The worst drinks for a lean body are those that are easy to make habitual to the point where you consume them nearly every day, maybe even multiple times a day, and don’t even realize you’re doing it. They are the drinks that don’t feel heavy in your hand or thick and creamy in your mouth nor are they filling when they finally reach your stomach.

We asked our nutritionist friends to name their picks for worst drinks for habitual drinking. Read on to discover what they are, and for more on how to eat healthy, don’t miss 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work.

Many dietitians point to sugar-sweetened beverages, especially soda, as the worst possible drink to make a habit of because it’s basically just sugar and water. “Soda is very high in sugar and calories; a 24-ounce soda can have 60 grams of sugar, the same as 12 teaspoons of sugar,” says Brenda Peralta, RD, a writer for FeastGood.

Soda and other sugary drinks are so hard to avoid because we have been programmed to order soda whenever we place an order for fast food. And sugary drinks are available everywhere you turn, especially in the grocery stores.

A new pilot study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest investigated the placement and promotion of sugary drinks, the top source of added sugars in the United States, across 16 grocery stores in one metropolitan area. On average, sugar-sweetened beverages appear in about 30 locations, including endcaps and checkout areas, within each grocery store and were featured in nine price promotions per location.

RELATED: Sign up for our newsletter to get daily recipes and food news in your inbox!

Even though they don’t have any calories, beverages that contain artificial sweeteners can be harmful to you if you want a lean body. “Studies show that artificial sweeteners may negatively impact your microbiome and cause glucose intolerance, which may make it harder to lose weight,” says USA Rx’s Heather Hanks, MS, who holds a degree in complementary and alternative medicine and specializes in holistic nutrition, gut health, and chronic disease management.

“Even when used in small amounts, you may still find that you crave more calories than you did before you drank that artificially-sweetened beverage,” says Hanks. A 2021 study published in JAMA Network Open adds to the evidence that drinks made with a specific artificial sweetener, sucralose, may stimulate the appetite by priming the brains of people with obesity to crave high-calorie foods.

Hanks’ recommendation: water is by far the best thing you can drink if you want a lean body.

RELATED: This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Water

Morning coffee is arguably the most common drinking habit among Americans, which makes coffee potentially the worst drink for a lean belly.

“Coffee alone won’t cause weight gain, and, in some cases, it can improve your weight-loss efforts (by boosting metabolism and helping control appetite),” says Trista Best, RD, a registered dietitian at Balance Once.

But it’s those high-calorie sweeteners and high-fat creamers you add in that turn a coffee habit into an opportunity for serious weight gain, she says. The worst culprits are those specialty coffees made at coffee shops like Starbucks. That chain’s White Chocolate Mocha, made with whole milk and whipped cream, packs up to 620 calories and 67 grams of sugar, more than you’ll consume by eating five chocolate croissants!

RELATED: The #1 Worst Coffee Habit for Weight Loss, Says Dietitian

It’s easy to forget the number of calories in beer, wine, and cocktails when you’re enjoying yourself with friends at happy hour. So, here’s your refresher: There are two main reasons drinking alcohol regularly is the worst type of drinking habit for a lean body, according to Daniel Boyer, MD, a medical researcher with the Farr Institute. First, alcohol (ethanol) has calories, about 12 calories per ounce. While a regular beer may have about 150 calories per 12 ounces can, and a glass of red wine about 125 calories, some blended cocktails made with sugary mixers can top 600 calories.

Secondly, “taking too much alcohol makes your body prefer the excess alcohol to fat as an energy source,” says Dr. Boyer. So, you end up burning off the alcohol while your fat stores continue to build up in your body. One study demonstrated that when subjects were given four different meals, including one meal with alcohol, the booze-rich meal suppressed the oxidation of fat more than any of the no-alcohol meals.

Read this next:

Source link

The post 4 Worst Drinking Habits for a Lean Body, Say Nutritionists — Eat This Not That appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

This fall, a myriad of weight-loss wisdom just keeps rolling in. It’s been interesting to observe the current debate between experts on whether or not squeezing lemon juice in coffee could help you lose weight. And now, this week, nutrition pros are nodding to another very simple drink mixture that they say could support your slim-down efforts.

Holistic nutritionist Kerri Ferraioli and registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RDN, CDN spoke with Insider to weigh in on this weight-loss trend, which has been making the rounds on TikTok. Keep reading to learn what this concoction is and why these nutrition experts suggest it could be worth a try if you’re looking to prevent weight gain or shed a few pounds this fall. And for more, check out our list of the 50 Best Detox Waters for Fat-Burning and Weight Loss.

We all know that staying hydrated is important to our body’s overall function. Drinking water can be a great way to support weight-loss efforts because it helps to flush fat and toxins from the body so we’re better equipped to properly process what we eat and drink.

But then, if you had a certain seed to your water, it could potentially boost your weight loss results.

Subscribe to the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for food and wellness news delivered daily.

That’s right. The concept of adding chia seeds to water as a way to shed fat has been getting a lot of attention on TikTok.

The thing is, say experts, this could actually work. Ferraioli suggested to Insider that the amount of healthy fat in chia seeds can make an individual feel full fast.

Dietitian Taub-Dix added that this healthy fat combined with the protein naturally found in chia seeds can make you feel pretty satiated for an extended period of time, with the added benefit of not spiking your blood sugar.

Insider offers a suggested (and easy!) formula for putting chia seeds into your water: Pour two tablespoons of chia seeds inside a 10-ounce glass of water, then wait three to five minutes (but not much more than this) for the seeds to absorb the water and become soft enough to drink.

Just note: Some sources have suggested it’s normal if the seeds-and-water combo has a gelatinous consistency. So, this may not be appetizing for everyone! Luckily, just committing to drinking enough water per day can also help with your weight-loss efforts.

RELATED: 23 Cozy Soup Recipes That Are Perfect For Weight Loss This Fall

If you’re looking for fitness tips and inspiration, you’ve come to the right place:

Source link

The post Adding This Popular Seed to Your Water Could Help You Lose Weight, Nutritionists Say — Eat This Not That appeared first on Heal your health yourself.