Drinking Your Calories: Beverages for Weight Loss
Everything you put into your body can either fuel you and further your goals, or set you back. When it comes to beverages, this is twice as true! It is easy to consume calories by drinking them, and because they lack fiber, you won’t even feel full. Making mindful choices about whether and when to drink your calories can help you meet your goals.
Drink Water as Your Default Beverage
Here’s a simple switch that can make a big impact! Choose water as your beverage. Every single cell in your body needs water to function, so it’s important to stay hydrated. Sometimes you can mistake thirst for hunger and reach for a snack when actually what your body needs is water.
Start your day with a full glass of water to replenish and hydrate after sleeping, and carry a water bottle with you throughout the day.
If you would like something besides water, here are some beverages to consider. None of these should be a replacement for water, but can be chosen occasionally.
Sparkling water
Adding carbonation to water creates sparkling water. Sparkling water is having a moment, which means there are currently a lot of options available. The best choices are those with minimal flavorings and no added sugar. Make sure you read your labels to know what you are getting.
Herbal Tisanes or Tea, hot or cold
Iced tea doesn’t have to be loaded with sugar. Fill a quart jar with water, add one or two teabags, cover and refrigerate. In four hours or so, you’ll have delicately flavored iced tea ready to drink.
A mug of hot tea can be a great wake-up, the perfect break during the day, or help you wind down at night. Keep your caffeinated teas for earlier in the day to provide a gentle boost for focus, and choose herbal teas after two in the afternoon.
Coffee
Black coffee contains one calorie, and many people relish the caffeine boost, the morning ritual, and the scent and flavor of good coffee. Coffee can cause problems if you consume it too late in the day because the caffeine boost will interfere with your sleep. Keep your coffee for mornings and try to avoid it after two in the afternoon. The other issue with coffee is what you add to it. Adding sugar, syrups, and sweetened milk or cream can turn your cup of coffee into high-calorie, low-nutrient treat—sometimes as much as 400 calories or more in one serving. Take your coffee black, or add just a bit of plain cream or coconut milk rather than sugar or sweetened creamers.
Bone broth
Savory and rich, bone broth can be an excellent pick-me-up at any time of the day. It can be especially tasty after a workout or if you feel you are fighting off something. Bone broth contains vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and usually has between 30 and 50 calories per cup. If you need to watch your sodium intake, homemade bone broth can be lower in sodium.
Kombucha
Kombucha is a drink made by fermenting sweetened tea with a culture called a SCOBY, which stands for “symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.” In that process, the SCOBY uses most of the sugar and caffeine and creates a fizzy, tangy drink that contains beneficial bacteria and B-vitamins. Kombucha usually does still contain some sugar, so be mindful about consuming it. Most bottles are two servings, which contain 30-50 calories each.
Milks
If you tolerate them, dairy milks such as cows’ milk or goats’ milk can offer a nutritional beverage with a balanced profile of fats, protein, and carbohydrates. Eight ounces of milk can give you 150 calories, but unlike soda, those calories are a mix of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Milk is nutrient-dense, which means you don’t need to over do it in order to gain some benefit. However, it is very common to lose the ability to digest milk as you age. This leads many people to plant-based milks such as almond, soy, oat, or coconut. Plant-based milks may do in a pinch, but they come with their own problems. Many of them have less protein than dairy milk, and may be flavored and sweetened. Flavored and sweetened milks, dairy or plant based, can give you more calories than you expect so always read your labels and be mindful about what you are consuming.
Smoothies
Although smoothies can be a great treat, and many do contain some fruit fiber as well as fat and protein from milk, protein supplements, or other additions, they can also be 400 calories per serving, or more. Because they are often sweet, cold, and refreshing, it can be easy to consume far more than you planned.
Juices
Fruit juices are often advertised as “natural” and do contain the vitamins and antioxidants found in fruits, but they also deliver far more sugar than you might expect—a single cup of fruit juice can have as much as 23 grams of sugar, and it doesn’t give you any of the beneficial fiber you get when you eat a whole fruit. If you really want some juice, you can try cutting it with sparkling water or plain water to dilute it, but you’re better off just eating a piece of fruit.
Alcohol
Alcohol has long been known to contain empty calories and little nutritional value. Although wine contains some antioxidants, and stress relief is a real need, the drawbacks to drinking alcohol, especially on a regular basis, should be carefully weighed against these advantages. A 12 ounce serving of beer has an average of 150 calories, whiskey and bourbon have about 100 calories per 1.5 ounce serving, and a 5 ounce glass of wine has about 125 calories. Flavored liquors often have added sugar and can be 160-180 calories per serving, and mixed drinks run the gamut, from about 120 calories in a Bloody Mary to over 500 for a piña colada.
Soda
One can of soda can have as much as 39 grams of added sugar, which means one serving can have 150 calories, most of which come from that added sugar. When you factor in the damage to your teeth that acidic sodas can cause, soda becomes a choice you have to make very deliberately. If it’s the treat you want, you can make that happen but be mindful of what it means! If you just need something to carry around and sip on at the barbecue, maybe a sparkling water serves that purpose just as well.
Energy drinks
Energy drinks can have as much sugar as soda, and as much caffeine as two cups of coffee. The combination of high amounts of caffeine and sugar can make you jittery and anxious. In addition, energy drinks often contain other stimulating substances that haven’t been vetted in clinical trials.
What's the Takeaway?
None of this information is meant to make a hard and fast rule. The knowledge of the ways calories can be consumed can be a tool to help you make choices that align with your goals. Sometimes it’s easy to grab a drink and not think about what’s in it, and what you’re putting in your body. Bringing intention to your beverage choices allows you to choose what you do, and to understand the consequences of that decision. If a pina colada when you’re out on vacation is exactly what you want, indulge! But indulge with knowledge and intention, and weigh those decisions against the goals you have for your health. In addition, pay attention to any mindless habits that might be working against you. Simply switching up your coffee, or skipping the soda with your lunch, might be a daily habit change that can really add up to some progress.
If you’d like one-on-one support with your weight loss goals, the experts at TruBalance are available for in-person or online appointments. TruBalance offers you the personal connection and accountability to help you make balanced choices to reach your goals.