It’s summer – that blissful time of year when we spend hours outdoors, enjoying the sunshine with a cool, refreshing beverage in hand.
With so many different drinks on offer, it’s tempting to skip water and treat yourself to something more flavourful.
What many of us don’t realise is that what you choose to drink can have a big impact on your waistline. Many summer drinks come loaded with sugar and calories, and because they don’t tend to be filling or nutritious, they can cause weight gain – a risk factor for several cancers.
Our Health Information Assistant, Daria Crepostnaia, has come up with a list of drinks to avoid and some lighter alternatives that will keep you hydrated without the additional calories.
Drinks to skip
While the coffee shop favourite of a blended ice drink can cool you down, they can also serve up a hefty dose of sugar and fat – so it’s important to choose wisely.
It may not be a surprise to learn that a regular caramel blended coffee drink with whipped cream contains as many calories as a large chocolate croissant – but it may shock you to know that a regular blended coffee drink without any cream and caramel syrup still contains as many calories as a medium croissant.
Swapping your usual hot coffee for a blended version three times a week could cause you to gain 1 kg (around 2 pounds) by the end of the summer.
While the blended fruity varieties may seem healthier, they still contain nine teaspoons of sugar and serve up as many calories as two large bananas without being anywhere near as filling.
To avoid gaining weight this summer, why not choose an iced cappuccino (cappuccino with ice cubes) instead?
Blended drinks aren’t the only ones to watch out for; store-bought ice tea contains 150 calories and seven teaspoons of sugar. Try preparing your own by brewing herbal or fruit tea, chilling it in the fridge over night and flavouring it with a slice of lemon or orange before serving. It’s quick, easy, and you’ll save money too.
Another thirst quencher is the seemingly healthy supplement-in-a bottle ‘vitamin’ water that appears to provide several health benefits – but also contains three teaspoons of added sugar. Instead of relying on supplements, one of the best things you can do to prevent cancer is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of fruit, vegetables and other plant foods to get all the nutrients you need.
What should I have instead?
The best way to stay hydrated is to drink plenty of water but, before you think ‘boring!’, it doesn’t have to be plain.
There are many different flavour-infused waters on the supermarket shelves – yet many of them contain almost as much sugar as fizzy soft drinks.
You can add a refreshing hint of fruit to your water or homemade ice tea by making flavoured ice cubes. They are cheap and so easy to make – plus they look pretty lovely too!
Get creative and try a variety of different flavour combinations.
Here are a few of our favourites:
- Lemon, raspberries and mint
- Strawberries and strips of basil
- Grapefruit and a dash of ginger
- Blueberries and pomegranate seeds
Enjoy!
