Liquid Calories

Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman

I am jumping around on topics with this book.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has health concerns or wants to lose weight.  I found a section in this book under food addictions that focuses on liquid calories.  It is easy to ingest calories all day long through pop, fruit juices, and energy drinks (plus adding corn syrup and sugars).  According to Dr. Hyman, "liquid sugar calories are the most addictive 'food' in our diet".  When you look at the statistics that Dr. Hyman gives, it is easy to see how these sweetened beverages add to our health and weight concerns.  Here are the reasons that Dr. Hyman gives us as to why sugar-sweetened drinks are so bad for us:

• If you drink your calories in sweetened beverages, you don't reduce your solid calories to compensate.
• From 1977 to 2002, consumption of calories in sugar-sweetened beverages doubled and is the main source of added sugar calories to our diet.
  
• During that time period, obesity rates doubled in children ages two to eleven and tripled in adolescents from ages twelve to nineteen.
• More than 90 percent of American children and teenagers drink sodas every day. 
  
• The average consumption of sugar-sweetened beverges is 175 calories a day. 
  
• Each can of soda consumed by children per day increases their risk of being overweight by 60 percent.
• In the Nurses' Health Study of 91,249 women, those who had one sugar-sweetened soft drink had an 82 percent higher risk of having diabetes over 4 years.
• When you drink your calories, you don't feel full, so you end up eating more overall.
  

One of the best things that we can do for our health is to increase our water consumption.  Adding fresh lemon, orange, cucumber, cayenne, or other natural flavors can vary the taste.  This is one change that can save money and health at the same time.  I am taking next week off - Happy Spring -