By Team Best Life
Think about it: Your choice of beverages 100 years ago was pretty much limited to milk, water, coffee and tea. The same goes for the span of human history prior to that. Sugary drinks are a 20th-century phenomenon, and the very modern toll they take on our bodies encompasses more than just obesity.
Here are a few facts to help keep the sugar you drink in check.
Sugar’s effects are multifaceted. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and disorders that affect our metabolism can all be attributed to over-consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).
It starts early. The SSBs and fruit juice children consume are responsible for up to 15 percent of their daily caloric intake.
Sugar is directly correlated to obesity. Only 47 percent of women who drank less than one sugary drink per week were overweight; compare that to 70 percent of women who drank more than one.
We’re drinking more sugar than ever. In our lifetime, American consumption of SSBs has seen an increase of more than 200 percent.
It’s sweeter than we realize. Even one 12-ounce serving—a single can of SSB—contains about 10 teaspoons (or almost a quarter-cup) of sugar. And that’s without super-sizing. Can you imagine putting that much sugar in your coffee?!
It’s a worldwide problem. Across the globe, SSBs contribute to 180,000 deaths.
Even a little is a lot. Studies show that drinking even one sugar-sweetened beverage per month translated to an 83 percent greater risk of developing diabetes.
Does banishing SSBs altogether seem insurmountable? You’re not alone. To control the sugar in your liquid diet, go back to basics. Make water your primary beverage or keep unsweetened iced tea in your fridge. Bring a water bottle wherever you go so you’re not tempted to quench your thirst with sugary sips. Satisfy a craving for fruit juice by going straight to the source—real fruit. Like carbonation? Get your fizzy fix from unflavored sparkling water. And try to limit soda and sweetened juice to only very, very special occasions.
Also Read:
The Rookie Diaries: What I Learned from My Week Without Added Sugar