Holiday Coffees Pack in Calories

When you think of holiday treats, coffee isn't usually the first image that comes to mind but these holiday brews have grown to become a popular tradition during the holiday season. Blasting the heat in your car, fiercely rubbing some feeling into your hands, it's hard not to give into the steamy cup of peppermint joe being advertized at large fast-food chains around the nation. Before spontaneously ordering what you may think is a harmless refreshing drink, watch the video below.



Personally, I'm a sucker for warm drinks during the holidays so I have found that making hot chocolate with the diet or no-sugar added packets not only helps warm me up but also helps me tame my nagging sweet tooth. Another alternative is to make your own coffee or to order black coffee and sweeten it yourself. This way you control how much sugar you're consuming! Add one mint chocolate kiss or your favorite lite creamer to your coffee to give it that holiday flavor.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Are you Drinking Your Calories?

New data released from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that many are not following the recommendation to “eat our calories, not drink them.” On average, men consumed 175 calories a day of sugar sweetened beverages, women almost 100. Teenagers consume the most, but young adults between 20 and 49 are not far behind. On any given day, half of the population consumes a sugary drink, 25% consume up to 200 calories a day and 5% drink over 550 calories a day (more than 4 cans of soda).

According to Rachel Johnson, nutrition professor at the University of Vermont and spokesperson for the American Heart Association (AHA), “sugar sweetened beverages are the No. 1 single source of calories in the American diet and account for about half of all sugar that people consume.” Not only do the extra calories contribute to weight gain but as the  AHA pointed out in its Scientific Statement on Dietary Sugars and Cardiovascular Health in 2009, they can significantly increase the risk for cardiovascular disease by increasing blood pressure, triglycerides, vascular inflammation, and  blood sugar. They are far more than just “empty calories.”

When we think of sugary drinks we think of soft drinks, and they do make up the majority of the sugar we drink. But we also get sugar from energy drinks, sport drinks, and sweetened bottled waters.

The AHA suggests we limit our consumption of drinks with added sugar (they did not include 100% fruit  juice) to no more that 450 calories a week, about 3, 12 ounce cans of soft drinks. Better yet, think of sugary soft drinks as occasional treats.

Rethink what you drink

When it comes to weight loss, there's no lack of diets promising fast results. From low-carb diets, high-carb diets, low-fat diets, grapefruit diets, cabbage soup diets, blood type diets, etc., etc., etc. Forget the billions of fad, unpromising, quick fix diets. Simplifiy and recall what H3 taught you. Weight loss is a math equation. In order to lose weight you must take in fewer calories than your body uses: calories in vs. calories out. Most people try to reduce their daily caloric intake by simply just food alone. However, you may be among the many who need to consider “rethinking what you drink”…