Why are these three drinks in the same category? Because they are basically the same – water, sugar or fake sugar, and chemicals. But don't freak out just yet: There are healthy alternatives out there.
The Problem With Soda
Sugar, sugar, sugar. I don’t care if it’s in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or if it’s extracted from pure organic sugar cane… consuming too much sugar wreaks havoc in your entire body and promotes fat gain. The AHA now recommends men should consume less than 150 daily calories of sugar per day (9 tsp. or 38 grams), and advises women to stick with 100 daily calories from sugar (6 tsp. or 24 grams). The thing is… just one 12 oz. can (355 ml) contains 39 grams of sugar. That’s why the average American consumes a whopping 92 grams of added sugar every single day, almost 4X the recommend amount for women. Other concerning ingredients found in soda include:
- Phosphoric acid, which may reduce bone density and double your risks of developing kidney stones
- Potassium benzoate, which forms the carcinogen benzene when consumed with vitamin C
Alternative To Soda
Diet soda is NOT a good alternative to soda. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame-K are as fattening as sugar, and show a vast array of side effects like an concerning increase of 30% in risks of depression for regular diet soda drinkers. The best alternative to soda – and that still looks like soda – is the kind that’s sweetened with erythritol, xylitol or stevia (or a mix of these).
The Problem With Vitamin Water
Don’t get fooled by the name: Vitamin Water is nothing more than water, sugar and artificial vitamins. It does contain about half the sugar of soda, but packs more fructose in the form of the highly refined crystalline fructose – the most fattening kind of sugar out there. Also, remember that adding vitamins to sugary water doesn’t make it any healthier. Vitamin water contains synthetic vitamins that won’t be absorbed by your body, and that may just do the exact opposite:
- Calcium chloride – contributing to the abuse of supplemental calcium Americans consume, shown to increase risks of heart attack.
- Vitamin E acetate – synthetic vitamin E that shows no benefits and that’s not even absorbed in liquid form (needs to be mixed with fat).
- Vitamin A palmitate – synthetic vitamin A that’s already consumed in abusive supplemental quantities, increasing risks of fractures
The Problem With Energy Drinks
Why would you need more energy? Is it because you don’t sleep enough, don’t move enough and don’t eat the right foods often enough? I may be wrong… but my intuition tells me that chugging tons of caffeine and sugar in the form of a king size energy drink is not the ideal solution. And yet more and more people consume energy drinks – especially teenagers. This is where things get concerning: The term “energy drink” is not regulated by the FDA, who allows products that contain anything between 50-500 mg of caffeine per serving on the supermarket shelves, compared to 71 mg per 12 oz. of soda. This is too much caffeine for a lot of people. That’s why 7,000 emergency room visits have been linked to caffeinated energy drinks between 2004 and 2009 – and possibly 13 deaths.
Summary--> Soda, vitamin water and energy drinks all contain sugar or artificial sweeteners – making them a very bad choice if you care about your waistline.
--> If you really want to drink soda, choose the kind sweetened with erythritol, xylitol or stevia (or a mix of these).
--> Vitamin water is nothing more than sugary water with synthetic vitamins that won't make your body any healthier.
--> Avoid energy drinks; if you need more energy, either get more sleep or drink a quality black coffee.
