As the heat picks up we start to see more and more sweet drinks marketed as a refreshing escape from the heat. But before you start a habit of swinging by your local coffee shop to get an iced strawberry lemonade or pop your afternoon soda can, let’s take a look at how this liquid sugar habit can affect you.
Sweet beverages are simple carbohydrates (sugar) in liquid form. Sugar negatively affects your immune function(for more download the Immune Guide) , causes inflammation and when consumed in excess can lead to chronic health diseases, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc. If that isn’t reason enough to stop drinking those seemingly harmless drinks, these sweet drinks will increase your waist circumference.
Sugar and Belly Fat
So why is it that sweetened drinks can cause such destruction? First of all, it is very easy to over-consume sugar when its in the liquid form. Secondly, simple carbohydrates especially in liquid form are metabolized quickly into blood sugar and are therefore more likely to cause an insulin surge. Insulin is a storage hormone secreted from your pancreas to deal with the new blood sugar. The insulin surge cues the body to stop burning fat and start storing it. Enter summer belly fat.
Identify Sugar
In order to shrink your waistline, you must start investigating which of your favorite drinks contain sugar. There are over 60 possible names for sugar in ingredient lists. Look for words like cane juice, dextrin, and corn syrup to identify sugar forms (read a full list here). Below you will find some examples of common sugar-filled drinks and what to drink instead.
Make the Swap
Instead of this > try this!
Sweetened coffee creamer (~ 12 grams of sugar) > 1-2 Tbsp of coconut cream or real heavy cream with stevia
Soda (30g grams of sugar in 1 can) > Zevia or an unsweetened bubble water
Lemonade (~ 29grams of sugar in 16 ounces) > No sugar lemonade (recipe below)
Sweetened peach iced tea (~ 40g of sugar in 16ox) > Iced tea (Hisbiscus, green, or mint) or sparking Sound tea
Margarita (~45grams of sugar in a 4-ounce margarita) > one shot of tequila, juice of fresh lime, bubble water with a salted rim
Apple juice (~28g of sugar in 8 ounces) > berry-infused water
Mango fruit smoothies (~60 grams of sugar in 16 ounces) > Green vegetable-based smoothie
No sugar Lemonade Recipe:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons, I prefer Meyer lemons)
3 1/2 cups cold water
pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia (or more to taste)
ice, for serving
Option for more flavor, add a few lavender sprigs or mint leaves
Make: Pour all ingredients into a large glass. Mix until well combined. Put the ice in a glass and pour lemonade over ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
For more information read: 6 practical Tips for Eliminating Sugar.