BEware Drinking Calories !

It is important for me to note that I am far from a calorie counter ....I can't stand it ...If I try, I become food obsessed I worry about it and I think it makes me eat more.  But drinking calories is something I pay attention to.  But this awareness isnt really about trying to down size calories.  More so it directs a focus on how little nutrients we receive from most beverages we consume.

An average can of pop contains over 200 calories with absolutly no nurtitional value.  Beverages sweetend with high fructose corn syrup are especially evil.  The body processes corn syrup even differently than white sugar in the way that insulin production is barley stimulated, as a result the calories are not used for energy at all but readily stored as fat.
Ok so you don't drink pop because you know it is evil but lets just consider 1 glass or orange juice.  A glass of orange juice can be over 100 calories.  It takes 8 or 9 oranges to make one glass of juice!!!  I am not sure any of us would sit down and eat 8 oranges but it is very easy to  drink a glass of juice.  Even my Fav Starbucks non fat Americano Misto (I say it out loud as I type it and the words just feel fun rolling off my tongue)  Even with skim milk this drink contains 88 calories.  So I think I may have made my point.
Ok I can already hear some of you saying orange juice does contain vitamin C, and milk packs 280 mg of calcium per cup!!!.  This is true.  But it is just SO easy to throw a cup of kale or spinach into your berry smoothy (the berries absolutly mask the taste of the greens I promise ! ).  A Cup of kale containns more vitamin C than an 8 0z glass of OJ, more calcium than a cup of milk, and more potassium than a banana.  All in only 55 calories.  Not to mention 10 % of our daily fiber requirement that helps keep digestion running smoothly ALSO kale contains natural compounds that help remove free radicals from the body before they cause cell damage.  In plain english ...cancer fighters.  I am just so SO tired of hearing about the people in my community that have been diagnosed with terminal cancer and watching them leave us.  ALL my friends  please eat KALE!!!

So how can you avoid drinking your calories?  Start by consuming enough water a day to truly address your body's hydration needs.  Most adults need between 8 or 9 glasses of water a day, even more when we exercise.  Even if you can't drink this much consider aiming for it as a goal.  You may find you desire less of the other drinks you are use to having.  You may also find when you consume enough water in a day you will be less hungry.  Start as soon as you wake up in the morning rehydrate after a nights sleep and begin a healthier day and a healthier you !