Challenge Tip: Cut Out the Soda and Sugary Beverages

 

"Push yourself because no one else is going to do it for you."

Cut out the soda and sugary beverages.

Calories in soda and fruit juices can add up quickly, regardless of the brand you buy. Not only are most of the beverages high in sugar and calories, but we also have a habit of drinking them mindlessly. Regularly downing sugary foods and beverages, such as candy, cakes, soda, sports drinks, ice cream, iced tea, and sweetened coffee drinks, can easily enlarge your waistline. Many studies link sugar intake not only to weight gain but also an increased risk of chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In particular, sugary beverages are the largest source of added sugar in the United States and strongly associated with weight gain.

Did you know?

  1. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are :

    • Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons)

    • Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)

  2. To put that into perspective, one 12-oz can of Coke contains 140 calories from sugar, while a regular-sized Snickers bar contains 120 calories from sugar.  

  3. Sports drinks, for example, look like they are healthy. But many of them are full of calories.  

  4. Calorie for calorie, fruit juice is worse for you than fizzy drinks.  When you turn fruit into juice, you are losing the insoluble fibre, which is an essential nutrient and helps delay absorption of the sugar. Take the fibre away and you’re just drinking sugar and calories.

Sugary junk foods stimulate the same areas in the brain as drugs. Studies have shown that both food and drug cues activate the same brain regions, and that the same areas are activated when people crave either junk food or drugs.  

Benefits:

When we cut back on sweetened soda (and other sugary drinks) to improve our health, not only do we reduce total sugar intake, but we may enjoy other health benefits as well, like:

  1. Better sleep 

  2. Better dental health

  3. Improved energy (especially if you replace your soda with water)

  4. Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes

  5. Improved heart health and/or blood pressure

  6. Decreased risk of osteoporosis

  7. Decreased anxiety or nervousness

And of course one of the greatest benefits of quitting the soda habit and other sugary beverages is weight loss.


Weekly Tips for Meal Plan Members:

  1. If you are craving sweets, next week try a 1/2 cup of frozen berries and blend it with your protein powder. Just add a splash of almond milk and the consistency will turnout like frozen yogurt! It's delish.

  2. If you are craving that fizz, try infusing fruits with sparkling water. Make sure that the main ingredient isn't sucralose. It should only have natural ingredients. Look into brands like Perrier, Bubly, Spindrift, LaCroix and Bai Bubbles.

Tips for Workout Guide Members:

  1. Sore? This is natural. A great way to deal with soreness is to keep working out. Yes, working through the soreness helps to alleviate it. 

  2. Feel like you're unable to get a full range of motion? Make sure you stretch! This will increase your range of motion and flexibility.

 
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Felisha Davis