Today I am going to start a series looking at healthier choices that you can make in your everyday life. We are going to start by comparing some beverage choices, both at home and while eating out. Choosing healthier beverages can not only help you lose weight, but will make a huge difference in your overall health and mental attitude.
Fruit Juices vs. Soda:
We all know by now that Soda can be a bad choice. High amounts of sugar, combined with a lot of calories and caffeine are not very conductive to healthy living. The problem is that when many people cut back on soda, they replace it with juices. Many recent studies have found that juices are just as bad as soda, especially for children.
Now, there are some benefits from juices, namely the vitamins that you get from them. The problem is that juices contain as much, if not more, sugar as an equal amount of soda, and often time more calories. Parents who don't allow their children to drink soda often substitute juice as a beverage choice, but that may be just as bad.
So, what that all breaks down to is that juice is fine in moderation (other than in children under 1 year old), but isn't a good alternative to sugary drinks such as soda.
Milk:
Ah, the age old question. Is milk good for you? Yes...
and no.
This is one of those things that seem to change every time a new study is released. With that in mind, let's take a look at the basic ups and downs.
First off, it's a well known fact that milk is a great source of calcium. The problem with that is that about two thirds of all adults are lactose intolerant. This means that they lack the enzyme in their digestive system that breaks down dairy products.
Then there's the kidney stone debate. About 12% of Americans are affected by kidney stones. Since about 70% of what is found in a kidney stone is calcium, it was often thought that restricting dairy in your diet would help cut down on the occurrence of kidney stones. The latest information, however, proved exactly the opposite. Of the patients studied, the ones that had the highest amounts of dairy in their diet actually had the fewest occurrences of kidney stones. You can read the findings here, as well as the thoughts as to why this link now makes sense.
We'll pick up on a few more beverage choices in my next blog, such as comparing coffee and tea, and the differences in sport drinks such as Gatorade and the all time favorite drink... water.
Fruit Juices vs. Soda:
We all know by now that Soda can be a bad choice. High amounts of sugar, combined with a lot of calories and caffeine are not very conductive to healthy living. The problem is that when many people cut back on soda, they replace it with juices. Many recent studies have found that juices are just as bad as soda, especially for children. Now, there are some benefits from juices, namely the vitamins that you get from them. The problem is that juices contain as much, if not more, sugar as an equal amount of soda, and often time more calories. Parents who don't allow their children to drink soda often substitute juice as a beverage choice, but that may be just as bad.
So, what that all breaks down to is that juice is fine in moderation (other than in children under 1 year old), but isn't a good alternative to sugary drinks such as soda.
Milk:
Ah, the age old question. Is milk good for you? Yes...and no.
This is one of those things that seem to change every time a new study is released. With that in mind, let's take a look at the basic ups and downs.
First off, it's a well known fact that milk is a great source of calcium. The problem with that is that about two thirds of all adults are lactose intolerant. This means that they lack the enzyme in their digestive system that breaks down dairy products.
Then there's the kidney stone debate. About 12% of Americans are affected by kidney stones. Since about 70% of what is found in a kidney stone is calcium, it was often thought that restricting dairy in your diet would help cut down on the occurrence of kidney stones. The latest information, however, proved exactly the opposite. Of the patients studied, the ones that had the highest amounts of dairy in their diet actually had the fewest occurrences of kidney stones. You can read the findings here, as well as the thoughts as to why this link now makes sense.
We'll pick up on a few more beverage choices in my next blog, such as comparing coffee and tea, and the differences in sport drinks such as Gatorade and the all time favorite drink... water.
