Eat Healthy Monday – Stay Away From Soft Drinks and Sports Drinks

Today’s Tip: Drink tap water instead of unhealthy soft drinks and sports drinks.

The drink aisle at your local grocery store can be a very confusing place. The claim “Lite” on a soda makes the aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame-K based drinks seem healthy (those are the top three artificial sweeteners). The claim of “natural” is a great way to disguise the massive use of high-fructose corn syrup in regular soda, which leads to high obesity rates from over-consumption of fructose among other things. High fructose corn syrup is also made from corn grown using government subsidies on large-scale farms run by major agri-businesses, so not only is it bad for you, it is bad for independent family farms.

The most misleading new trend in soft drinks is that of adding minerals and vitamins to water, sports drinks, even sodas. Brands like Gatorade and Vitamin Water claim to replenish vitamins and electrolytes (salts and sugars that keep the acid levels in your body balanced), but the vast majority of Americans have no need for either of these. Anyone who eats a healthy, balanced diet has more than enough vitamins and electrolytes already, even after a long and sweaty workout.

Gatorade’s label claims that it provides “fluid and electrolytes to promote complete rehydration and carbs to refuel working muscles.” An 8-ounce bottle of the beverage contains just one percent (30 milligrams) of the Daily Value (the recommended daily requirement for nutrients set forth by the USDA) of potassium; a carrot, on the other hand, contains 230 milligrams of potassium. In the end, it’s much healthier to head down to your farmer’s market and buy some vegetables and drink some water. It’s cheaper too!

Remember, any drink to which manufacturers add sweeteners – whether artificial or “natural” – is unhealthy. Don’t be fooled by claims of health drinks, light soda, and vitamin-enriched beverages. Instead, stick with the healthiest drink of all – water straight from the tap. You can learn why it’s the best choice at H20 Conserve. If you get tired of tap water, try tea, or a 6-ounce glass of fresh juice from a local source. Some companies, such as Fizzy Lizzy, have also developed soft drinks that are 2/3 natural juice and 1/3 sparkling water. If you are craving a soda, try one with as few ingredients as possible and no added sugar, and always be sure to read the label closely.