Eat your calories. Don’t drink your calories.

The holidays. Gotta love them. On the roads yesterday people were especially, hmmm, aggressive? Cutting people off, not allowing for merging, running ‘pink’ lights, etc. What happened to the holiday spirit? Where are people going that they can’t chill for just a few minutes? I had to laugh when a friend at the fitness center said, “I’m especially glad I’m Jewish this time of year—don’t have to be amongst all that shopping and craziness.” No kidding.

But I digress. This post isn’t about shopping or traffic or my pet peeves. It’s about another nutrition quick tip—pertinent not just over the holidays, but all year round. People often don’t consider the significant amount of calories consumed when drinking liquid calorie beverages. Say for example you drink two regular 20-ounce sodas per day and instead drink only one. Everything else being equal you could potentially lose 10 – 24 pounds in one year. Would you open 16 packets of sugar and eat them?

Coke-16packets-sugar-Neily

Don’t drink soda? Great! How about juice? Same deal. Sure it’s healthier—it’s got vitamins and minerals—but it’s still liquid carbs/pure sugar. It’s what I always recommend when a client wants to put on weight. Research shows that liquid calories just don’t satisfy our appetite like whole food. For weight loss, I would much rather you eat whole fruit versus drinking juice. Or at least limit yourself to a 4-ounce (1/2 cup) portion.  And be sure to measure 4-ounce because it’s not very much or at least drink out of a small juice glass. This is a photo of what 4-ounces looks like in a normal-sized glass.

What-4oz-of-orangejuice-looks-like-Neily

Stay tuned for more tips to stay on track.

Eat better. Live better!

Jennifer Neily, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Dallas Registered Dietitian Nutritionist | Wellcoach® Certified Health Coach
http://NeilyonNutrition.com
@JenniferNeily

 

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