Re-Think Your Drink
Do you know what the single most toxic food is? You guessed it, SUGAR! All-day long, people will tell me, “I don’t eat that much sugar.” Yes, you do! How do I know? It’s in everything! The extra ten or twenty pounds you’re carrying around isn’t excess fat, it’s excess sugar. One primary source of sugar…your drinks. It’s time to rethink your drink.
Rethink Your Drink
Classic Coke
Classic Coca-Cola is pure sugar going into the system. So, how many grams of sugar are in a bottle of Coke?
There are 65 grams of pure sugar bombarding your body, immediately causing inflammation. You’re also consuming the liquid that many will use to loosen rusty bolts or to clean their toilet bowls due to the phosphoric acid in it.
Alternative Option: There’s no alternative to soda. If you absolutely have to have one use Zevia, this is a stevia-based soda.
Starbucks
In a Starbucks store version drink, there are 46 grams of sugar in one bottle. (If you go into a Starbucks and get a Frappuccino, it’s going to be the same amount.) That’s WAY over the amount of sugar you should intake.
Alternative Option: Organic Coffee sweetened with stevia. You can even add in full-fat coconut milk for that frothy experience. Try making a healthy pumpkin spice latte yourself!
Naked Smoothie
A Naked brand (or similar) Smoothie has 55 grams of carbohydrates and 49 grams of pure sugar going into your body. It is a sugar bomb! Be aware of smoothies or juice drinks because they are going to be loaded down with more sugar than you think!
Alternative Option: Make your own. Try my favorite here!
Gatorade
Outside of being extremely toxic, Gatorade is absolutely loaded with sugar. The bottle is deceiving. It says that it has 21 grams of sugar. If you go back to the serving size (12 fluid ounces) you’ll find three servings in this one bottle. That makes over 60 grams of sugar! This drink has been marketed as a “sports drink”, but the reality is that this much sugar will actually decrease your performance and deplete your body of nutrients every time it’s consumed.
Alternative Option: Use a natural electrolyte to rehydrate….sea salt or Livingood Daily Strawberry Lemonade Energyze. A 1/4 tsp of high-quality sea salt in water or in a spray is the perfect recovery drink. Strawberry Lemonade is the perfect alternative to Gatorade. It uses clean ingredients and has a delicious flavor. It’s formulated with magnesium, taurine, and d-ribose to keep you hydrated and your cells refreshed!
Vitamin Water
Many people assume this drink is good because it has the word “Vitamin” in its name! Don’t you think they knew that when they put that on there? “Vitamin” makes you think it’s healthy. It’s owned by Coca-Cola, and it contains 32 grams of sugar – that’s over half of what you should be getting per day, and definitely the wrong direction if you want to lose weight.
Alternative Option: Infused water. Try it for yourself!
V8 Juice
In a bottle of V8 Juice that you may drink throughout the entire week, there are 14 grams of sugar per serving. The serving size is 8 fluid ounces and I guarantee that you’re drinking at least that much, if not more. This means that in an entire bottle, there are over 6 serving sizes, putting it well over 60-80 grams of sugar! Diabetes in a bottle!
Alternative Option: Vegetables, eat them with every meal and you will get the fiber and nutrients that you need! Have a hard time getting veggies in? Make your own green juice.
Sweet Tea
The south, where I live, especially loves sweet tea. It’s sold in bottles in every grocery and convenience store. It’s listed as “real brewed tea, pure leaf, flavored with natural flavors”. On the front, it looks very natural, boasting that it’s never from powder, has no artificial sweeteners, and makes people feel really good about drinking it.
Flip it over! You’ll find these teas have up to 41 grams of sugar in one bottle. You might as well eat a bag of sugar. Drinking these tea drinks flips on the fat-forming system!
Alternative Option: Brew tea at home and sweeten it with stevia and lemon. It will be healthier and you’ll save money! Or try sugar-free lemonade.
Summary
The bottom line is, always read the label of anything you consume. The 7 drinks above are ones that most people are constantly putting into their bodies. We didn’t even cover alcohol, beer, or wine as those are huge amounts of damaging sugars going into the system.
Rethink your drink, don’t be fooled by what “should be” or “seems” healthy, know what you’re putting in your body. Health must be built and you’re worth it!
