Making Healthy Choices in Soda, Tea, Water, Wine & Beer
Many of us start with coffee in the morning, move onto iced tea for lunch, have hot tea in the afternoon, and then have wine, beer or soda later in the day. That can be seen as a fairly normal routine, but researchers say we often fail to drink sufficient water, and often underestimate our alcohol intake.
Soda Turns Out to Be the Bad Guy
Meanwhile researchers now agree soda has way too much sugar and chemicals, and can up our risk for cancer, overweight and heart disease. Diet soda with artificial sweeteners has been shown to be just as bad. The American Journal of Public Health concluded their report saying soda may actually age the body as much as smoking. So even though many of us grew up with cokes as treats, all of the current research weighs in against sodas.
Green Tea is Hard to Ignore.
WebMD leads off with a startling statement saying drinking green tea instead of soda over a year’s time could amount to as much as 50,000 calories difference! That’s a lot of calories that nobody really wants.
WebMd then backs up green tea saying it is excellent for the brain and the heart. It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and acts as a stabilizer for diabetes. Most other researchers agree that choosing to drink four or more cups of green tea a day can help lower blood pressure. Those researchers have also endorsed black tea for helping to lower blood pressure.
As we think about our daily intake of all of the different drinks it looks like soda is one to avoid as much as possible. Green tea is one to consider upping, and water and wine and beer are ones to keep an eye on. Most of us seem to assume we drink enough water, but getting six to eight glasses every day to keep all of the systems in the body running, may not always happen.
Meanwhile, many of us tend to toss off our beer or wine intake, labeling it as moderate. But binge drinking in weekend parties, or other nights out should be counted too, and other nights where drinks go beyond one or two to three or four, also change the impact to the body.
If you have questions about water intake, weight, or heart or health issues, see your doctor for a complete checkup and review of diet.