There are many drinks in the market with the slogans best for you, smoothies for health, natural organic, and so on. Don’t be fooled by bright labels and peppy slogans! When you read the composition of these drinks, you will understand that most of these will harm you. Is there sugar in the composition? Cross it out!
If numbers were written on labels and not just the names of additives, you would be surprised how many hidden artificial sugars and colors there are in sugary drinks. Of course, if you occasionally and very rarely drink sweet water, the world will not end. Excessive regular use of such drinks has a cumulative effect and, as a result, will negatively affect your health.
Drinks You Should Avoid Drinking
Below we listed some drinks that are favorite of many but overdoing them can seriously harm the health. Thus, you should avoid drinking them or at least try to minimize their consumption to enjoy good health.
1. Fruit Juices
The fruit itself is nutritious, packed with antioxidants and fiber. The natural sugars they contain are rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. But in the juice from the fruit, fiber does not remain, but sugar gets released in huge quantities.
In addition, pasteurizing fruit juices also reduces some of the nutrients in them. And although juices are different and freshly squeezed is definitely better than concentrated ones. There are a lot of calories in both – about 120-150 kcal per glass. Studies show that eating sucrose without fiber (in juices) leads to metabolic syndrome, liver damage, and obesity, including childhood obesity.
Healthy Alternative: Fruit water (just water with chunks of fruit) or whole fruit are good for breakfast. They are good, filling, and provide fiber.
2. Caffeinated Drinks
Just coffee is good (in moderation), but all kinds of other processed coffee like frappuccino leave no stone unturned from the harms of coffee. It’s about the notorious sugar. If it’s not a planned dessert as a cheat meal, then ditch whipped cream, sugary syrups, and other harmful gummy additives. Plus, caffeine won’t help you when your body gets hit by a drop in blood sugar after a similar spike.
Healthy Alternative: A regular cappuccino with only espresso and milk or an Americano from Starbucks (no sugar) is good alternatives.
3. Sweet Soda
A 500 ml bottle, be it cola or orange, lemon, or any other soda, contains at least 13 teaspoons of sugar, which is twice the daily requirement. You don’t have to completely refuse sweet soda. When your stomach hurts, you can drink ginger Ale and a bottle of cola but don’t make it a habit. And don’t rely on sugar-free labels as these artificial sweeteners are 200-600 times sweeter than regular sugar and overstimulate your taste buds.
Consuming excessive amounts of artificial sweeteners can change your taste preferences over time. It will also increase cravings for super sweet foods and diminishing the enjoyment of naturally sugary foods like fresh fruit. You can consume sweet soda a little, but be careful and moderate with artificial additives.
Healthy Alternative: Natural sparkling water without additives. If you still want to indulge in something sweet: mix half of the soda with half of the seltzer.
4. Alcoholic Drinks
Many people enjoy cocktails at an event or a party to quench their thirst. However, the combination of added sugar, preservatives, and alcohol can only speed up dehydration. Besides, many people are addicted to alcoholic drinks and this addiction only harms the body.
It is better to give up alcoholic beverages as dependence on such drinks can do serious harm to your well-being. There are many rehab centers that help you quit alcohol and many health insurances are available to cover alcohol rehab treatment. One such example is Anthem health insurance for addiction treatment that covers expenses of treatment depending on selected insurance plan.
Healthy Alternative: Try making your own cocktail at home by limiting alcohol in it.
5. Protein Shakes
Are you sure you need over-sweetened protein? Do not get carried away when drinking such shakes. You should take a look at the composition of these shakes, and you will surely get shocked. Mostly they contain artificial sweeteners, sugar, harmful additives, and preservatives. It is better to drink water and eat protein with food.
Healthy Alternative: Traditional sources such as milk, yogurt, eggs, seafood, chicken, and beef are always safer, or you can have quality shakes without additives.
6. Ready-Made Iced Teas
A standard bottle of iced peach tea contains 34 grams, or nearly nine teaspoons of added sugar, this is more than the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit. You have no control over how much sugar (or artificial sweeteners) is added to a pre-sweetened drink.
It is better to add one teaspoon (or two teaspoons) of sugar for sweetness to the unsweetened version yourself. This way, you can control the amount of added sugar and reduce the total sugar content by more than half.
Healthy Alternative: Unsweetened tea with citrus pieces and one (or two) teaspoons of sugar for sweetness is alright.
7. Bottled Smoothies
Even if the label says “sugar-free,” most smoothies only disguise themselves as healthy drinks. They cleverly avoid accusations by using mashed potatoes for sweetness, yet the overall sugar load is still significant and often not balanced by any fiber or protein that helps stabilize blood sugar and keep you full.
Healthy Alternative: Homemade smoothies with chunks of fruit, vegetables, and a protein source like Greek yogurt.
Summing Up
Many of us consider protein shakes and caffeinated drinks healthy, but it is clear from the above article that they are equally harmful as alcoholic drinks are. Thus, it is better to consume them in moderation or not consume them at all for better health and well-being. Have a good diet so you can live healthily!