| Think about this. Early man survived by eating one | | | | so easy to overlook, you may have to write down |
| hundred percent of his calories and drinking plain water. | | | | everything that you drink, making sure that the portion |
| No liquid calories! Today, the average American | | | | sizes are accurate. |
| receives more than one fifth of their calories from soft | | | | How many soft drinks do you drink? A U.S. |
| drinks, fruit juices, milk, alcohol, and recently sports | | | | Department of Agriculture Survey found that the |
| drinks, coffee and tea. | | | | average American guzzles 53 gallons of carbonated |
| Since the 1970s, calorie intake from all of these liquids | | | | soft drinks in a year. That is 18.6 ounces every day, |
| have increased dramatically, contributing somewhere in | | | | 365 days a year. Males between the ages of 12-29 |
| the neighborhood of 150-300 extra calories per day. | | | | years average 28.5 ounces every day! |
| Unless you increase your activity or eat less, that | | | | A 12 ounce can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of |
| many calories adds up to an extra pound of body fat | | | | sugar at 15 calories per teaspoon. The average |
| every 20 days or so. Milk is about the only source of | | | | American that drinks 18.6 ounces of soda per day is |
| liquid calories that has decreased in the last 30 years. | | | | getting around 232 calories. That is the energy |
| How has this impacted our health? According to Dr. | | | | equivalent of 2 extra pounds of fat every month, or |
| Barry Popin of the University of North Carolina School | | | | 24 extra pounds in a year. |
| of Public Health, studies have shown that people who | | | | According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, people |
| shift from non calorie drinks to sweetened drinks gain | | | | eating 1,600 calories a day should not take in more |
| weight, probably because they do not compensate by | | | | than 6 teaspoons of refined sugar a day- from any |
| eating less. Popin says that drinking calories in liquid | | | | source! If you eat 2,200 calories a day you should limit |
| form does not register with our appetite controls. | | | | sugar to 12 teaspoons. That is 5-8% of your total daily |
| To address this growing problem, a panel of leading | | | | calories. The Food and Drug Administration is slightly |
| nutrition experts calling themselves the Beverage | | | | more lenient, recommending no more than 10% of your |
| Guidance Panel was organized by Dr. Popin. The Panel | | | | daily intake of calories from sugar. |
| has issued the following recommendations for | | | | Besides the extra calories, the Center for Science in |
| beverage intake: | | | | the Public Interest (CSPI) blames soft drinks in the |
| Amount / day Beverage based upon a 2,200 calorie | | | | American diet on a number of other health risks. |
| diet | | | | Osteoporosis, tooth decay, heart disease, and kidney |
| 0-8 oz Calorie-Sweetened Beverages like soda or | | | | stones are all associated with excessive soft drink |
| juice | | | | consumption, not to mention potential problems caused |
| 0-8 oz Fruit Juices | | | | by caffeine and other additives. |
| 0 oz Whole milk sparingly: Sports drinks for non | | | | To be fair, not everyone agrees. The Sugar |
| athletes | | | | Association accurately points out that sugar is pure |
| 16 oz Sports drinks for endurance athletes | | | | carbohydrate and low in calories when compared to |
| 0-1 drink Alcohol for women | | | | fat. The FDA confirms that sugar has never been |
| 0-2 drinks Alcohol for men | | | | identified as an independent risk factor for heart |
| 0-32 oz Diet drinks | | | | disease. In terms of dental health, the Sugar |
| 0-16 oz Low fat, skim, or soy milk | | | | Association says the frequency of exposure to |
| 0-28 oz Unsweetened tea/coffee (can replace water) | | | | carbohydrate foods is more important than the |
| 20-50 oz Water | | | | amount. Sticky foods are more of a problem than soft |
| If you need to lose some weight and think liquid | | | | drinks because contact with tooth enamel is prolonged. |
| calories might be contributing to your problem, start by | | | | So some sugar is OK, especially if you are an athlete |
| reading your labels carefully. Do not forget that total | | | | in need of extra calories. It improves the taste of food |
| calories listed on product labels are expressed per | | | | and drink and is not nearly as calorie dense as fat, but |
| serving size, and more often than not containers | | | | common sense should tell you that too much is not a |
| include 2 or even 3 servings. Since liquid calories are | | | | good idea. |