A Drink for Your Life — All You Need to Know (Part I)
I don’t usually write such long articles so I added a small summary at the end for you to read. Today I felt the need to put down in detail how all types of drinks can affect your health. Here you will find the first 5 chapters of this analysis.
1. Calories, Vitamins and Minerals in Beverages
Yes, beverages contain calories. Like food, drinks are made of macro- and micro- nutrients that provide energy and sustain our biological structure. The energy assumed through food is measured in calories and an excess of the latter can result in weight gain. For the same reason beverages that have high sugar levels will then contribute to gaining excess weight too.
We need to be cautious when consuming sugared beverages as drinking them does not quench thirst and we often tend to absorb higher quantity than we need.
Alcoholic beverages are counterproductive for your diet for multiple reasons that will be discussed in detail later on, however, you should know that one molecule of alcohol contains more calories than one molecule of sugar (sugars have 4kcal/gram while alcohol has 7kcal/gram).
Vitamins and Minerals are micronutrients that regulate common functions of the body and that can be supplied to the different organs in case of need. For this reason, it is fundamental for your body to be storing them in abundance. Vitamins can be found in fruits, vegetables and derived products, and minerals can be maintained high by keeping the body consistently hydrated, yet there are still some differences between beverages that you consume daily.
Calories, Vitamins and Minerals are at the base of our wellbeing and the prevention of malnutrition-related diseases such as diabetes. Knowing this you should take better care of the beverages you consume.
Read more to find out how to change your habits to protect your body.
Below you will find useful information about soda drinks, milk, water and other beverages and how to properly choose what to drink.
2. Sodas — fast lane to diabetes
When talking about sodas we refer to sparkling sweetened drinks such as Coke, Fanta, Dr Pepper, etc. As you might have guessed I will make many points against soda drinks and not so many in favour.
I will emphasise the fact that sugary drinks can be addictive.
The intestinal flora in your stomach is composed of bacteria designed to break down any type of food or beverage. Different types of bacteria are assigned to different types of nutrients. By eating more of a particular type of nutrient your body feels the need to increase the production of the specific bacteria that decomposes it to make the digesting process easier. When you eat a large amount of sugars, for example, your stomach will become more prone to decompose this nutrient. The phenomenal piece comes from the fact that living in symbiosis with our body, these bacteria can communicate with our brain and influence our choices. For this reason our brain unconsciously chooses foods that it recognises as easier to digest depending on the current composition of the intestinal flora. After a long period of intestinal flora imbalances we can actually become addicted to particular nutrients, which most often is sugar.
This process can happen with any nutrient (fibres, sugars, fats), although eating an excessive amount of fruits and legumes will not obstruct your health while sugar overdose can actually put you in a fast lane to a diabetic life.
The human body needs about 50–60grams of sugar per day, but it is estimated that the daily consumption in the western diet is of over 200grams per day and this is largely due to the high level of soda drinks that come along our meals.
How much sugar do 100ml of your favourite soda contain?:
8,5 grams of sugar — 7Up
9,2 grams of sugar — Fanta
10,6 grams of sugar — Coca Cola
11,0 grams of sugar — Schweppes
11,5 grams of sugar — Pepsi
12,9 grams of sugar — Sprite
13,3 grams of sugar — Dr Pepper
Can we find a solution against sugar overdose?
Zero-calorie drinks and diet beverages have been around for decades and can be a possible solution. Recently there have been studies to better understand the impact of artificially sweetened drinks on our health, but at the moment there is evidence to neither backup nor abandon the production of these beverages.
Most speculations seem to agree on the fact that assuming large amounts of artificially sweetened foods and drinks might impede our intestine to break down the natural sugars from other sources. Losing the ability to digest sugars, we might though incur other diseases.
I personally limit all sorts of sweetened drinks (artificial or not), but occasionally (once a week) enjoy consuming a can of Irn Bru (get it if you are in the UK) which has only 5,0 grams of sugar in 100ml. In general, though I prefer drinking fruity beverages rather than bubbly, sweet and canned sodas.
3. Alcoholic Drinks — the less the better
When was the last time you turned down somebody offering you an alcoholic drink? Probably never. Although the occasional shot or drink will not affect your health, making the pint of Guinness become part of your routine can have serious consequences.
Some studies have shown that “moderate” consumption of alcohol (such as beer and wine, but not spirits) can actually reduce the risk of diabetes, (wait for my upcoming article about the French Paradox to know more).
This means that one drink of 12ounces (340ml) below 5% alcoholic content per day can help your body, but over 26% of Americans admits getting past this threshold every month.
The problem of alcohol arises from its metabolization: acetaldehyde is the toxic and carcinogenic substance that alcohol releases into our body when decomposed. This substance can either inflame your liver (hepatitis) or bring cancer to multiple organs of your digestive system.
The “moderate” standard presented above can appear quite large or rather small to different individuals, but knowing that alcoholic beverages do not contain any macronutrients and that they can actually cause different diseases should be enough for you to consciously choose how to adjust your consumption.
4. Fruit Juices — stay away from imitations
Fruit juices are one of the most nourishing beverages that also refresh the body. They have two main benefits: the high vitamin content and the fact that they aid toward our “5-a-day” consumption (the amount of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day recommended by the World Health Organization).
The most common vitamins that you can find in a fruit juice are vitamin A (apricot, cherry, peach, apple), vitamin C (kiwi, orange, strawberry) and vitamin E (tomato, spinach, nuts) of which we need (for each of them) between 300 and 700mg every day which can be achieved by consuming one glass of 100% fruit juice (150ml).
100% natural fruit juices are to be preferred to those with artificial flavouring as they are more vitamin dense and contain fewer sugars. Natural fruit juices can count as one of the 5 portions of fruit and vegetables that we should consume daily; in fact, 150ml of juice contains the required nutrients that we would find in a portion of vegetables (80grams).
Fruit juices are a great source of vitamins, but they bring some sugar along with them too. The average glass of juice (150ml) contains between 12grams and 30grams of sugar. In the US and the UK, one glass of juice a day is the recommended amount as excessive consumption of the juice will not count toward your 5-a-day goal. This is because our body needs a wide variety of vitamins and fibres that can’t be found in fruit juice only.
Despite its convenience, there are only a few companies that produce good quality fruit juices. By this, I mean a fruity beverage that is entirely natural, high in vitamins and low in sugars. Most brands make their money by selling beverages with a low percentage of fruit, filled with preservatives and sugar to make them more addictive. Never trust what is inside a fruit juice without actually reading its label. Nowadays artificial flavourings can give any taste to any liquid and might even taste more fruity than a real homemade lemonade.
If you are struggling to reach the 5-a-day mark a limited consumption (one glass a day) of 100% natural or self-pressed fruit juice can be helpful.
5. Milk — where can it come from?
Most of us grew up having the gigantic cereal bowl flooded with cow milk. This was the main source of vitamin D and calcium that assisted our growing bone structure. However about 60% of adults are lactose intolerant (this is because a grown-up human does not have the enzymes to break down lactose as these enzymes are produced during our childhood, but not later on in your life), making this delicious snack only a far memory.
Cow milk is one of the richest types of milk we can find on the shelf of a supermarket: they have great energy content, a good amount of proteins and calcium. It’s great, right? Well, in reality, you shouldn’t consume any. The latest studies show that because of the way bovines are raised their milk contains hormonal imbalances that might foster the formation of cancer.
These studies are not finite as they require a larger sample size; in addition, the consumption of milk doesn’t bring immediate benefits to humans past the age of 20. The same applies to goat milk: it could be a source of weight gain and most adults are intolerant to it and don’t need its nutrients.
Here are in my opinion the three best alternatives to your mug of cow milk:
Almond milk is the lowest calorie milk you can find. This is ideal while following a cutting diet because it contains vitamin A and D, it is lactose-free (of course!) which makes it way less demanding to digest and as a result will help you drop a few pounds.
In case you are allergic to nuts or almonds are not your favourite flavour you can have rice milk which is the least allergenic of all types of milk and it usually has a sweeter taste. Rice milk is often fortified with calcium and vitamin D to make up its nutrient deficits.
For athletes and active people, the milk I would suggest is soy milk. I have been using it regularly for about 2 years and I just love it. This natural milk contains little to none fats and sugars and it is as rich in protein as cow milk. Soy is lactose-free, but it may have other allergens, so always check labels before purchase.
Conclusion — understand what is best for you
Drinking is at the base of the vital functions of the human body. When consuming beverages we should be analytical about what we choose to consume and invest our money in products that nourish the body and make us feel good.
There is no right or wrong recipe and everybody is different. Take your time to find out what makes your body feel good and avoid discomfiting products. If you need inspiration apply what you learnt today.
For instance, don’t buy any more sodas for a couple of weeks or try drinking rice milk or even read the labels of all fruit juices at the local store.
There are many more things to discover about beverages, stay tuned for the second part of this article coming out soon.
Summary (in case you don’t have much time): Beverages contain calories the same way foods do and you should choose carefully what you consume. Sodas and diet drinks are harmful and can cause diabetes. Alcoholic drinks and fruit juices should be assumed in moderate quantities. Consider swapping animal milk for vegetal milk. Take the time to understand what works for your body.
Disclaimer: This article was not written by a qualified nutritionist nor doctor. The writer’s knowledge comes from scientific literature and other online courses. If you have medical conditions refer to your general practitioner.
