Many sweetened drinks are high in calories and can cause weight gain, even in active people. If you feel like drinking something sweet, choose a beverage that is made with artificial (man-made) sweeteners.
Drinking a lot of many beverages can lead to gaining extra pounds. Even though they are just liquid, these drinks can add a lot of calories to your diet. Some examples are:
Read the ingredients and watch out for drinks that are high in sugar. Sugar can go by many names, including:
Sure, juices contain many important vitamins and other nutrients. But drinking too much juice can by unhealthy, and lead to weight gain.
A 12-ounce serving of orange juice has about 170 calories. If you are already getting enough calories and nutrients from the other foods you eat, an extra 170 calories a day can add up to 12 - 15 pounds a year.
If you like to drink juice, consider diluting it with water.
Coffee drinks you have on the way to work and during coffee breaks can add plenty of extra calories, especially if you buy ones that have flavored syrups, whipped cream, or half-and-half added. They can cause major weight gain.
All of these examples are for 16-ounce drinks. You can buy these drinks in smaller and larger sizes, too:
Order regular coffee and add only nonfat or 2% milk. Use a sugar substitute if you like your coffee sweet.
If you have a special coffee drink now and then, following these tips will cut down on the calories:
Choose drinks that have 5 calories or fewer per serving.
Some choices that have 0 calories are:
Updated by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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