Beverages Boost Calorie Intake, But Many View Fluids As Calorie-free!
Beverages - and not just alcohol - are a significant if little recognized source of calories in North American diets. Yet many people seem to believe that if a calorie is ingested in fluid form, it's a freebie.
"They just don't put it in the same category - they're not eating, they're quenching a thirst," says Richard Mattes, a nutrition professor at Purdue University in Indiana who has done extensive research on beverage consumption.
Sure, most people know a thick milk shake, a sugary cola or a pint of beer isn't the best choice for someone on a diet. But how bad could iced tea be? And a bottle of juice is good for you, right? A refreshing Frappuccino? Heck, that's basically a coffee slush, isn't it?
Not exactly.
Between the ingredients and the sizes in which they are sold, many drinks contain a surprising number of calories, enough to derail any weight loss or maintenance regime.
"I really believe that beverage consumption is contributing to the weight issue in a very substantive way," says Mattes, who notes there's been a huge jump in sales in virtually all beverages - with the exception of milk - in recent years.
Perhaps nowhere is the issue of calories in drinks more evident than in the offerings available at the ubiquitous premium coffee shops.
Last summer the staff of The Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter did some research on the calorie and fat counts of popular summer drinks. The newsletter, from the esteemed Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy at Boston-based Tufts, goes out to about 150,000 people a month.
The findings were eye-popping.
A Starbucks Venti (large) caramel macchiato with whole milk contains 310 calories and 12 grams of fat.
A large Tazoberry and Cream contains 560 calories and 15 grams of fat, nine grams of which are saturated fat (the kind we're supposed to avoid).
A large Strawberry Fruit Coolatta at Dunkin' Donuts had no fat, but 540 calories. Their large Vanilla Bean Coolatta contained 880 calories and 34 grams of fat - most of which were saturated fat.
"For a moderate-sized, not particularly active woman, that's half their (required) caloric intake for the day," Mattes says of the Coolatta.
Larry Lindner, executive editor of the Tufts newsletter, says most people don't realize these drinks are sending their calorie intake soaring.
"And I have a feeling if people knew just how many calories were in these things, if they familiarized themselves with the numbers, these things would be easier to forego on a regular basis," Lindner says.
Diana Steele, a dietitian in private practice in Vancouver, says she often sees teenage girls who skip lunch because they're trying to lose weight, then order coffee or chocolate drinks mounded with whip cream and laced with syrups in coffee shops.
"Suddenly they're consuming 600 calories in an after-school beverage. And they have no idea that the calories in that drink are so high - because it's not food," Steele says.
That's the thing. It is food. But the head doesn't recognize it as such. Neither does the stomach. That's because liquids don't satiate people the same way solids do.
"They don't make people feel full and as a consequence they add them to their diet rather than substituting for other caloric sources. So total caloric intake is going up," Mattes explains.
He has the evidence to prove it. A few years ago, Mattes did a study in which a group of students were given a 450-calorie soft drink every day for a month. After a month off, the students were given 450 calories worth of jelly beans daily for a month. The students logged their daily food intake and weight throughout the study.
When the students were getting the jelly beans, they instinctively cut back on other calories. They made no adjustment when they were getting the sugary drink and their weights went up, he says.
Another problem might be slotted under the heading "but it's good for me." That problem is juice.
Juice in and of itself is fine and is a healthy part of a balanced diet. But people rarely drink juice in the portions the experts recommend (Canada's food guide suggests a serving of juice is half a cup). Therein lies the difficulty.
"Juice is a healthful food. But 16 ounces," - that's two cups -"at one sitting is not. That's what it comes down to," Lindner says.
Steele urges her clients to get the benefits of juice by eating the whole fruits. Eating two oranges instead of drinking their juice is more filling and provides more fiber, which is something most Canadian diets lack, she explains.
Other popular beverages like non-diet soft drinks and power drinks are full of calories - calories someone may not need, Steele adds.
"I think that it's OK to have calories from a couple of glasses of milk in a day or a glass of pure fruit juice but when it comes to something like a SoBe beverage where you're getting 350 calories in a bottle and it's pure sugar with some flavoring, there's no nutritive value. That's like eating a bag of candy."
The same applies to alcohol. Steele calculated that a single drink a night for 10 months would lead to a six pound weight gain, if the drinker didn't cut back on other calories.
It's not all bad news, however. While beverages can be a diet problem, they can also be an easy diet solution.
Many people find it easier to drop a few pounds by altering the types of beverages they drink than by cutting back on foods, both Lindner and Steele say.
"So I think just a little education could help people either stay away from these things or really use them as an occasional treat."
The idea isn't to cut fluid intake, but to switch to low- or no-calorie beverages, Mattes says.
"The message should not be don't drink. Hydration is important. You either have to switch to lower calorie beverages or you have to consciously control it."
Author: Susan Rutter -- Publisher, Nutritionist, and Instructor who assists patients and the public make healthy choices and changes in their lives. Web Site: Healthy YOUbbies. http://www.geocities.com/healthyoubbies/
 Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:49:35 GMT McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day - New York Times
New York Times - Senator John McCain of Arizona and his supporters at a rally on Friday in La Crosse, Wis. By ELISABETH BUMILLER LAKEVILLE, Minn. - After a week of trying to portray Senator Barack Obama as a friend of terrorists who would drive the country into ... McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies John McCain, speaking to supporters, tries to defuse an anti ... Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:08:14 GMT US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist - Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal - By JAY SOLOMON WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is hoping to announce as soon as Saturday that it is tentatively removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a bid to kick-start a stalled nuclear disarmament agreement, ... AP: US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist US May Remove North Korea From Terrorism List, AP Reports Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:02:40 GMT Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows - New York Times
New York Times - By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and GRIFF PALMER Some longtime Republican strongholds in New York are becoming increasingly Democratic, a striking change driven by demographic shifts, intense voter registration drives by Democrats and allied groups and sagging ... Campus registration drives in full swing Ott, Hook face off for open county office Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:20:33 GMT G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Simon Kennedy Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven finance chiefs, meeting after stocks plunged and as a global recession looms, vowed to prevent the failure of vital banks while failing to unveil new initiatives for thawing credit markets. Group of 7 Nations Seek Coordination in Rescue In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:03:42 GMT Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Wisconsin’s four biggest academic research institutions will collaborate on an initiative aimed at giving the state national stature in the fast-emerging field of individualized medicine, Gov. Marshfield Clinic gets biggest donation yet Wis. governor unveils gene research triangle Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:29:44 GMT Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis - People's Daily Online
People's Daily Online - US President George W. Bush arrives in the Rose Garden at the White House to makes a statement on the economy in Washington, October 10, 2008. President Bush vows action on financial crisis Bush's Lullaby to the Markets Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:12:49 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US planning to buy equity in financial institutions Treasury Weighs Investing In Banks Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Increased Web Site Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... East Meets WestAsian cultures have realized the medical benefits of... Read More Chances are you may have had a food product that... Read More Factory FarmingThe big names in American agriculture would like you... Read More In parts 1-6 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More The field of nutrition is awash with charts, tables, diagrams,... Read More Are you concerned about taking care of your body before... Read More Mango is my favorite fruit next to pineapples. They're sweet,... Read More The benefits from eating healthy are endless. And, according to... Read More Flaxseeds may be the smallest seeds you will find in... Read More "What exercises can I do to ?? As fitness professional... Read More When it comes to the topic of sports nutrition there... Read More I would like to dispel some of the myths and... Read More Fats (triacylglycerols) ...Some basic terminology ...fat or fatty acid ...In... Read More Wow! Is it just me or? Wait! Let me start... Read More If you do not take time to stand back at... Read More The ingredients list found on the back or side panel... Read More It would be fair to assume that almost everyone on... Read More Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to... Read More What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More Coq10 is also known as Coenzyme Q10.This co q10 is... Read More FOOD (Macro-nutrients)One of the most important aspects of hill walking... Read More America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national attention... Read More New studies bring to our attention that high levels of... Read More With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in"... Read More Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we... Read More
Adsense
websites
TsuNoni - Green Tea Meets Noni
That Cookie Might Kill You!
The Meat You Eat: How Corporate Farming Has Endangered Americas Food Supply
Take Back Your Life 7
The Glycemic Index and Dieting
4 Important Facts You Should Know About Whey Protein
Mangos: Treat Your Skin and Your Taste Buds
ACAI Berry Named Top 10 Superfoods For Anti-Aging by Dr. Nicholas Perricone
10 Flaxseed Facts to Improve Your Nutrition
Seven Habits of Highly Healthy Eaters
Nutritional Myths that Just Wont Die: Protein!
The Myths Associated with Human Growth Hormone
Essential Fatty Acids -The Good Fats
Green Tea, or not to Green Tea?
Most of Us Talk and Think About Nutrition and Exercise as a Distant Activity to be Started Some Day!
The Versatility of Actinase Protein Complex
Sugar Lovers Beware
Why Digestive Enzymes Are Vital To Good Health!
True Culprits of High Cholesterol
The coq10 Benefit
Food for Potential Energy
Not All Protein is Created Equally
4 Steps To Brain Health
Unhealthy Foods: How To Become Disgusted By Junk Foods That Make You Fat
A Home Water Filter - Do We Need To Filter Our Drinking Water?
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Food Additives: Safety versus Health Maintenance / Prevention
The topic of food additives is not quickly addressed in... Read More
Carrots : The Master Key For Healthy Living!
It slows ageing, promotes healthy vision, has anti-cancer properties, increases... Read More
Eating Healthy -- Why?
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
Just How Dangerous Are Splenda and Artificial Sweeteners - Which Side is Spinning?
There seems to be fairly poor tracking by any formal... Read More
Nutritional Support in Critically Ill Patients
The nutritional support in critically ill patients can be explained... Read More
Unchaining Yourself from an Unhealthy Food Addiction
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from... Read More
Preventing Heart Disease: What Not To Eat
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
Food for Healthy Nails
Nails are a protective horn at the end of our... Read More
Relieve PMS with the Food Diet Changes
Almost every woman suffers with premenstrual syndrome at one time... Read More
Beware of Eating Too Much Protein
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and... Read More
Aggressive Behaviour Seems To Be Triggered By Early Age Diet
The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More
Creating Your Target of Health
Creating Your Target is easy.What I use to help create... Read More
What You Should Know About
I don't understand people sometimes. You know, there is a... Read More
Did You Start Your Life With Enough Probiotics?
Why does disease begin in the digestive tract? Your digestive... Read More
Heart Health ? Fish Oils To The Rescue
In a world where heart disorders and diseases are becoming... Read More
The Macronutrient Balancing Act
Finally, dieters and healthy eaters everywhere have reason to rejoice,... Read More
Healthy Eating Myths Destroyed
Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More
Train Your Self To Eat Healthy
For some people it is really hard to give up... Read More
Three Steps to Preparing your Body for Summer
Summer is not too far away. It is almost time... Read More
Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 1)
I would like to raise a question: Is Rejuvenation possible... Read More
Buying Organic Produce: 6 Tips on How to Shop Wisely and Save Money
Some say they don't or can't buy organic foods due... Read More
What Would You Think if I said that You could Overdose on Water?
You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More
Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin!
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin like A and E.... Read More
Guidelines to a Healthy Diet
The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety... Read More
Blueberries and Their Role in Cholesterol Control
Our bodies need cholesterol. We use cholesterol to produce vitamin... Read More
Nutrition |