Many of the foods and beverages that we as Americans eat and drink contain empty calories. Those are calories from solid fats and/or added sugars that add no nutritional value to our diet.
It is OK to have a small amount of empty calories in your diet if it fits into your calorie and nutrient needs. However, most people drink far more empty calorie foods than is healthy.
Let's look at added sugars as it relates to empty calories. Added sugars are sugars and syrups added when foods or beverages are processed or prepared. Sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks and fruit drinks all contain added sugars. When trying to determine how much sugar is in a beverage or food, consider that for every 4 grams of sugar on the nutrition facts label, you are getting 1 teaspoon of sugar. In fact, a 20-ounce bottle of soda could have the same amount of sugar as 16 chocolate mini doughnuts. Now it is doubtful that you would eat 16 chocolate mini donuts in a sitting, but how easy is it to drink a 20-ounce bottle of soda.
For example, a sugary drink can have 65 grams of sugar in one serving. Since we know there are 4 grams of sugar in every teaspoon of sugar, you would figure the number of teaspoons by dividing the number of grams by 4 and get 16 and one-fourth teaspoons of sugar in one serving. That is almost three-eights of a cup of sugar in one sugary drink.
It's not just all sugary soft drinks that contribute to empty calories; a 16-ounce glass of a powdered orange drink has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar. Hand a child a sports drink on the soccer field and he'll drink 9 teaspoons of added sugar in a few big gulps. That means even one sugary drink a day is too much.
We often try to switch out sugary, empty calorie foods and drinks for healthier options. One way to do this is to switch out sugary drinks for healthy drinks that contain no added sweeteners. The two best choices are water and white, unflavored milk.
Too many sugary drinks can increase your risk of serious health problems, such as cavities, type 2 diabetes, unhealthy weight gain and obesity and heart disease, as well as related conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This can be true in both youth and adults.
So how much sugar is too much? The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that you limit added sugar to a small amount, less than 10 percent of the calories you eat and drink every day. That means an adult consuming 2,000 calories a day should limit their daily sugar to 200 calories or 50 grams of sugar, which is the same as 12 teaspoons of sugar. A child consuming fewer calories a day should have even fewer teaspoons of added sugar.
For many people, this new daily sugar limit is a big change to how they eat and drink. The average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day. To meet the daily limit on added sugars, we need to significantly cut that sugar intake.
So what can we do to cut back on empty calories from sugar? Cut back on buying sugary drinks. Limit them to special occasions.
Turn sugary drinks around and look at the back of the bottle. That's where you'll find the ingredient list. If a sweetener by any name is in the first three ingredients, the food or drink is loaded with added sugars.
Choose water or low-fat milk instead of sugary drinks.
Pack water. Make it easier to choose water by carrying a water bottle with you. Pack a water bottle in your child's backpack or lunch box, as well as your own.
Make water tasty and fun. Add lemon, lime or mint to your glass. For children, add a special straw, or fun cup or bottle.
For more information, contact the Miller County Extension Office, 870-779-3609 or visit us in room 215 at the Miller County Courthouse. We're online at [email protected], on Facebook at UAEXMillerCountyFCS, on Twitter @MillerCountyFCS or on the web at uaex.edu/Miller.
This recipe for Fruit Infused Water-Strawberry Pineapple is just one example of ways to make water more tasty without increasing your empty calories. It is easy to make and only limited by your imagination. Think lemon, lime, and oranges for a citrus drink, cucumber, lime and mint for a cooling drink. The possibilities are endless.
FRUIT INFUSED WATER- STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLE
2 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cored pineapple, sliced or 1 20 oz. can of drained pineapple slices, packed in water
Water
Ice
Cut strawberries in half. Add strawberries and pineapple slices to a pitcher. Add ice to the pitcher, then fill with water. Stir fruit to mix. Serve immediately or chill, covered, in the refrigerator.
Carla Due is an extension agent-staff chair with the Miller County Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.