The Negative Effects of Consuming Sweet Beverages and what to do
Your Sweet Drink Is Making You Fat
Are you an habitual consumer of sugar-sweetened beverages? Do you like consuming these beverages along with each of your meals? If yes, that's probably because you aren't aware of the side effects of consuming these unhealthy beverages. Read on to learn what sugary drinks are, the side effects of consuming them, and discover the best alternatives to these unhealthy sugary beverages.
What are Sugar-Sweetened Beverages?
Any liquid sweetened with various forms of added sugar such as brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, honey, malt syrup, or raw sugar is named a sugar-sweetened beverage. Some examples of sugar-sweetened beverages are fruit drinks, sweetened water, energy drinks, sports drinks, Starbucks flavored coffees, and sweet tea.
A regular 12-ounce can of soda contains about 39 grams of sugar, almost three times more than a Krispy Kreme glazed donut, and still, people are drinking several cans of these beverages daily. Excessive usages of these beverages add tons of calories, sugar, and extra weight each year.
8 Adverse Effects of Drinking Sugar-Sweetened Drinks
Sugar-sweetened beverages contain excessive amounts of added sugar, which is poisonous for your mind and body. Excessive consumption of these drinks leads to several diseases, including weight gain, heart diseases, kidney issues, tooth decay, and many other health complications. These drinks are a major hurdle in your fitness goals. Let's discuss some of the drawbacks of drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.
1. Sugary Drinks Lead to Weight Gain
It is quite a common fact that sugary beverages lead to weight gain and obesity. This is probably because of the type of calories found in sodas and fizzy drinks. A single can of soda contains 140 calories but is of no use to satisfy hunger.
Furthermore, sugary drinks can contain a high amount of fructose which fails to lower the hunger hormone ghrelin as glucose does.
Studies suggest that drinking sugary drinks is amongst the most fattening aspects of the modern diet. If you drink a sugary sweet drink after every meal for 30 days, you may end up gaining more than three pounds at the end of the month.
2. Drinking Sugary Beverages Causes Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a significant health concern affecting millions of individuals worldwide. The disease is characterized by increased blood sugar due to insulin resistance or deficiency. Excessive intake of sugar leads to insulin resistance which in turn leads to type 2 diabetes.
On the contrary, studies suggest that limiting the consumption of sugar reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
3. Sugary Drinks Cause Leptin Resistance
Leptin is a hormone produced by the body’s fat cells. It regulates the number of calories a person eats and burns. Leptin levels change, responding to starvation and obesity. That's why leptin is called the starvation hormone.
Studies suggest sugar intake leads to leptin resistance which is the leading driver of fat gain in humans. So, it is essential to avoid consuming sugary drinks so that you can prevent leptin resistance. Bottom line; sugar increases appetite and craving for high carb foods which are usually junk.
4. Sugary Drinks Increase the Risk of Developing Heart Diseases
One of the significant drawbacks of consuming sugary drinks is that they often lead to heart complications such as high blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, and much more. Drinks that contain excessive sugar, disrupt heart functioning and increases the risk of developing heart diseases.
The British Medical Journal explains that drinking sweetened sodas often leads to heart failure. Furthermore, heart failure is strongly linked to obesity and uncontrolled blood pressure. And we are well aware of the fact that excessive drinking of sodas often leads to obesity and elevated blood pressure. Resultantly, the risk of developing heart disease increases significantly.
5. Destroys Your Gut Health
Doctors claim that gut health is of utmost importance and plays the most crucial role in maintaining overall health. The bacteria present in your intestines can affect everything, including your digestive health and mental stability.
When you are drinking sugary beverages, you provide the food to the harmful bacteria that reside in your belly. Also, the good bacteria do not get enough feed to keep healthy and grow. Healthy guts equate to slim waists.
6. Sugary Beverages are Disastrous for Your Dental Health
You might have heard that sugary drinks disrupt your dental health, and this is quite true. Sodas contain phosphoric and carbonic acid, which create a highly acidic environment in your mouth. This acidic environment makes your teeth vulnerable to decay.
The acids in these sodas are harmful themselves, but their combination with sugar makes them even more disastrous. The sugar in these sodas provide digestible energy for the bad bacteria in your mouth, which combines with the acids and disrupts your dental health over time.
7. Drinking Sugary Drinks Leads to Depression and Anxiety
It might appear strange, but it is a well-known fact that excessive drinking of sugary drinks causes depression and anxiety. Sugar negatively reacts with the amino acids accompanying serotonin (the happiness chemical).
Furthermore, sugar damages the amino acids, which resultantly become unavailable, reducing the amount of serotonin in the brain. Over time, this leads to feelings of depression and anxiety. That's how sugary drinks increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Are Sports Drinks and Sweet Teas A Good Alternative to Sugary Drinks?
So what about sports drinks, sweet teas, fruit juices, and other such beverages? Are they healthy enough to be consumed? The answer is No; they are not.
Many people mistakenly believe that they only need to avoid soda and it's ok to consume sports drinks or sweet teas. Actually, this claim is not valid. Studies suggest that sports drinks comprise around 26% of total sugar-sweetened beverage intake among adolescents. Although sports drinks contain less sugar than soda, sweet tea, fruit juice, etc; they still contain added sugar.
Sweet tea is another unhealthy beverage that is widely being consumed, especiallly in the Southern United States. People are consuming this beverage without knowing that it significantly increases their sugar intake, increasing triglyceride levels and increasing their likelihood of becoming obese.
So, if you want to enjoy a healthy life and protect yourself from chronic illness it's time to ditch all sugar laden beverages and shift to healthier options.
Best Alternative to Sugary Drinks
Having understood the adverse effects of drinking sugary beverages, you might be wondering what the best alternatives to these unhealthy beverages are. Let's find out.
Water is undoubtedly the healthiest beverage and always stays at the top of the list when listing the best beverages. If you want to enlighten your experience, you can add some fresh fruits or vegetables and let them sit in the refrigerator to get an infused drink.
Some fruits or vegetables that you can add to spice up your water are; watermelon, mint, basil, blueberry, or orange.
Some other healthy beverage choices are herbal tea, coconut water, sparkling water, and green tea. While choosing sparkling water, make sure you carefully look at the ingredient list and opt for the one that does not contain any artificial additives or sweeteners.
Drink To Shrink.....Your Waist
Start everyday with 1-2 large glasses of fresh lemon water. Squeeze by hand, keep it simple.
Start replacing your sugar drinks with water, especially during meals.
Sugar is highly addictive. Reducing slowly over time might work better for some people. The goal is to steadily and systematically replace sugary drinks with water.
Think of sugary drinks as a treat you have once in awhile, not everyday.
The other overlooked benefit of replacing sugary drinks with water is the reduction of daily caffein intake. Lower caffein intake lowers stress hormone levels which also helps reduce waist size. Removing caffeinated sugar drinks has a compounding effect that will shrink your mid section.
Follow these simple tips and you will see your waist size shrink in weeks. It is truly incredible how damaging sugar is.
Good luck and always remember Prana Fitness GT Coaches are here to help you with your health & nutrition challenges.