What are You Thinking (with what you’re drinking)?
Many people just don’t realize the amount of extra calories they are consuming in the form of beverages. We often wonder why the numbers on the scale simply don’t change even though we’re eating much less. What we don’t realize is that we’re often replacing food calories with liquid calories, and liquid calories can be much more dense, quickly consumed and unhealthy than those we might chew.
Following is a list of beverages including soft drinks and fruit juices. Take a look at them and think about how many servings you might consume in one day. The number of calories you’re drinking just may surprise you.
Dr Pepper (12 ounce can) 150 calories
Coke (12 ounce can) 140 calories
Hot cocoa made with water (8 fluid ounces) 120 calories
Mountain Dew (12 ounce can) 110 calories
Grapefruit juice (1 cup) 95 calories
Prune juice (1/2 cup) 90 calories
Sweet Iced Tea (8 fluid ounces) 90 calories
Tonic water (8 fluid ounces) 85 calories
Cafe latte with fat-free milk (8 fluid ounces) 80 calories
Grape juice (1/2 cup) 75 calories
Cranberry juice cocktail (1/2 cup) 73 calories
Apricot nectar (1/2 cup) 70 calories
Pineapple juice (1/2 cup) 70 calories
Apple juice or cider (1/2 cup) 60 calories
Orange juice (1/2 cup) 55 calories
Cappuccino with fat-free milk (8 fluid ounces) 50 calories
Tomato juice (1 cup) 50 calories
Vegetable juice (1 cup) 50 calories
Cranberry juice cocktail reduced calorie (1 cup) 45 calories
Coffee (6 fluid ounces) 5 calories
Tea (6 fluid ounces) 5 calories
Lemon juice (2 Tablespoons) 0 calories
Club soda (8 ounces) 0 calories
Diet Soda (12 ounces) 0 calories
Water (8 ounces) 0 calories
If you add sugar to your coffee or tea, be sure to figure in 16 calories for every teaspoon you add.
If you think you’re going to be super healthy by using honey instead of sugar, forget about it. Every teaspoon of honey packs a 64 calorie punch. You might as well add high fructose corn syrup!
The next time you take a drink of something, consider your serving size and do the math. You’re probably drinking a whole lot more calories than you ever expected.
Are you subscribed to the Families.com Weight Loss Blog? With the click of a button, you can receive an email notification anytime a new blog is posted in the Families.com Weight Loss Blog! Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture). Click on “Subscribe via Email”. You’ll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Weight Loss Blog! Don’t miss a thing – subscribe now!