Beware what you drink!

This is a topic that we don’t always consider. We have all heard the saying we are what we eat, but don’t think about the fact that what we drink is just as important as what we eat.

We need to drink to survive, but not all drinks are good for us.

Too much sugar can be costly to your health

The biggest danger to our health is that tasty carbonated drink we all love, whether you call is a coke, a pop or a soda depending on what part of the country you live.

I know this may be one of the hardest things to let go of because it has become a mainstay in the American diet. When you go into a convenience store there is rows of every flavor imaginable.

If it is a hot day most of us have been tempted to get a Big Gulp from 7-eleven and really thirsty a 64 ounce Double Big Gulp.

The problem is we are just pouring extra calories into our body that the body can’t use as energy because we already have given the body more than enough with everything else we’ve eaten.

Sodas are mostly sugar and sugar easily breaks down in the body and converts to fat that the body then stores. I’m convinced sugar is one of the worst enemies to the body which is why you will find it isn’t in my diet very often.

On a side note, I’m not a fan of the diet sodas either. Too many studies have shown that the chemicals that they put into those drinks to sweeten them can be as harmful as the sugar, maybe even more harmful.

It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to diet soda. Plus I never did like the taste anyway. Why drink something that leaves a bad taste in your mouth just because it has no calories.

Besides sodas, watch out for any drink with sugar. Southern sweet tea is another drink loaded with sugar.

There are a lot of other drinks that could be listed as well. The point is check the label and be careful how much sugar you are drinking.

What is the alternative?

One thing I decided to do was limit what I would drink to primarily three things. I was already a big coffee drinker and had the advantage of already drinking it black. Since I drink my coffee without cream or sugar that meant no extra calories. I just had to try and not drink too much of it so I wouldn’t get too wired from the caffeine.

My second drink I enjoy is a good hot tea without sugar. With tea you can find a lot of different flavors and find something you personally like. Once in a while I will drink it with one teaspoon of sugar. Just enough sugar for flavor.

Lastly I drink simple pure water. That became my mainstay. I use to hate water but now I have gotten to enjoy it. Growing up, my parents would just give me tap water and I thing that is where I had an aversion to it because that was awful. My wife and I boil a pot of water every day and that is much better. Bottled water tastes fine too. If you still need some flavor I see they also sell flavored water now as well.

I will still have a Coke or Ginger Ale on occasion, but it has become rare. Usually I will only have an average of one soda a month, and that is when we go out to eat. At my home there is no soda to be found.

So that is my advice for this week. This may be the biggest adjustment you need to make to change your lifestyle for a better, healthier you. If I can make the change, I know you can too. As always if you have any question about this article or any question about your diet or fitness journey, send me a message on the contact page.

Have a great week.