Have you heard the term “liquid calories? ” The calories we drink that go straight down with no chewing required?

The calories we drink on a day-to-day basis do count in a big way. Oh here we go now we have to watch what we drink also? Well….

5 Points to consider about liquid calories:

1. Liquid calories don’t seem to register in the stomach like food calories do, so they don’t satisfy hunger as well. The next time you drink a high-calorie beverage, check in with your stomach an hour later. How do you feel? Are you still satisfied?

2. Watch the high-fructose corn syrup. some experts say that part of the rise in obesity in the United States is due to our rising consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in many soft drinks, fruit juices, and sports drinks.

3. Excess calories contribute to obesity, of course, and full-calorie soda is no doubt adding excess calories to many of our diets.

4. It is better to eat your carbohydrates than to drink them. A Purdue University study showed that significant weight gain may occur when we consume carbohydrates as liquids rather than as solid food.

5. The bottom line to alternative sweeteners. Environmental Nutrition suggests consider switching to products that use a less controversial sweetener like sucralose (Splenda) or a sucralose blend” and avoid low-calorie foods sweetened with aspartame.

Cutting back on sweetened drinks really doesn’t have to be a big sacrifice. Very-low calorie beverages can be refreshing and delicious.

Moderation, moderation, moderation.

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Two recipes to try:

50/50 Fizzy Water
3/4 cup seltzer water, club soda, or fizzy mineral water
1/4 cup orange juice (as fresh as possible)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add water, orange juice, and vanilla extract to a large glass and stir. Add ice cubes as desired.

Lemon Ginger Iced Green Tea
2 cups water
1 cup Splenda low-calorie sweetener
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 green tea bags
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Add water, Splenda, ground ginger, and lemon peel to medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to where it sustains a gentle boil and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and add the green tea bags. Steep this tea mixture for 10 minutes, stirring or dunking the bags often.
Remove tea bags and stir lemon juice into the tea liquid. Cover and refrigerator for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
To make a cup of iced tea, pour 1/4 cup of the concentrated tea mixture into a tall glass and stir in 3/4 cup of sparkling or seltzer water or club soda.

Again, moderation is the key.

Stay active, stay healthy!