It’s no secret that the United States has a notable problem
with obesity (see this article). Blame it on fast food, large portions,
or sedentary lifestyle but I think the real culprit is the beverage. When people come to me for “easy”
weight loss tips, the first thing I ask them is “What do you drink?”. 9 times out of 10 I get a sheepish look
and I already know what they are going to say. Here are a few facts about sugary beverages:
- Provides 21% of calories in the American diet and Americans are drinking more caloric beverages than ever before
- People who drink sugary drinks consume more total calories than people who don’t
- Regular soda contributes to dental decay and osteoporosis
- Dark colas have been shown to lead to kidney stones
- 1 or 2 cans of soda can negatively affect a child’s mood and increase anxiety
- sports drinks can contain around 150 calories for 12 ounces (oz)
- A 12 oz beer has the same number of calories as a 12 oz soda
- Specialty coffee drinks can be loaded with calories. A frappuccino can have 320 calories
As an alternative to drinking regular soda, the masses have
turned to diet beverages. But can
too much diet soda be harmful? Let’s
look at some data about artificial sweeteners:- Examples include saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low), aspartame (Equal), Sucralose (Splenda), Stevia (Truvia, PureVia): all FDA approved
- Provides a sugar substitute for Diabetics
- They are significantly sweeter than sugar so you need much less of them to match the sweetness of sugar
Some studies show that people who consume high quantities of
“fake sugar” wind up eating more calories for the day. They tend to overcompensate with salty
or fatty treats thus making it hard to maintain a healthy body weight. Since the artificial sweeteners on the
market are FDA approved (for now), we can’t say they will cause cancer but who
knows what studies will find 100 years from now. Currently we know that sugary drinks DO cause weight gain
and tooth decay thus diet beverages are clearly the lesser of the two
evils. The best choices, however,
are water, seltzer, milk, tea and plain soy milk. If you drink more diet beverages than the healthy
choices, try reversing your habits.
Start by replacing one bottle of diet soda with a healthy beverage. Just remember, everything in
moderation!
Special thanks goes to Yoni Wilbur for suggesting the topic
of artificial sweeteners. If you
have a nutrition, food science, or culinary topic you would like to know more
about, send your idea to avitalgreenbaum@gmail.com and your suggestion may be
featured next!
