True, most drinks don't contain any fat. But that doesn't mean they can't still be fattening.
BY CARINE VISAGIE
You watch your weight, you eat sensibly and
then you down the equivalent of 13 slices of
white bread without thinking twice. It sounds
crazy, but when last did you consider the
kilojoule content of your drinks?
Your daily fluid intake may be the reason
you're gaining weight. The drinks we've totted
up below add up to around 3 000kJ – that's almost a third of the
recommended daily energy intake for an average, moderately active
woman.
So it's time to face the fact that, thanks to their sugar
content, various beverages – from soft drinks to hard tipple – are
actually crammed with kilojoules.
If you compare drinks and bread on kilojoule content, you'll find
that a can of cider, for example, can provide about 843kJ – that's
almost as many kilojoules as four slices of bread (based on one slice
of Blue Ribbon white bread = 221kJ). A large glass of wine or a can of
milk stout isn't far behind and neither is a Coke or Fanta. Take a look at the table below, and you'll see what we mean:
Volume (ml)
Beverage
Energy value (kJ)
340
Castle Milk Stout
758
340
Castle Lager
570
340
Caste Light
438
340
Low alcohol beer (Woolworths)
391
340
Redd's Cider
843
120*
Dry white or red wine
353-504
120*
Semi-sweet white wine
781
120*
Semi-sweet rosé
781
60
Port
664
100
Sparkling wine
311
25
Whisky, brandy, gin, vodka
250
25
Van der Hum (Bols)
338
340
Tonic, Dry Lemon
470
340
Coca-cola, lemonade
585
340
Soda water
0
340
"Lite" cool drinks
55-60
340
Grapetiser
762
340
Fanta Orange
714
340
Apple juice
478
340
Coffee/tea with 2 tsp of sugar and low fat milk
174
Over the past few decades we seem to have forgotten that beverages
were never meant to be kilojoule bombs – except perhaps for boneboosting
whole milk, sports drinks and special formulations for the
clinically malnourished. Beverages were meant to be, well, beverages.
Their sole purpose: to quench thirst.
What's the ideal drink?
Don't hold out hope for a glamorous beverage that's a taste sensation
and low in kilojoules. Plain water is still the best way to fulfil your daily
fluid needs, says the Nutrition Information Centre of the University of
Stellenbosch (Nicus). When a US beverage panel recently weighed up
the benefits and drawbacks of daily drinks, water came out tops.
According to Nicus, water is highly recommended for daily fluid
intake. It provides no additional energy, making it ideal for overweight
or inactive adults. It also provides variable amounts of minerals such as
calcium, magnesium and fluoride, depending on its source.
Water is followed in favour by tea, coffee, low-fat and fat-free milk
and drinking yoghurts, diet or artificially sweetened cooldrinks,
drinks with some nutritional benefits (such as fruit or vegetable juices,
full-cream milk, alcoholic beverages and sports drinks) and sweetened
drinks (all in this order).
The panel came to the somewhat surprising conclusion that it's
better to drink a cup of coffee (without the sugar and full-cream milk,
of course) than it is to drink a glass of orange juice. The key seems to
be energy value: on its own, coffee has no kilojoules and is packed
with antioxidants. While juice is a good source of vitamins, you
should limit the quantity you drink.
The general rule of thumb is the sweeter the drink, the more
kilojoules it contains.
Easy on the alcohol
Alcohol also ups the kilojoule load. "On its
own, alcohol provides about 29kJ per gram. So the stronger the
drink, the higher the kilojoule count," says Irene Labuschagne, a
registered dietician at Nicus.
Remember, it's not just the
alcohol that contains kilojoules, the
mixer is as big a culprit. A neat
brandy contains only 250kJ, but
mixed with half a can of Coca-Cola,
the kilojoule content shoots up
to almost 550kJ. Rather
stick to 'lite' mixers.
To keep the weight off, go for drinks that are low in
alcohol and sugar. Have a dry white wine spritzer (250kJ),
a glass of bubbly (311kJ), a vodka and diet cranberry
juice (280kJ) or a can of light beer (438 kJ).
More water, less sugar, less alcohol
In general, selecting the right drink is quite a simple calculation. If you stick to
plain, unsweetened water and other low-kilojoule drinks, you can
indulge in the odd helping of chocolate. Reach for drinks that contain
more water, less sugar and less alcohol, and both your weight and
health will benefit.
If you limit the kilojoules you get from your daily
beverage intake to 1 000kJ, you can lose between 0,5 and 1kg a
week. Now there's something to drink to!
* Note that restaurants often serve double this amount: approximately 250ml wine per glass.
(Health24 & YOU Pulse magazine, updated October 2009)
Reference:
The New Complete Kilojoule, Carbohydrate & Fat Counter: South African Edition. Published by STRUIK (2006).
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