Are you drinking yourself fat?

It's not just foody calories that were exposed to that can lead to unnecessary weight gain but also the liquid ones. So the next time you grab yourself a coke, tango, energy drink, flavoured coffee, hot chocolate, alcopop etc, it may be wise to stop and rethink before taking a swig.

Lets look at why they have a negative effect on our body and how they contribute to added weight gain.   

• Drinks (other than water) are 'energy' dense rather than 'nutrient' dense.  This means they give us a quick hit of energy (sugar rush, insulin spikes and crashes, and an overworked pancreas to say the least!) but offer no nutritional value whatsoever.
• The sugar and acid combination in soft drinks causes cavities in our teeth, and leeches calcium from our bones.
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS - extremely bad trans fat) is sometimes used to sweeten soft drinks and this is linked to diabetes.
• All the calories from your sugar laden drinks will lead to obesity.
• Sugary drinks may also contribute to a increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke and kidney damage.
• Your favourite Costa or Starbucks flavoured coffee could be loaded with anything from 300 - 500 calories! It may also contain anything from 10 - 20 teaspoons of sugar! If you have one of these drinks every day, just imagine what that may look like over a week. In fact if this is you I suggest when you get home, grab a teaspoon and packet of sugar and pour out 70 teaspoons of sugar. This may be the minimum amount of sugar your eating just from you favourite drink over 7 days! Could be time to find a different favourite don't you think?

Wanted to look at alcohol separately. There's no doubt that drinking alcohol frequently i.e ladies more than 14 units per week and men more than 21 units per week will inevitably make you gain fat. Lets also consider the following:

• Alcohol inhibits both the fat-burning enzymes and the muscle-building hormones in your body for many hours after consumption. Which obviously is not good if your aim is losing weight or building muscle!
• Alcohol is normally consumed later in the day/evening, a time when your body has the least need for the extra calories.
• Alcohol is seen as poison to your body and obviously wants to get rid as quickly as possible.  While your body is doing this all other processes go on hold, this means the food that you are probably eating now and consequently the next 6 - 8 hours will be stored in your fat banks and kept there until needed for energy.  Which may not be for a while as soon you will become tired and will need a long snooze.
• Alcohol is not an intelligence-enhancing substance and can lead you to make poor late-night food choices, i.e burger, hot dog and fries from your local van man, takeaway, kebab etc.
• Alcohol contains a lot of calories (7 calories per gram) with very little, if any, redeeming nutritional value.

Also found this interesting link on what happens to your body when you drink Coke, if you are a Coke drinker this is a must read.  Follow the below link. http://www.nutritionresearchcenter.org/healthnews/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/

I think the last thing to say on the subject, a little like our food choices, the key is moderation.  Perhaps don't indulge in these things every day, just have them as a reward 2 or 3 times a week or look for alternatives.  They are out there, just get into the habits of reading labels and remember when it comes to sugar if a product has more than 15g per 100g its probably not a great choice!

Till next time,

Amanda