Q. I’m trying to avoid sugary drinks to help lose weight, but am unsure if I should avoid energy drinks, since they are supposed to be good for you, especially the ones with vitamins. Are energy, vitamin and/or sports beverages OK to drink?
A. Quenching your thirst with sodas and sweetened drinks is a big diet don’t, since liquid calories may make it harder to regulate your total caloric intake, and therefore can make it easier to gain weight.
Sports and energy drinks also have calorie-containing sweeteners, so they can also contribute to weight gain. In fact, an energy drink is not a true energy drink unless it contains calories, because calories are what provide energy for your body. That means that a very low-calorie, vitamin-infused beverage that calls itself an energy drink, really isn’t one. (One exception: If the drink contains caffeine—a stimulant—then its energy claim may fly.)
Does that mean you should not drink sports drinks? Not necessarily. There are times when you can benefit from them, especially during long or hard workouts. But if you are trying to limit how many calories you consume, it’s probably smarter to be more judicious about the types of calories you take in and try to get the most nutrients per calorie that you can. The 100 to 200 calories you might get from one energy drink would be better if they came from real food such as fruit or whole-grain bread; you’ll get fiber and plenty of nutrients along with the calories.
So what about vitamin-fortified drinks? These drinks may sound better for you than they actually are. Some give you calories from sugar or corn syrup along with the vitamins and minerals that are added. But even those that are low in calories aren’t necessarily providing you with nutrients that you need, especially if you already have a good diet, eat fortified cereals, take a multivitamin or eat any other foods with extra nutrients added.
Whether you need to supplement at all is a bigger question. Studies indicate that most people don’t. While conventional wisdom assumes that supplementing with extra vitamins and minerals can’t hurt, there’s evidence to suggest that they don’t help much.
So if you’re trying to cut calories, drinks that contain calories are probably best avoided. And if you’re trying to meet your quota of vitamins and minerals, it’s best to do that by eating more fresh foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and seeds.
So what should you drink? Water! Water has ZERO calories. Up to 75 percent of your body is made of water, and every single cell needs it to work well. If you are even slightly dehydrated (up to a 2 percent water loss), you may feel tired. So even though, technically, water doesn’t give you energy, by keeping you hydrated it can make you feel more energized. Being well-hydrated makes you look, feel and perform better.
If you are conditioned to crave strongly flavored sweet drinks, here are some tips to make water more palatable:
Add a citrus twist to tap water. Just squeeze in a bit of lemon, orange, grapefruit or lime.
Add cucumber slices to your water, spa-style, for a cool, refreshing flavor.
Although it’s more eco-friendly to drink filtered tap water, if your taste buds don’t love plain old water, experiment with different types of bottled water to find one you enjoy. Each brand can taste quite different.
Add a splash of apple, cranberry or pomegranate juice to your water to give it color and flavor.
Blast a Yoli Truth or FUN blast cap into a bottle of water.
Always look for all natural beverages with No Preservatives, No Sugar, No Artificial ingredients, high in Antioxident values. Yoli offers 2 beverages that fit into this catagory. Truth a citrus flavored SuperFruit blend and FUN a lemon-lime flavored Electro-lite based sports blend (replacement for Gatorade & Powerade). Both Truth & Fun contain a patented proprierty acid reducing product called Alkalete. Beat the soreness, the muscular acidic stress of the daily workout with FUN and Alkalete. Begin your day with Truth and utilize Fun for the daily activities to replenish your body. Your body will love what you are giving it, begin to add Yoli to your water...For information contact us: http://www.lifes-a-blast.goyoli.com/
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