HEALTHY LIVING
Summer “Break” Your Bad Habits: Drinking Excess Calories WRITTEN BY KRISTEN HUNG, MPH, RDN, AND MAGGIE O’MEARA, DIETETIC INTERN
The allure of summer drinks is obvious, but the hidden calories in some of them can have a negative impact when consumed regularly. With a multitude of substitution options, it’s easy to enjoy the taste and refreshment other beverages can deliver on a hot summer day without the health risks.
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arm weather, sunshine, and time with friends and family are some of the best parts of summer. With this sweltering season often come feelings of dehydration and thirst. If you find yourself craving something other than water to drink, watch out for the common bad habit of consuming excess liquid calories. Keep reading to find out what these sneaky calories are, their health risks, how to avoid them and the best summertime drinks to choose instead.
Liquid calories in just about any form—alcohol, juice, soda, energy drinks, sweetened water, sports drinks, coffee or tea—are stealthy. We don’t often think of them as adding to our daily calorie intake, but they do make an impact when consumed regularly. The CDC’S National Center for Health Statistics reports that approximately 50% of the U.S. population drinks sugarsweetened or calorie-filled beverages on any given day. About 25% of this population drinks at least 200 calories
4 ADVANTAGE / Torrance Memorial, a Cedars-Sinai Affiliate
worth of these beverages a day. That might not seem like a lot, but those calories add up quickly when consumed with other sugar-filled or excess caloriecontaining foods. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that fewer than 10% of a person’s daily calories come from added sugar in food and drink. A healthy dietary pattern does not have much room for extra added sugars or calories from beverages. Decreasing your intake of excess liquid calories can be a great step toward a healthier diet.
