash of fruit juice to give it some flavor, but watch out for that fruit juice!
Yes, I sad fruit juice! But you thought juice was healthy. Sort of. Not all fruit juices are created equal. Most contain...you guessed it, high fructose corn syrup, which is bad. In addition, even if you get 100% fruit juice, it has a lot of natural sugar or fructose, which is bad as well. Think about squeezing an orange. How much juice do you get from 1 orange? Not much, maybe an ounce or two. It would probably take at least 6-8 oranges to get you a glass of orange juice, and that is a lot of sugar. You would never eat 6-8 oranges at one time, so why drink that much. It is wise to eat your fruit, instead of drinking it. In addition you can add a splash to water or seltser (carbonated water) for flavor. This is a great habit to get your kids into, especially if you don't want them to drink soda or juice. Just make sure it's 100% juice. Better yet, squeeze some fresh citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit) into your water...it does your body good!
Another alternative for beverages would be to drink tea. Hot or cold it has health benefits, green tea contains antioxidants that are good for you! The caveat is you need to learn to drink it without sugar or sugar subsitutes. It takes some time, but you do get used to the flavor without sugar. If you do need some sweetness try putting a little agave nectar in it. It is lower on the glycemic index than sugar or honey, or you can even use stevia, a natural plant derived sweetner. All these changes are difficult at first, but you will see such a change in your body, your health and even your mood! Happy drinking!
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