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7 “Harmless” Drinks You Must Avoid to Stay Healthy
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EVeryone looks to fruits and vegetables to improve their health or to work on losing weight, but people rarely think about the things they are drinking throughout the day. Liquids may seem harmless; after all, they end up in the toilet pretty quickly, don’t they? It is true that most liquids exit the body via urine, however, long before it passes through your body; it travels through your system, leaving behind its toxic chemicals, excess sugars, and/or overload of calories in its wake. Here is a list of the top 7 dangerous drinks you should avoid at all costs.
1. Energy Drinks
This might give you the pick me up you are looking for in the afternoon but at 280 calories and more than 60 grams of sugar, this is like eating half a dozen glazed doughnuts! Although all energy drinks contain some sugar, Rockstar is a sugar avalanche. Energy drinks are being studied by the FDA after complaints of fainting, mental problems, and possibly stroke.
Energy drinks are sure to cause unintended weight gain and huge spikes in blood sugar. This is something your body definitely does not need.
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2. Bottled Flavored Water
Although water sounds like it’s healthy, and many flavored waters make claims that they contain vitamins but it’s what they don’t tell you that can harm you. Flavored bottled water either use sugar or worse, artificial sweeteners as part of their flavoring.
Always be sure to read the label and see if your water contains sugars, artificial colors, artificial flavors, or artificial sweeteners. Rather than consume all those unwanted things, add a little fresh squeezed juice in some purified water instead.
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3. Hot Chocolate
Ok, this might sound like a no-brainer, chocolate mixed with milk or cream with those little sugary marshmallows? Everyone knows it’s not a health drink but what you didn’t know is just how bad some of those hot chocolates really are.
Starbucks sells a White Hot Chocolate with whipped cream, venti size, which will blow you away with its contents. 520 calories and 75 grams of sugar. That is one week of a persons recommended sugar consumption and almost half a day’s calories in one drink!
If you really have a craving for a hot chocolate, try some of the drink mixes and use nonfat milk.
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4. Soda, including fruit flavored
You might be under the impression that colas are somehow worse for you than other “flavored” sodas or perhaps you believe that all sodas are somehow equally bad, but again, this is not the case.
Although it is true that all sodas get their sweetness from sugar, fruit flavored sodas seem to use more sugar than the colas, and Sunkist is the top offender. With 320 calories and 84 grams of sugar, you could eat an entire 6 pack of ice cream sandwiches and still not reach that level of sugar high.
Along with the artificial colors yellow number 6 and red 40, this is just trouble in a pretty orange can. Avoid sodas whenever possible and opt for sparkling water with a twist for a healthy choice.
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5. Bottled Tea
Drinking tea sounds like a healthy alternative to sodas, but they really aren’t. Although bottled teas may actually have few chemicals than home brewed tea, they also have none of the antioxidants and polyphenols that are so good for you. Factory made teas remove the bitter tasting polyphenols, which are cancer fighting agents, and replace them with sugar, something no one needs more of.
Make your own tea at home and carry it in a reusable container.
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6. Frozen Alcoholic Mixed Drinks
Some folks don’t like the taste of beer or wine and opt for those fruity little drinks, especially the frozen ones. What you didn’t know is those sweet drinks sometimes have more calories than the meal you are ordering for dinner!
Fruit flavored margaritas and daiquiris are usually the worst offenders, and they rarely have any fruit in them either as most are made from a mix.
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7. Milk Shakes
This sounds like another no-brainer, milk shakes aren’t healthy, everyone knows. Admit it though, sometimes you order one anyway. You are correct, no milk shake is healthy but some are worse offenders than others.
McDonalds Triple Thick Chocolate shake is a prime example. It’s one of the top selling shakes in America even though it packs 1,160 calories (large size) and 168 grams of sugar. You could eat 12 of McDonald’s apple pies and still not reach that level of calorie and sugar intake! All milk shakes are loaded with sugar, fat, and calories, so why not skip them entirely and give your body a break today.
Dapple
Apr 14, 2014 at 12:04 am
Too late to stop now. MMMM Hot chocolate.
Aaron Winchester
Sep 4, 2014 at 4:36 am
I would hate to go places with these person!
They think that because it might be unhealthy you should never eat it or in the case drink them.
News flash no one cares ,stop trying to force you no sugar no taste opinion on everyone!
Diane Champion Brocker
Sep 9, 2014 at 3:58 pm
they’re not take it for what it’s worth if you don’t care, fine.
Caitlin Werling
Sep 11, 2014 at 3:15 pm
Agreed…total buzzkill…
Josie Gimhaegim
Sep 6, 2014 at 2:46 pm
only if you drink a tonne of them. as with tea and coffee and everything else in moderation it is fine. what nitwit wrote this
Jacob
Sep 8, 2014 at 11:08 pm
“500 calories – nearly half a days worth of calories in one drink” umm..what? Please stop starving yourself 1000 calories a day isn’t a diet it’s a death wish. 2000 is average depending on a few factors but for an adult it should go under that really. And for the record you’re calling out a 32 ounce (4 cup) drink as having that much WITH whipped cream – skip the cream, cut it in half to a regular sized drink and its no worse than the average candy bar. Also don’t say to never drink these – it’s just not realistic. we know they are unhealthy so we drink in moderation. never go on a diet you can’t live your whole life with – about the best advice I can give you.
Caitlin Werling
Sep 11, 2014 at 3:03 pm
So pretty much every drink that isn’t water…
Barancy Peloma
Sep 15, 2014 at 6:14 am
yep- exactly what i was thinking.
anything with flavor- to be avoided.