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Sugary beverages can cause calorie overload
By Marilyn Wiley
With news of increasing obesity rates, people should be more concerned about where their calories are coming from. Research has shown that the average American gets about 21% of his or her calories from beverages.
Most Americans are consuming 150 to 300 more calories per day than they did 30 years ago, and about one-half of that increase in calories comes from soft drinks and fruit drinks. People often don’t understand that beverages do not provide the appetite satisfaction that solid foods do and therefore don’t reduce their other foods to compensate for the additional liquid calories. In addition to soft drinks and fruit drinks, the consumption of high calorie smoothies, lattes, and alcoholic beverages has increased.
Plain water should be the beverage of choice with unsweetened tea and coffee the next choice. Tea and coffee can be considered unsweetened if less than two teaspoons (16 calories) of sugar are added to a cup. Tea contains about 50 milligrams of caffeine per cup while coffee contains about 100 milligrams. The effects of caffeine are greater in older people so no more than four cups of coffee should be consumed each day. Research has shown that the amount of water required is variable; some people require as much as 20 glasses of water while others may need as little as four glasses. Most food contains water and contributes to the total of liquids needed by your body. Elders and people with poorly-controlled diabetes often do not consume enough water and may become dehydrated.
The next important beverage is milk; providing calcium, magnesium, potassium, and when fortified, Vitamin D. All of these nutrients are important and are not widely found in other foods. Elders should drink 2 to 3 cups of skim or 1% milk daily. No adult should be consuming whole or 2% milk because of the additional calories and saturated fat. Plain soymilk can be substituted for cow’s milk, but avoid the chocolate or flavored soymilk products because of the extra calories. Low fat yogurt or cheese can provide nearly the same nutrients and will fill you up more than milk.
Diet beverages can supply some of your beverage needs, but some authorities believe diet drinks may cause people to crave the sweetness that is supplied in diet beverages by artificial sweeteners. Non-diet soft drinks have no benefits and contribute unneeded calories to our diets. These drinks have contributed to a major increase in calorie intake in the past several decades. Fruit and vegetable juices have health benefits, especially citrus fruit juices that are high in Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), but shouldn’t be consumed in quantities greater than one-half to one cup daily.
A better and more filling choice is whole fruit or vegetables that also supply needed fiber as well as other nutrients. Sports drinks such as Gatorade are not needed by anyone except an endurance athlete such as a marathoner. Alcohol has seven calories per gram and additional sugars also add more calories to mixed drinks.
It is important that people decrease the calories they get from beverages, especially the non-nutritious ones such as soft drinks and juice drinks that contain less than 10% juice. Water is an important component of the body and should be consumed as plain tap water or limited tea or coffee to reduce caloric intake and prevent dehydration.
Marilyn Wiley is a Registered Licensed Dietician and the Consulting Nutritionist for Elder Services of Berkshire County.