Even if you're not watching your weight, it's important to not waste too many calories on drinks since it's possible to consume nearly a meal's worth of calories in just two glasses of sweetened beverages! And many popular sweetened drinks, such as soda or flavored coffee drinks, provide little to no nutritional benefit.
The good news? There are a lot of delicious diet-friendly beverages on the market, such as flavored waters and teas. It may take a number of "taste tests" among different varieties to find one you like, but it's worth the effort: It's much better to save calories for healthful foods while drinking water, fat-free milk or other low-calorie drinks. Food will keep you feeling fuller longer than beverages while providing good nutrition and fiber.
If you do drink sweetened drinks, remember: Portion control is just as key for beverages as it is for food. An average restaurant glass often contains 20 to 22 ounces as opposed to the 8-ounce or 12-ounce glass that was once standard. Consider using juice glasses at home (they're only four ounces) for caloric beverages.
Here's how the caloric content in some popular beverages stacks up:
Starbucks Frappuccino Coffee Drink
9.5 oz.
200 calories
Minute Maid Premium Light Orange Juice Beverage
8 oz.
50 calories
Coca-Cola Classic
12 oz.
132 calories
Skim Milk
8 oz.
89 calories
Snapple Lemon Iced Tea
16 oz.
200 calories.
If you drink these drinks, or similar ones, and are surprised by their caloric counts, consider keeping a food diary or simply jotting down your caloric beverages for a few days and tote them up daily -- the results are likely to be eye-opening!
Wondering how many calories your favorite beverage contains? Search for it a About.com's Calorie Count or browse the beverage categories.
