Cool Summer Drinks

I sent this newsletter out last summer. I thought I would post it here so that it could be read again. There is lots of great information about what drinks to choose to keep you cool in the summer...

Cool Summer Drinks
It’s summer and we all know how important it is to drink plenty of fluids to stay cool. The important thing is to choose drinks that are healthy, tasty, nutritious and are not going to be an empty addition to our daily calorie intake. Many of the drinks advertised today are advertised as healthy (“It has antioxidants!”) when really they have more sugar than nutrition.

Coffee Drinks – I hope people are aware that the cool and creamy coffee drinks available at coffee shops are to be treated as a treat, not as a daily drink. Full of sugar, cream and flavouring these drinks have the same amount of fat and calories as a piece of cake and have no nutritional value. If you must, choose an Iced Americano – this is brewed espresso served over ice. You add the milk & sugar if you want, controlling your sugar intake. Remember Swiss-water processed decaf is best!

Iced Tea – Bottled Iced Tea and Iced Tea Mix drinks are full of sugar – read the label – if corn syrup, sugar, glucose or any other word ending in ‘ose’ are in the Top 5 ingredients there is more sugar than anything else, let alone antioxidants. This includes all bottled teas that are being promoted as healthier, such as Green Tea, White Tea, Raspberry Tea. Brew up your favourite flavour of tea, sweeten with a little honey and let it cool in the refrigerator. Carrying this in your own bottle also helps reduce the need to recycle one more bottle.

TIP! Look at the label: Find the grams of sugar – divide that number by four & you will get how many teaspoons of sugar are in that one drink. For example, one bottle of Lipton Green Tea with Citrus (20 oz.) has 52.5g of sugar. Divide by four: there are 13 teaspoons of sugar in that one bottle!

Soft Drinks - In addition to the mounds of sugar in one can of pop - 8 tsps of sugar in one can of Ginger Ale - soft drinks are really detrimental to your health. The high levels of phosphates in soft drinks create a chemical imbalance which results in a loss of calcium from bones. Even a ‘natural’ soft drink from the health food store, may not have the phosphate level, but still contains lots of sugar. Mix mineral water with juice to get a refreshing and fizzy drink for a hot summer day.

Electrolyte Drinks – Gatorade and it’s cousins are great for athletes, but are not necessary for the average individual. These drinks are targeted at athletes who need a high level of carbohydrates (sugar) for energy and electrolytes (salt) to counter-balance perspiration. Individuals who are not marathon runners will find they gain weight and retain water from the high levels of sugar and the salt in these drinks.

Diet Anything – Aspartame, sucralose, splenda are all used to sweeten drinks without adding calories. As a holistic nutritionist I cannot recommend a drink that contains these chemicals. I would rather see you drink a sugary drink than something containing any of these sweeteners. The animal studies conducted with these sweeteners show increased levels of cancer and other health problems. Using these sweeteners also does not help people get beyond their addiction to sugar.

Juice – So tasty and sweet, but so high in sugar. While most people think juice is healthy because of the vitamin content, it is missing the fibre that you find in fruit. The fibre is important for sugar absorption and is what makes the sugar in fruit good for you. Without this important element, juice causes increases in blood sugar which can contribute to weight gain and the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Make yourself a smoothie – blending fruit with ice ensures you get all the goodness of the fruit in a drink on a hot summer day – add plain yogurt for a creamier version.

Water – Liquid of the Gods? Personally I love water, but many people find it boring. You can add a squeeze of lemon or lime to your glass of water to flavour it or, as mentioned above, mix mineral water with juice, just remember you do need to drink water straight up. Many ‘studies’ today are saying that we do not need as much water as previously thought, because we get water in our coffee and tea. What these studies neglect to mention is that the caffeine in many drinks (coffee, tea, pop) are diuretics which cause a loss of water. For every cup of these drinks you should have one glass of water to ensure your body is getting the water it needs.