by Brian Lamacraft

Created on: January 19, 2009

We live in a society of soda, coffee, beer and so called fruit juice. The truth is that these drinks are a big contributor to weight gain due to the fact they are consumed several times a day and often in large quantities. There are several alternatives to these drinks that will drastically cut back on the calories.

The first one is to eliminate the sugar you put in coffee. The best option is black or cream only. While this might take some getting used to it is possible to do. You could use a natural sweetener if you like but it is still better to go without. If you must have sugar in your coffee try to have only one or two cups like this each day. The same for any tea you might drink.

Try to drink plain water as much as possible. The flavored waters are just artificial sweeteners and additives. You can make your own flavored water by adding fruit juice from fresh fruit and mixing it into your water bottle to have during the day.

Sodas should be eliminated all together as well as diet soda. These drinks offer no nutrition what so ever and are full of sugar. The calories in these drinks consumed over a day or week can really rise dramatically. The best alternative to these drinks is plain or flavored water you make yourself.

Most juice you buy at the store is not juice at all but sugar with only a small amount of real juice. We often have orange juice with breakfast. Instead of the juice just eat the orange. If you want juice the best option is to eat the fruit itself. It is both satisfying and thirst quenching at the same time. Plus most fruit can be carried easily in a bag or briefcase. During your break you can consume the fruit and get a healthy snack as well as quench your thirst. I would eliminate fruit juices all together and stick to plain fruit or squeeze your own juice with a juicer. While some juice may have some nutritional benefit it is still better to eat the real fruit itself and not the bottled juice at the store.

Alcohol should be consumed in moderation and only one or two servings at the most. Beer has a lot of calories. If you do drink be sure to consume more water to avoid getting dehydrated. Small amounts of alcohol especially red wine has been shown to have some nutritional benefits. While it is fine to go out and have a drink to wind down it needs to be a moderate amount and with lots of water.

It does take some effort to eliminate the high calorie drinks from your diet but it can be done. You may miss them at first but you will be doing wonders for your overall health. Consume more water or flavor it with real fruit juice. Eat whole fruits in place of juice. Cut back or eliminate completely the sugar from coffee and tea. Consume moderate amounts of alcohol with red wine being the first choice.

The point is to try to drink healthy as much as possible. You can still have a pop or two if you like just as a special treat at a birthday or a dinner out. Don't make these high sugar drinks your first option..

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