How Sweet it is...

Cast a careful eye on sweetened beverages

As I was enjoying a home-cooked dinner recently, I found myself shifting attention from a conversation my wife and I were having to a few words that suddenly resonated from a nearby television set broadcasting the day’s world news.

I could hear the voice of Brian Williams in the background telling viewers, “And now some research findings that will make you think about consuming that next sweetened beverage.” Of course, anything health-related that appears on the news me as focused as a dog eyeing a meat-encrusted bone, oblivious to anything in my surroundings that might try to compete for my attention.

And so the segment began to segue to the latest research about sugary drinks.

Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and Heart Disease in Women

If you have not heard the latest major research about sugary drinks and health, here it is.

Over a five-year span, researchers mea water costs less than a fraction of a penny per glass.

But the fact remains that for many people, plain old water is boring. Although boring can be cool, at least in this case, there are alternatives for people who want to maintain their hydration.

Drink infused water. You can search the aisles in your local grocery to find waters that are flavored sans the sugar. however, you can make your own naturally-infused water by adding citrus fruits such as lime, lemon or grapefruit to a pitcher of cold water.

Think tea. Whether black or green, caffeinated or decaf, herbal or leaf, or hot or cold, tea is a healthful alternative to sugary drinks. Fruit-flavored teas such as mango and teas that contain cinnamon or vanilla can produce that sought-after sweet-tasting effect.

Try coffee. No calories in coffee. Of course, once it is loaded with cream and sugar, there goes the calorie-free drink. As for those coffeehouse concoctions, they are fine – provided you desire 300 or 400 additional calories.

Flavor your sparkling water. Sparkling juices often contain as many calories as sugary sodas. You can make your own healthful sparkling juice by adding an ounce or two of juice to a 12-ounce glass of sparking soda to minimize caloric intake.

Watch out for those store-produced smoothies. Some of these drinks have exorbitant calorie counts. You can make your own smoothies by mixing ice, sparkling water, berries, bananas and/or other fruits and vegetables in a blender, and thus avoid consuming large numbers of calories.

A Healthful Beverage Plan for You

If you were to consume nothing but water (and, of course, food), your body would