From the Kitchen Friday: Rethinking What You're Drinking

Less than 2 years ago, I was a diet soda junkie. I could not get enough and the more I drank, the more I wanted. It was diet so it was ok right?   Now I am completely on the wagon and my beverages are pretty lame:  water and hot cinnamon tea. 

We hear a lot about how soda is bad for us, both full-leaded and unleaded as my Dad would say. Yes, I do believe soda is not the healthiest thing to drink, but many of us swap out soda for another beverage thinking it is healthier. This is not always true. 

I was inspired by this article from CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/02/health/gallery/sugar-sweetened-beverages/) to write this post and show you some comparisons along with a healthier alternative. Diet does not always mean healthier. Choosing water is always best, but yes, I understand that is not always what you want. 

Here are a few of beverages I see people picking up and also throw in my suggestion for a healthier option. I decided to compare the sugar in each beverage with the amount of sugar in  Oreo cookies. Some of these might surprise you and have you rethink what you drink! 

Yes, I drink tea but the unsweetened kind. If you have a sweetened bottle of tea you are consuming the same amount of sugar in 10 1/2 Oreos. But wait you say, green tea is good for me right? Again, look for unsweetened. This particular green tea has the same amount of sugar as 7 1/2 Oreos. 

Oh Gatorade! Anyone who walks 1/2 block feels their electrolytes have been depleted and a Gatorade is in order. Newsflash!  If you do strenuous exercise (I mean like sprinting for an hour), you MAY need to replace your electrolytes. If you are an average exerciser or your child had a basketball game, water takes care of it just fine! A 32-ounce bottle of Gatorade has the same amount of sugar of 12 1/2 Oreos while the water on the right has the same electrolytes, no sugar or added sugar-free sweeteners. 

What about smoothies and produce drinks?  Just because there is fruit and vegetables in it doesn't make it a healthy option. Sugar is sugar. This is a sneaky one, there are 2 servings in this bottle, so watch this when you are choosing one. You would think these are healthy because there is spinach and other vegetables. Daily greens has the sugar of 7 Oreos and Green Goddess has that of 12 Oreos. 

And my final favorite, energy drinks. We really should be high on life! Most of us are just deprived of sleep, proper nutrition and physical activity, so we mask our massive fatigue with energy drinks. Energy drinks do provide caffeine but most of the energy benefits come from B vitamins. You can find B vitamins in whole grains and also low-calorie waters. These are a couple of my picks because they use stevia as a more natural sweetener (whereas sugar-free Red Bull does not). Red Bull is touting the sugar of 8 1/2 Oreos. 

Please don't drink your calories, you will still be hungry and you will still not have lasting energy. Grab yourself some good old H20 and find out how good you really feel when you are hydrated. 

-Crazy