Are you watching your meals and still gaining the odd pound? The Journal of the American Dietetic Association has reported that the average American gets 22 per cent of calories and 50 per cent of sugar from non-alcoholic beverages! Most drinks, be it a juice drink, smoothie, a serving of coffee, hot chocolate, or pop could be providing you as many calories as a filling mid-meal snack.
As calories from liquids do not fill us in the same way as calories from food, we tend to consume more liquids and hence often more unwanted calories. Sedentary lifestyles do not allow us to burn these calories and evolutionary biology geared towards saving us from dehydration does not let us recognise their consumption.
Researchers agree that serving size is the key to reducing calories from liquids in our diets. Of course, remember not to substitute solid food with drinks and if you are thirsty, just help yourself to a glass of clear water.
Read: Swigging Down the Calories
