I read an interesting article this week on the calories you consume in liquids.I suspect that most people think little of the things they drink during the day and maybe don't realize that those drinks could be ruining their efforts at weight loss.
Though I knew, of course, that there are calories in some of the things I drink, and alot in some of the sweetened drinks, I hadn't thought of the fact that these don't register in the brain when it comes to feeling 'full'. In other words, you can consume alot of calories in liquid form without slowing down your hunger.
Clearly this can be dangerous.
The article I am referring to is titled 'You are what you drink' written by Michael F.Jacobson,Phd., Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest in the Centers magazine Nutrition Action.
Jacobson claims that these sugar and fat laden beverages are dangerous.
Apparently we get about 17 percent of our calories from liquids that we drink.
Juice, pop (soda), milkshakes, smoothies, coffee with large doses of cream and sugar, beer, wine and liquor are all part of the problem.
Fast food restaurants and multitudinous coffee shops (Starbucks ring a bell?) serve up oversized and oversugared beverages. Canadians drink it up and apparently Americans do too!
It seems that because of our evolution (we evolved drinking water and getting our energy from solid food), our brain doesn't recognize that 'full' feeling when we have consumed enough from drinking a liquid.
If drinking water had made our early ancestors feel full, then they might not have consumed enough food.
Simply put, we know when we are thirsty and when we are hungry and it takes different things to satisfy each.
What happens then when we drink a 1000 calorie McDonalds shake?
Well, we go on to eat a Big Mac and fries for another 600 or 800 calories and in one sitting have gagged down many more than we need for the whole day!
But you don't feel like you have eaten the equivalent of 3 meals in one.
Research has shown that pop(soda) drinkers, even diet pop drinkers, are bigger weight gainers, and it has also shown that the artificial sweeteners might not be safe.
What you can do about this, for yourself, is obvious.
Opt for water instead of sugar and fat filled drinks including coffee, pop, milkshakes and liquor.
You can read more on the importance of water in my Essence Of Life - No Calories Added article
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