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Choose to Rethink Your Drink

By American Heart Association July 8, 2016
Did you know that sugar-sweetened beverages are the single largest source of added sugar in Americans’ diets today? Soda, sweet tea, juice drinks, sports and energy drinks, sweetened milk and sugary coffee drinks are categorized as sugar-sweetened beverages. How many do you drink each day?

According to the American Heart Association, more than 100,000 cases of diabetes over the last decade were likely caused by the rise in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, sports drinks, and fruit drinks since 2000. This rise in diabetes from consumption of sugary beverages has led to more cases of heart disease and higher healthcare costs.

Did you know that the following foods have fewer grams of sugar than a 20 oz. soda?
  • 6 glazed donuts
  • 17 cookies
  • 2 regular size packages of chocolate coated candy
  • 3 ice cream bars
The American Heart Association is asking you to Rethink Your Drink. Sugar-sweetened beverages provide no nutritional value to a person’s diet. Choosing drinks like water and low-fat skim milk are options that can also nourish your body and are healthy for your heart.

When making a beverage choice, think of a stoplight:
  • Green – Go For it:
    • Water
    • Low-Fat milk
    • Seltzer water
  • Yellow – Drink occasionally
    • 100 percent juice
    • Diet soda
    • Low-calorie drinks
  • Red – Eliminate
    • Soda
    • Sports drinks
    • Energy drinks
    • Sweetened Tea
If you regularly consume sugary drinks, you can try dressing up your water by adding sliced fruit or cucumbers to give it more flavor. Bring a water bottle with you on the go and fill it up regularly, and throw out the sugar-sweetened beverages at home so you won’t be tempted to open one. If you do choose to have one, try the smallest size.

For more tips on how to avoid sugary drinks and how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, visit
www.heart.org/healthykids.