As I was enjoying a home-cooked dinner recently, I found myself shifting attention from a conversation my wife and I were having to a few words that suddenly resonated from a nearby television set broadcasting the day’s world news.

I could hear the voice of Brian Williams in the background telling viewers, “And now some research findings that will make you think about consuming that next sweetened beverage.”   Of course, anything health-related that appears on the news always sparks my interest.  This story had me as focused as a dog eyeing a meat-encrusted bone, oblivious to anything in my surroundings that might try to compete for my attention.

And so the segment began to segue to the latest research about sugary drinks. 

Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and Heart Disease in Women
If you have not heard the latest major research about sugary drinks and health, here it is.

Over a five-year span, researchers measured weight gain, abdominal circumference and glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Women who drank more than two sugary drinks a day had an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes when compared to women who drank less than one soda or sweetened beverage per day. These results occurred even in the absence of weight gain.

It was also significant to note that the same findings were not seen in men. Exactly why sugary drinks did not have the same effect on men is not fully understood. Certainly, this does not give men the green light to consume sugary drinks, as the health consequences are widely known.

Avoiding Sugary Drinks
You probably already know that plain water is the best calorie-free beverage one can drink. Tap water costs less than a fraction of a penny per glass.

But the fact remains that for many people, plain old water is boring. Although boring can be cool, at least in this case, there are alternatives for people who want to maintain their hydration.

Drink infused water. You can search the aisles in your local grocery to find waters that are flavored sans the sugar. However, you can make your own naturally-infused water by adding citrus fruits such as lime, lemon or grapefruit to a pitcher of cold water.

Think tea. Whether black or green, caffeinated or decaf, herbal or leaf, or hot or cold, tea is a healthful alternative to sugary drinks. Fruit-flavored teas such as mango and teas that contain cinnamon or vanilla can produce that sought-after sweet-tasting effect.

Try coffee. No calories in coffee. Of course, once it is loaded with cream and sugar, there goes the calorie-free drink. As for those coffeehouse concoctions, they are fine – provided you desire 300 or 400 additional calories.

Flavor your sparkling water. Sparkling juices often contain as many calories as sugary sodas. You can make your own healthful sparkling juice by adding an ounce or two of juice to a 12-ounce glass of sparking soda to minimize caloric intake.

Watch out for those store-produced smoothies. Some of these drinks have exorbitant calorie counts. You can make your own smoothies by mixing ice, sparkling water, berries, bananas and/or other fruits and vegetables in a blender, and thus avoid consuming large numbers of calories.

A Healthful Beverage Plan for You
If you were to consume nothing but water (and, of course, food), your body would thank you many times over. You would accumulate all the nutrients you need to maintain your health. But with many options in your repertoire, you can drink any number of different kinds of beverages.

With this in mind, a panel of nutritionists at Harvard devised a plan that suggests ways to get less than the recommended 10 percent of daily calories from beverages. This assumes a typical person is consuming 2,200 calories daily.

·         At minimum, half of your daily fluid intake should come from water. If you consume 12 cups of fluid per day, six of those cups should be of water, at minimum. More is fine.

·         About one-third, or three to four cups, can be derived from unsweetened coffee or tea – but remember to avoid the cream and whole milk. 

·         Two eight-ounce glasses of fat-free or low-fat milk are fine, but you will need additional calcium from other foods.

·         Limit the intake of 100 percent fruit juice to four ounces daily.

·         While it is ideal to avoid diet drinks made with artificial sweeteners, one or two glasses per day may be acceptable.

·         And finally, completely avoid drinks sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

There is a famous proverb that says, “Honey is sweet, but the bee stings.” Don’t get stung by consuming those sweetened beverages. Your heart will forever be grateful.

 

Dr. Phil Heit is Professor Emeritus of Physical Activity and Educational Services at The Ohio State University.