Think Your Drink
Soda and sugary drinks have empty calories. Kids and adults who drink too much of them don't get the vitamins and minerals they need. Some people are surprised to find out how many calories they’re drinking. Here’s a typical drink intake for one family in a day.
Mom
| McDonalds McCafe Nonfat Mocha/Large | 330 calories |
| Coca Cola /24 ounces | 290 calories |
| Sweetened Iced Tea / 16 ounces | 200 calories |
| 820 calories |
This is a boatload of calories in liquid form. Most women need about 2000 calories a day. Drinking 820 calories of empty calories takes up almost 40% of the recommended calories and provides virtually no nutrients. People usually don’t cut back on food when they drink sweetened drinks so this mom probably took in more calories than she needs in a day. Doing this on a regular basis will pour on the pounds.
Dad
| Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Coolata with Cream/ Large | 420 calories |
| 2 bottles of Mountain Dew / 24 ounces @ | 660 calories |
| 1 bottle of Powerade/ 20 ounces | 75 calories |
| 1155 calories |
Most men need about 2200 calories a day. Drinking 1155 calories of empty calories is about 50% of the recommended calories. If this dad cut the calories he drank in half and kept his diet and activity the same, he could potentially lose 10 pounds in 6 months.
10 year old boy
| Kool-Aid / 12 ounces | 90 calories |
| Gatorade / 20 ounces | 125 calories |
| Grape Soda / 16 ounces | 250 calories |
| 465 calories |
A sedentary 10-year old boy needs about 1800 calories a day. 465 calories is about ¼ of the calories a growing boy needs. He'll miss out on the good nutrition he needs if he drinks this much sugary stuff on a regular basis.
13 year old girl
| Kiwi Strawberry Juice Drink /16 ounces | 220 calories |
| Sprite / 12 ounces | 150 calories |
| Iced tea / 16 ounces | 200 calories |
| 570 calories |
Moderately active 13 year old girls need about 1800 calories. Drinking this much sugary stuff displaces healthier foods with calcium, iron and protein that growing girls need to be healthy.
Cut one soft drink a day
There’s good news! Just cutting back on one 20-ounce soft drink a day can make a significant difference in your weight. If you kept your food and exercise habits constant and dropped one 240 calorie soft drink, you could lose as much as 25 pounds in a year.
