HEALTHY EATING: Don’t drink excess calories

Hot weather trimming your appetite, but you’re still not losing weight? Maybe it was something you drank.

The first line of diet defense in the battle of the bulge focuses primarily on food choices. Although we still need to watch our plates, we may need to add a serious look at our glasses, cups and car’s drink holders. It turns out that beverages play a significant role in supplying the excess calories that can cause weight gain.

Researchers who watch what we drink —- and how much —- found that on average, 22 percent of the calories we consume are the ones we drink. And too often, they’re calories from soft drinks and other sugary beverages.

Here’s what to consider when you’re adding a soft drink to your fast-food combo, grabbing a fruit juice out of the cooler at your favorite sandwich place or responding to the server’s query of “What would you like to drink?”

Water’s the winner. Water is, of course, calorie-free and the ultimate thirst quencher. But if you think it can be a bit boring, add a splash of fruit juice to make your own flavored water. Zero-calorie, fruit-flavored waters with no added sugars are a good choice, too.

Enhanced waters. These products add everything from herbs to vitamins to the watery mix. Many are artificially sweetened to keep calorie levels down, but make sure to read the nutrition facts label and choose one with less than 20 calories per 8- ounce serving.

Sports drinks. They may be associated with winning big on the tennis court, but their dehydration-fighting electrolytes come with a calorie price tag because of their sugar content. You might try the new crop of artificially sweetened, lower-calorie sports drinks.

Coffee/tea. Calorie free all by themselves, coffee and tea gain weight when you add sugar and cream. Choose nonfat or low-fat milk and watch the sugar and honey factor. And even though pitchers of free-flowing, supersugary sweet tea are a Southern institution, why not update tradition by asking for a customized mix? Try 90 percent unsweetened and 10 percent sweet tea in your glass. You’ll save hundreds of calories, and you’ll still get a hint of sweet tea taste.

Fruit juices. Full of nutrients but relatively high in calories per ounce. I make a 50-50 mix of orange juice with sparkling water to cut calories and get some good nutrition. A serving of fruit juice is 4 ounces, not a 36-ounce tumbler.

Soft drinks. Count about 150 calories for a 12-ounce can of soda. Diet drinks are calorie-free. There are no nutrients in either choice, but if you drink more than three cans a day —- or drive around with a 36-ounce cup of soda —- you can cut 450 calories a day when substituting the diet version. In fact, you’d lose about a pound each week.

Bookmark: