Hydration: The Good, The Bad and The Don’t Ask

We’ve all gotten the message that it is important to hydrate throughout the day. There are so many options, it can sometimes seem like a task to select the best, or at least the close-to-healthy beverages. Here is an overview of some of the more popular liquid refreshments and how they rate (hint: they are in “select first-to-avoid these” order here).

Water

Hydrating, inexpensive and sugar-free: water is the best choice for drinking over the day. If you would like to jazz up your water intake, think about adding muddled mint, lemon, lime, tangerine or orange slices, either fresh, or in the form of flavored ice cubes. Foods with high levels of water are hydrating and have some nutrient content.. Cucumbers, jicama, lettuce, watermelon, strawberries and tomatoes (and fresh salsa) are loaded with water but also contain fiber, vitamins and minerals. Foods that are prepared with water, such as hot cereal, broth, rice and pasta can add some hydration to the daily intake.

Coffee or Tea Without Too Much

Although drinking large amounts of caffeine found in tea and coffee might damage health, including moderate amounts of tea or coffee has been linked to benefits for reducing the onset of some diseases.

Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. If this is the case, try decaffeinated version of coffee or tea, or a half and half (half caff, half-decaff) combination. Just as a note: adding five teaspoons of sugar (or honey) to beverages throughout the day is equivalent to including five cookies or two candy bars (!). If adding a splash of “whitener,” select low- or non-fat dairy or non-dairy milk, or powdered milk, to keep the calories down.

Sugar Free Beverages

Beverages with artificial sweeteners can provide a sweet taste but shouldn’t have an effect on blood sugar levels. Although artificial sweetening means fewer calories, the jury is still out about whether this will lead to weight loss. Sugar-free drinks are still acidic, due to the carbonation, which can damage teeth.

Fruit Juice

One 4-ounce (½ cup) glass of unsweetened juice can count as one of your daily servings of fruit. A 4-ounce glass of orange juice can contain the equivalent of three oranges and their vitamins, but without the fiber obtained when actually eating fruit. This serving size would include the equivalent of 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. Perhaps using a “splash” of fruit juice to perk up iced tea or sparkling water, could be a way to stretch your fruit juice enjoyment. As a note, certain medications, such as calcium channel blockers and statins and grapefruit juice, for example, don’t mix.

Tonic Water

Tonic water is “soda” by another name. Tonic water may be consumed in smaller amounts than, say, cola, but it has about the same amount of sugar. Tonic water gets its bitter taste from quinine. This may interact with some medications, so check with your pharmacist or healthcare provider. And, just in case you are asking, ginger ale has a fairly similar amount of sugar, about 7 grams of sugar per 5 ounces of soda, compared to other sodas.

Colas

A can of regular cola contains seven teaspoons of sugar (35g), so if you drink this regularly…what else can we say? For an occasional treat, try a sugar-free cola instead or, better yet, explore some jazzed–up water or unsweetened tea or coffee.

Energy Drinks

While marketing suggests that these drinks will give you more energy, there aren’t any approved claims that consuming food and drinks supplemented with amino acids or other “energy” ingredients can help to reduce fatigue, enhance endurance, help with energy metabolism or act as an antioxidant. Actually, the energy in energy drinks mainly comes from sugar and/or caffeine. If you are drinking this type of drinks to energize yourself for, say, a run or an exercise session, be aware that the extra sugar could mean consuming more calories than you burn,

‘Zero’ or ‘diet’ versions of energy drinks are also available, using sweeteners instead of sugar, so they’re a better choice in terms of calories. But if you are relying on these drinks regularly as a pick-me-up it might be better to try to tackle the reasons why you feel low on energy.

As a side-note, some countries, including the UK and Canada, do not sell energy drinks to children under the age of sixteen.

Coffee Beverages

Whether chocolate or flavored coffees such as hazelnut or salted caramel, sugary ingredients plus the full-fat milk and/or cream on top makes these indulgent drinks high in calories from sugar and saturated fat. A large caramel-flavored blended coffee drink, for example, could have more than three times the calories of a cola (and cola’s not exactly a wonderful choice). Unfortunately, “iced” versions of these drinks aren’t any lower in fat and calories.

 Not to rain on your beverage parade, but there are some modifications that can cut down on the calories, saturated fat and sugar. Ask for drinks to be made with low-fat milk and sugar-free syrups and avoid the sprinkles or other garnishes. Keep whipped cream on top for an occasional treat and ask for a small amount rather than the regular serving. If you’re at home, make a heart-healthy hot chocolate by mixing unsweetened cocoa powder with hot low-fat milk (it’s not as boring as it sounds, really!).

Milk Shakes

A regular ice cream milkshake can have twice the calories of a similar sized full-sugar cola, but if you go for extras such as chocolate or other add-ins, the calories go even higher.

Even regular milkshake drinks without ice cream will be high in sugar – some contain 10 tsp of sugar in a single bottle.

Please contact Nancy at foodprof2@gmail.com for nutrition questions or to suggest a topic for an upcoming column