Americans rejecting sugary drinks
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I am always suggesting to drink at least 8 glasses of water to compensate the fluid requirement. I am saying only WATER not coffee,tea or any other beverage. In a recent survey by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that from 1999 to 2000 Americans got about 18 percent of their daily caloric intake from extra sugar—that’s sugar added to foods and beverages to sweeten them—and from 2007 to 2008, the percentage dropped to about 14.6 percent. Two-thirds of the added sugar reported by those surveyed came from beverages. The researchers believe that cutting down on soda was the biggest contributor to the sugary drink decline. These researchers at the Emroy University Atlanta analyzed the results of 40,000 people surveyed over past 10 years. Researchers could not find the clear reason for drop in the sugar intake but attribute this to government agencies and public health organizations who have been alerting consumers to the risks (obesity,diabetes, and so on) of consuming too much extra sugar. This may have made more Americans aware of what they are putting into their bodies and that liquids count as calories too. But there is nothing to be happy about 14.6 percent of daily calories especially since most of it likely comes from sweetened beverages and snacks. Nutrition experts recommend that discretionary calories (calories beyond our daily nutritional needs) be no more than 5 to 14 percent of our daily caloric intake.
So what can we do to lower this number. It is not difficult.Simply try try the following tips:
Check the label. If you’re at the convenience store deciding between drinks, or you happen to pick up your go-to afternoon beverage, turn the bottle around and check the label for sugar and sodium content. You may be very surprised to find how large these numbers are. If you’re a cola drinker, you’re chugging about 39 grams of sugar in a single can, that’s like drinking one and a half Snickers bars!
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| One and a half of this bar contains 39 grams of sugar |
Try another type of drink. Now you know how bad your favorite drink is… But that does not mean you have to walk around the office parched. If you must drink soda, look for diet, low-sugar, or sugar-free versions. Better yet, try something completely new: you may end up actually enjoying a healthier drink.
Jazz up your water and coconut juice. Water is the the ultimate fluid. If you are not drinking at least eight to nine glasses a day, its time to start! However, if plain old water bores you, you can try adding lemon or orange slices, cucumber, or mint leaves, or try making some sassy water or spritzers. These two alternatives can be very easily prepared in our kitchens.
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| Coconut water is 10000 times stronger killer of cancer than chemotherapy |
Sassy water: Just drop mint leaves,orange peels,apple slices and lemon drops in two litres of water. Refrigerate overnight and drink everyday. Start every morning and finish by the end of the day. This cool and refreshering beverage has only 0.3 calories and 3.7 mg sodium. Excess sodium is also bad for people with high blood pressure. This aspect will be discussed in coming post.
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| Sassy water |
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Spritzer |
Strawberry Lemonade. Any collection of summer drink recipes has to start with lemonade. Here, seasonal strawberries add vitamin C, natural sweetness, and a nice pink blush to tart lemonade. And the lemon juice in this classic warm-weather sipper is vitamin C–rich, as well. Just ½ tablespoon of lemon juice provides nearly 20 percent of your daily requirement for the vitamin, while the juice of two lemons gives you your entire daily quota. This powerful antioxidant fights heart disease, bolsters immunity, and forms the collagen needed for healthy ligaments, bones, and blood vessels. For another rose-colored lemonade option, try adding pink grapefruit juice. Compared to yellow grapefruit, the red and pink varieties contain more of the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene. What’s more, a recent study found that people who ate half a grapefruit or drank grapefruit juice three times a day lost more than three pounds over 12 weeks.
As a nice added bonus, the lime juice in this drink actually compounds the benefits of the tea. A study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that adding two to three tablespoons of citrus juice to one cup of green tea increases the amount of catechins (antioxidants) available for digestion by as much as five times.
Pomegranate Spritzer. This sparkler is made with tart, ruby-red pomegranate juice, which is the most antioxidant-rich beverage according to a UCLA study. It even surpasses green tea and red wine, two well-documented antioxidant heavyweights. Pomegranate juice is also a good source of potassium and vitamin C and may offer some protection against Alzheimer’s disease, according to research. Israeli researchers found that when people with diabetes drank pomegranate juice every day for three months, it prevented the absorption of bad cholesterol into certain body cells.
Orange Spritzer. for a frothy, orangey thirst-quencher, you have to try this soy milk spritzer. soy milk contains loads of protein, vitamin d, and b vitamins, and is high in heart-protective isoflavones. a study of 65,000 women found that about two cups of soy milk daily reduced their risk of heart disease by 75 percent and heart attack by 86 percent.
These super healthy refreshers are made with antioxidant-rich green tea, which boosts metabolism and protects against disease. according to a study in the journal of the american medical association, women who habitually drank just over three ounces of green tea daily had a 31 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who drank significantly less. Wait, there’s more. researchers in Japan found that people who drank at least five cups of green tea daily had a 62 percent reduced risk of dying from certain types of strokes. Researchers think that the antioxidants in green tea help keep the platelets from clumping together.
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Healthy living through spirituality 