Don't Drink Your Calories
Wheatgrass juice drinkers, this article is not for you. The same goes for you other power juicers. You are the exception to the rule. This one goes out to the soda guzzlers, energy drink gulpers and booze hounds: Stop Drinking Your Calories.
With all the recent talk about fats, carbs, additives and other nutritional bogeymen, one wonders if people have forgotten about calories. Does anyone remember the 2000 calorie a-day threshold? Yes, the quality of the foods and beverages we eat matter but so does our caloric intake. Being a vegetarian, a gourmet or a health foodie doesn't mean much if you're taking in more calories than you can burn off. If you are a sedentary person then (depending on your age and build) you need no more than 2000 calories a day to ensure that your heart beats, your lungs expand and your brain thinks. Your body burns calories whether you exercise or not.
The trick is to consume no more than you will burn. If you are an athletic person, you exert more energy and therefore, need more calories. If you're a slacker that sits around for most of the day, then 2000 calories should be your goal. The biggest, sneakiest culprits when it comes to despoiling a healthy weight are the beverages we drink.
Maybe the mistake comes because we don't think of liquids as food. It's not hard to understand why. Drinks are satisfying but rarely filling. Obviously we need liquids and without then we will die. We have to drink. A person who goes without food for a few weeks will survive. The average human, deprived of liquid, will perish within three days. The body dehydrates. The kidneys shut down and poof, you're gone. Our bodies expel our liquids rather quickly and drinking, like breathing, is less about choice and more about survival. Whatever beverages we drink, the main ingredient, the thing that makes them liquid is water. A soda is still, basically water. An energy drink is still, basically water. A beer is still, basically water. What you may not realize is that all those drinks mentioned are high in calories.
Here's the breakdown:
8oz can of Energy Drink = 115 calories
12oz can of Soda = 136 calories
12oz can of Seer = 153 calories
If you drink one six pack of beer in a day, you have consumed 918 calories. That amounts to almost half your average required daily intake. Throw in a fast food burger, an order of fries and fried fruit pie and you've consumes 2121 calories. Sure, you only ate once but those six beers count. What you drink is just as important as what you eat. That energy drink may contain vitamins and nutrients but you can get those same benefits when you swallow vitamin pills.
Let's go further. Let's say you're a fan of diet, and/or sugar free drinks. Are those drinks carbonated? Did you know that carbonated beverages can damage your teeth as well as mess with your ability to store calcium? Have you looked into the studies that claim artificial sweeteners may contain carcinogens? What about the caffeine content of your favorite diet soda or energy drink? Have you taken a look at the nutritional label on that can and noticed the carbohydrate percentage? Are you trading a temporary 'kick' for your physical well-being?
You know the solution. The ultimate good liquid. The one with no calories, no caffeine, no sugar, no funky additives and no carbonation. The drink that is superior and king above all others:
That's right, boring old water. It comes from the tap. It comes in bottles. It's clean. It satisfies. It keeps you alive. You can drink it cold. You can drink it room temperature. You can drink it hot. If you don't like the taste, you can buy it pre-flavored or you can flavor it yourself with a splash of lemon juice or a squeeze of orange. It may take a while to get used to drinking water instead of your favorite soda but after a while. you'll be as glad to see a frosty glass of H20 as your would a mug of root beer.
The best part is that if you stop drinking calorie-laden beverages, you're going to lose weight. In fact, replacing water for soda is one of the easiest diets there is. Of course, you could switch to non-caloric drinks like black coffee or tea but nothing, absolutely nothing beats water.
The nest time you're thirsting, resist the urge to guzzle down yet another bottle of pop or a 40 oz of beer. Drink water instead. You'll never regret the switch and you just might fall in love with your slimmer self. Your Sustainable Self.
By J.A. Romig | VEESH Writer | APR.21.08