This may prompt a person to keep eating even after intake of a high-calorie drink.

Fluids don’t provide the same feeling of fullness or satisfaction as solid foods, as the body doesn’t “register” liquid calories as it does calories from solid food.

This compensatory effect doesn’t seem to be present after consuming soft drinks, for several possible reasons: This is the opposite of what happens with solid food, as people tend to compensate for a large meal by taking in fewer calories at a later meal. The more ounces of sugary beverages a person has each day, the more calories he or she takes in later in the day. Furthermore, higher consumption of sugary beverages has been linked with an increased risk of premature death. Beyond weight gain, routinely drinking these sugar-loaded beverages can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. If you were to drink just one of these sugary drinks every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 5 pounds in a year. The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories, almost all of them from added sugar.

People who drink sugary beverages do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food, and research indicates they also don’t compensate for the high caloric content of these beverages by eating less food. When it comes to ranking beverages best for our health, sugary drinks fall at the bottom of the list because they provide so many calories and virtually no other nutrients. While juice often contains healthful nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, it should also be limited as it contains just as much sugar (though from naturally occurring fruit sugars) and calories as soft drinks. Although designed to give athletes carbohydrates, electrolytes, and fluid during high-intensity workouts that last one hour or more, for everyone else they’re just another source of calories and sugar.ĭrinks naturally high in sugar like 100% fruit juices are also featured. The guide includes sports beverages as well. For these reasons, it’s best to skip energy drinks. To get you started, we’ve prepared a handy guide to the amount of sugar and calories in popular beverages.Īside from soda, energy drinks have as much sugar as soft drinks, enough caffeine to raise your blood pressure, and additives whose long-term health effects are unknown.

This can be a useful tip to visualize just how much sugar is in your drink. Does that sound too sweet? You may be surprised to learn that’s how much added sugar is in the typical can of soda. Now, imagine scooping up 7 to 10 teaspoons full of sugar and dumping it into your 12-ounce glass of water. There are 4.2 grams of sugar in a single teaspoon.

Long drink calories