Why I Have a Problem With Liquid Calories, And You Should Too

Nutritionist Kavita Devgan wonders why her clients always fail to mention the cups of tea and soda they have daily.

Summer or winter, one thing that does not change is the amount of beverages we end up drinking.

Only the temperature of the drinks changes: as cool as possible in summer – and warm and comforting as the chill descends.

I have a huge grouse against these, as not only do they deliver just ‘empty’, nutritionally vacant calories, they can also be really detrimental to our health in the long run. In fact, these liquid calories are worse than those we get from solids.

See, here’s the problem – most of the times, we don’t even register these calories; we just down them unwittingly.

When I do a foods audit (what they eat/drink on a daily basis) with my clients, the one thing most of them fail to mention, almost always, are the beverages they have during the course of the day – be it tea, coffee, aerated drinks, juices… somehow, the mindset is that ‘these’ aren’t really food, so don’t matter.

Unfortunately that is not the case at all. They do matter.

A lot.

Say Hello to An Extra Kilo Every Week

Most of these drinks deliver more calories than an entire meal sometimes; case in point – those humongously sinful desserts-in-a-cup which are sold as coffees in cafes.

Also, did you know that just one bottle of an aerated drink may single-handedly replace all the calories you’d burnt with diligence in your morning gym run?

Now, consider this: one cafe latte for breakfast, one can of soda at lunch, a tetra pack of juice to help beat the heat when in college, umpteen cups of tea in the office through the day and a glass or two of wine or beer at night – all this can add up to an extra 1000 calories easily – thus inflating the calories you consume in a day tremendously. At this rate, you can put on an extra kilo every week (7,000 calories equals one kilo).

Now an even bigger grouse I have with these drinks is that they are mostly nutritionally spare and low on fibre – so they neither add any value, nor satisfy the appetite, nor do your body any good. In fact, most of the time they don’t even register on the appetite meter (unlike solid foods).

No satisfaction, but straight to fat cells....

Diabetes: The Bigger Damage

What’s more, the damage these liquid calories cause go beyond just weight gain!

A recent Tufts University study published early this month in the Journal of Nutrition – where the researchers studied 1,685 adult Americans over a period of 14 years – reported that those who regularly consumed roughly one can of soda per day had a 46 percent higher risk of developing pre-diabetes (the stage just before diabetes) as compared to low or non-consumers.

And many of us unwittingly consume far more than this every day.

But all is not lost.

A study published in 2015 had reported that just by replacing the daily consumption of one serving of a sugary drink with either water or unsweetened tea or coffee can lower the risk of developing diabetes by between 14 percent and 25 percent.

Just Change Your Liquid

So look carefully and rethink the liquid you gulp down, and get smart about your choices.

1. Water wins – always. This zero calorie beverage is actually all we need to beat thirst. But if you can’t stomach plain water, try flavoured water: add a wedge of lemon or orange peel, or a washed sprig of mint, fresh coriander, saunf (fennel seeds) or a cardamom (elaichi) pod to give water an interesting twist.
2. Make orange zest: combine 1 cup water + 2 tbsp fresh orange juice + pinch of salt and chill. OR, a grape n lemony buzz: combine 1 cup grape juice + 1/2 cup lemonade + 1 1/2 cups water and chill.
3. Also include plenty of non-caffeinated fluids, such as tender coconut water, lassi, buttermilk, milk shakes, and homemade jal jeera and aam panna. Fresh lime soda is refreshing and is another good alternative to un- healthy and sugary fizzy drinks as it is almost nil calories.
4. When looking to sip something warm – instead of milk-laden teas – sip green teas and opt for clear soups (40 calories) instead of say, cream of chicken (240 calories). Choose carefully!

This is a simple dietary modification that could pay huge health dividends.

(Kavita Devgan is a weight management consultant, nutritionist, health columnist and author of Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People.)