WANT TO SABOTAGE YOUR DIET? DO THIS!

I talk a lot about drinking water, right? I blog about it, tweet about it, and often post news and articles on drinking pure fresh water on my Facebook news page.

I talk about it in my book, FibroWHYalgia, too.

Drinking an adequate amount of water every day is a great way to improve your digestion and absorption of nutrients, reduce pain, and create better mental clarity, etc. All good things, right?

When you think about it, drinking – anything – is the fastest way to consume foods/nutrients. For example, drinking a green smoothie is much quicker than eating the equivalent amount of greens in a salad. (That’s a topic for a future blog.)

The point I’m making here is that drinking is lightning fast. Before you can think “Open wide and down the hatch,” you can consume 8, 12, or maybe even 16 ounces of a favorite beverage.

Therefore – when it comes to beverages – choose wisely!

Most people pay attention, to some degree, to the amount of what they eat. They may have a rough idea of calorie count or could at least guess at how much they’ve consumed, but many have no idea of how many calories they drink. It seems like this is an unwritten rule, “If we can drink it, it’s calorie-free.” I think that goes in the same rulebook as the “Calories don’t count if you eat them standing up” rule.

When I do school nutrition demonstrations, I point out to students, teachers, and parents this example. I let them know how much sugar is in a can of orange soda. I show them a pile of candies that represents the equivalent amount of sugar. I then ask, “Why is it OK for this drink to be part of a meal?” As if they go together harmoniously. I then ask if they’d consider putting this same amount of candy on their plate as part of the meal. It’s an “out of sight out of mind” scenario.

And, if you think you’re doing better by drinking 100% fruit juice, read pages 70-71 in my book, FibroWHYalgia.

When I do workshops, I point out that I drink water 99.9% of the time. I go to restaurants and typically bring my own (because I have confidence in the filtration system that I use). Drinking water is the fastest, easiest way to assure that I’m giving my body what it needs in a beverage.

Workshop attendees always want to trip me up, as if they believe it’s completely impossible to drink water all the time. They ask, “But, do you drink juice?” Nope, water. “Blended coffees?” Nope, water. “Gatorade?” Nope, water. “Bottled lemonades/teas?” Nope, water. They ask, “What do you drink when you’re on a vacation or a trip?” Er, water. They have water in most U.S. states now. I think it’s constitutional law or something.

Sometimes we tend to make things more complicated than they really are. Sure, I sometimes enjoy tea sweetened with a bit of stevia. And occasionally, I make my own concoction resembling a hot mocha. But – again – water is my mainstay.

Consider that nearly every packaged beverage contains sugar and/or a sugar substitute (blech!). Neither is healthy. Sodas, canned/bottled flavored teas and juices, sports drinks, coffee drinks, shakes, etc. all contain copious amounts of sugar, not to mention other unsavory and damaging ingredients.

Don’t get caught in the trap of drinking your calories!

Now – here’s a short video with “food” for thought! Drinking 93 Packets of Sugar

The only recommendation I disagree with at the end of this short video is the suggestion to drink fat free milk. Low fat or fat free products should be avoided. Fat is a VERY important nutrient that many of us lack. Healthy fats (i.e., olive/coconut oil, avocado, etc.) should be part of our everyday diets. I’m also not a fan of pasteurized dairy, but that’s also a blog post for another day.

So – when you reach for your next beverage – what’s it gonna be? Glug, glug .. drink up me hearties Yo-Ho!