Rethinking Your Daily Beverages

April 2022

Karen Ensle EdD, RDN, FAND, CFCS
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

The next time you go grocery shopping, read the nutrition labels on the items in your cart to see which ones have the most added sugars. You may be surprised to see that the beverages have more added sugars than the food. Sugary drinks are the leading source of added sugars in the American diet. These sweetened liquids include regular soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened waters. The flavored coffees we grab on the way to work and the sweet tea we make at home also count as sugary drinks. Let’s look at the added sugar in drinks. Adapted from CDC, We Can! PDF-305KB.

Drink (12-ounce serving)	Teaspoons of Sugar	Calories
Tap or Unsweetened Bottled Water	0 teaspoons	0
Unsweetened Tea	0 teaspoons	0
Sports Drinks	2 teaspoons	75
Lemonade	6 ¼ teaspoons	105
Sweet Tea	8 ½ teaspoons	120
Cola	10 ¼ teaspoons	150
Fruit Punch	11 ½ teaspoons	195
Root Beer	11 ½ teaspoons	170
Orange Soda	13 teaspoons	210

Why Should I Be Concerned about Sugary Drinks?

People who often drink sugary drinks are more likely to face health problems, such as weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis. References 1–4.

Tips to Rethink Your Beverages

1. A glass of water
2. Choose water (tap or unsweetened, bottled, or sparkling) over sugary drinks.
3. Need more flavor? Add berries or slices of lime, lemon, or cucumber to water.
4. Missing fizzy drinks? Add a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing, low-calorie drink.
5. Breaking the habit? Don’t buy sugary drinks. Instead, keep a jug or bottles of cold water in the fridge.
6. Reach for drinks that contain important nutrients such as low fat or fat free milk; unsweetened, fortified milk alternatives; or 100% fruit or vegetable juice first.
7. Skip the flavored syrups or whipped cream. Ask for a low fat or fat free milk, an unsweetened milk alternative such as soy or almond, or get back to basics with black coffee.
8. Read the Nutrition Facts label to choose drinks that are low in calories, added sugars, and saturated fat.
9. Carry a reusable water bottle with you and refill it throughout the day.
10. Learn how to drink more water.

Remember that you can be a role model for your friends and family by choosing water and other healthy, low-calorie beverages.

"Sugar" by Any Other Name: How to Tell Whether Your Drink Is Sweetened

If these items appear in the ingredient list of your favorite beverage, you are consuming a sugar-sweetened beverage.

1. High-fructose corn syrup, Fructose
2. Fruit juice concentrates
3. Honey
4. Sugar; syrup
5. Corn syrup
6. Sucrose
7. Dextrose

References

Malik V, Popkin B, Bray G, Desprs J-P, Hu F. Sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease risk. Circulation. 2010;121(11):1356-1364.

Malik VS, Hu FB. Fructose and Cardiometabolic Health: What the Evidence From Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tells Us. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015;66(14):1615-1624.

Bomback A, Derebail V, Shoham D, et al. Sugar-sweetened soda consumption, hyperuricemia, and kidney disease. Kidney International. 2010;77(7):609-616.

Bernabe E, Vehkalahti MM, Sheiham A, Aromaa A, Suominen AL. Sugar-sweetened beverages and dental caries in adults: a 4-year prospective study. J Dent. 2014;42(8):952-958.