Are you a regular soda drinker or a diet? Water or juice? For reals, what do you drink?
Studies* (and by "studies" I mean that several studies my lab has conducted) have shown that people who consume caloric beverages do so without the benefit of feeling full. So, you can drink 600 hundred calories in one sitting and still be ready for appetizer, entree and dessert.
Dude.
This is not the way to go. Even if you're not trying to cut calories. Think of all the sugar and your teeth and and....
But what really gets my goat is the fact that many schools around the country have vending machines and offer large varieties of soda and juices to our young, impressionable, and sugar-loving youth. So not cool.
Our children, bless their hearts, do not need to be drinking the fruu-its of the deveel at school. Let them get it at home or on the way home. We need not encourage the bad behavior at our places of learning. Save that for the parents.
Seriously, if we could all teach out kids one thing (for starters) about nutrition, let it be to NOT drink their calories. **WITH THE HUGE EXCEPTION OF MILK. DRINK MILK, PEOPLE** It adds to an individuals total daily calories without providing the fullness necessary to cue that individual to stop eating. It also, often doesn't even provide a significant amount of nutritional benefits (IE, vitamins, fiber, minerals).
A sort of related side-note: A colleague of mine reminded me, today, that for a person to gain ten pounds a year, they have only to over-eat by 100 calories a day, everyday. One hundred calories is not a lot, my friend. (Believe me, I know. I've been keeping track lately.)
Anywho, all I'm saying is give peace a chance. No wait. That and,
Don't drink your calories. Encourage your local schools to find alternative means of raising funds -get rid of the junk-food vending machines. And one serving of juice is only 1/2 a cup. Just so you know.
* refers to experiments conducted using the scientific method, published in peer-reviewed journals of good report. The results reported are statistically significant, meaning that the chance that the findings are random is such a small possibility so as to be considered impossible. If Burton read my blog I would ask him to confirm and he would, so there.
16 comments:
Even without Burton's sayso, I believe you.
Last night the kids and I decided that we had been eating out way to much and we were going to try and go a whole month with out eating fast food of any kind. Then PJ reminded me that means no Sonic for slushiees either (smart***). So we are going to make it no fast food/soda for a month. that means I have to start cooking again, wish us luck!!
Ooooh, totally good luck and best wishes. It's hard but you get a real sense of accomplishment when it's over. I'm impressed that your kids are okay a/ it.
If I may be so bold, let me suggest some quick frozen meals on hand for the crazy days that you really want to eat out. Not that you have crazy days, but, I'm just saying....
I'm so glad you blogged about this. I believe you, too.
I'm a convert to water drinking. When I drink about 16 ounces with a meal, it not only makes me feel full, I AM full.
In the early l990's when my oldest kids were at our junior high school, the PTA took on the task of trying to remove the vending machines, or at least restocking them with healithier choices. They couldn't get enough parent signatures!
Also, we learned that the school's income from the machines was over $35,000 a year! (Just try taking badly needed income from a public school.) So it didn't happen back then. But I'm happy to report that last year all the vending machines were restocked, moved into a locked room off the main hallway, and made available only during lunch.
Yay! A little progress, maybe?
I loved your post. "Dude."
I love how you talk Kitti! I personally love carbonation but don't drink soda. I love Diet Barq's Root Beer--it's the best, but stopped drinking it a while back. Is it true artificial sweeteners can actually make you keep weight on? I wonder if that's really true. Anyway, I type Urology reports and the urologist is CONSTANTLY urging people to increase their water consumption. There's also a big connection between cola and kidney stones. I don't particularly LOVE water, but lately I've started putting a wedge of lemon in mine and it makes it so much better. Does the lemon help get rid of toxins in the body too? It can't hurt, right?
I think it's horrible that some schools have so much junk in their vending machines. I try to stress the importance of making healthy choices to my kids each day in hopes that when they get to that "vending machine" point they'll want to pass up the crap.
Confession: I absolutely love Diet Orange Sunkist. I have not had one since last September when I had what was one of the worst experiences of my life otherwise known as a kidney stone. Since then, I've tried to drink more water and I totally avoid soda. The biggest downside has been much more frequent bathroom trips.
I allow the kids to have a soda with our meal on Sunday. (I try and do everything I can to make Sunday a day to enjoy!) We all consume a large amount of hot chocolate, which I am trying to wean us off of. (But it has been so cold....)
Just to be clear, it's not that I never drink diet soda or never let Grace have juice. I just try to make it the exception (emphasis on "try").
Erika, the official word on artificial sweetners and weight is still out. I still recommend it over the real thing (unless there's an allergy.)
Also, lemon in your water is refreshing and a lot of lemon squeezed into warm water works as a mild laxative. So, in that way it does clean you out.
Curses! I just found out that I love having juice with dinner. It's all due to the fact that I can't/shouldn't have soda right now. Curses I say!
Do all fruit and yogurt shakes count. Really it's just fruit and yogurt and it does fill me up. I don't even add oj, please tell me there is hope.
okay I do the same as Maudie Jane but I do add a scoop of oj concentrate. with strawberries and bananas? no sugar, a little milk. That's good isn't lot's of fiber??
Becky (NOT Brian) doesn't drink soda. I think it's awesome that my tastebuds early on decided that that fizzy stuff really felt awful going down. So none for me, thanks! I do like milk (chocolate lately -curses! too much sugar!), water (need more like most people, but the water here tastes horrible, and we only just put in a filter on the kitchen faucet), and juice sometimes.
I emphasized NOT Brian because well, he's trying to drink less soda, but for a guy who doesn't like milk or [too much] water, it's slow-going. But Brian, if you read this, you can do it!! =)
Seriously scary thought, only 100 calories/day. What am I up to?...
Way to go on the keeping track of calories, miss kitti! -I struggle with this whenever I try it. I seem to do a bit better just guestimating the 'points' like from Weight Watchers. Do I always stay within the points range? You betcha! Am I lying through my teeth? You betcha!! But at least the trying counts, right?
Right??
Right on, Ms. Nutritionist of the World! Water is the best. But I do like a small glass of juice for a serving of fruit sometimes. When I drink soda, I drink diet and have been doing it a lot less often lately--2 to 4 per week, maybe. Anyway, you are right on and we need to get rid of that stuff in the schools.
i used to live on diet coke, but have lately given up all caffeinated beverages. (sigh) i now drink water and occasionally some fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. i still have way too much caffeine free diet soda, though. :P my favorite meal/snack lately is greek yogurt with honey and strawberries. mmmm
Say the following in the voice of Yul Brenner as Pharaoh in deMille's "The Ten Commandments":
Kitti is not some scrub nutritionist. She is a nationally and state registered dietitian.
So let it be written. So let it be done.
I treated myself to a Diet Sunkist on Easter and consequently couldn't get to sleep until about two AM. I'm sure the multitude of malted milk balls didn't help. Gosh, I love Easter!
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