I'm not a huge fan of getting a good portion of calories from liquid sources. Why? It depends on the beverage how nutrient-dense it is, but one thing is universal - when it's in liquid form, you can power it down a lot faster than solid food.
Certain liquids just happen to be super-concentrated sources of calories with almost no nutritional value. Soda and alcohol fall into that category. In fact, alcohol supplies almost as many calories per gram as a stick of butter (7 versus 9). Fruit juice has vitamins and minerals, but the fruit itself has more fiber and takes longer to consume. And that builds in a limitation on volume consumed. We tend to drink until we're not thirsty anymore, and sometimes beyond that point. But the thing is, if you're thirsty, you need more water, plain and simple. The calories are just a bonus.
The biggest mistake many people who are trying to maintain or lose body fat make regarding liquid calories, besides over-consuming and consuming too quickly, is "cannon-balling" their not-quite-completely-chewed food while eating. What better way to eat a lot more, a lot faster, than to "wash it down" with a caloric beverage, right?
That's why I always drink water before meals, and sometimes tea afterward, but never a beverage with a meal (especially dinner.)
So what do I drink?
Water
Non fat milk
V8 juice
Herb tea
Lattes (mostly steamed milk with some decaf coffee)
Smoothies (occasionally)
Sound boring? It's not. I get all the hydration I need, these are the most satisfying beverages to me and when I'm hungry, I don't drink, I eat.
If you just have to have juice, or soda, or something as close to one of them as possible, try this:
6 oz. of your favorite juice mixed with 6 oz. of Lime Calistoga soda water. Delicious and refreshing, with half the sugar and calories that you would otherwise get.
Certain liquids just happen to be super-concentrated sources of calories with almost no nutritional value. Soda and alcohol fall into that category. In fact, alcohol supplies almost as many calories per gram as a stick of butter (7 versus 9). Fruit juice has vitamins and minerals, but the fruit itself has more fiber and takes longer to consume. And that builds in a limitation on volume consumed. We tend to drink until we're not thirsty anymore, and sometimes beyond that point. But the thing is, if you're thirsty, you need more water, plain and simple. The calories are just a bonus.
The biggest mistake many people who are trying to maintain or lose body fat make regarding liquid calories, besides over-consuming and consuming too quickly, is "cannon-balling" their not-quite-completely-chewed food while eating. What better way to eat a lot more, a lot faster, than to "wash it down" with a caloric beverage, right?
That's why I always drink water before meals, and sometimes tea afterward, but never a beverage with a meal (especially dinner.)
So what do I drink?
Water
Non fat milk
V8 juice
Herb tea
Lattes (mostly steamed milk with some decaf coffee)
Smoothies (occasionally)
Sound boring? It's not. I get all the hydration I need, these are the most satisfying beverages to me and when I'm hungry, I don't drink, I eat.
If you just have to have juice, or soda, or something as close to one of them as possible, try this:
6 oz. of your favorite juice mixed with 6 oz. of Lime Calistoga soda water. Delicious and refreshing, with half the sugar and calories that you would otherwise get.
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