Do Americans Have a "Drinking Problem?"
We're not talking about alcoholism this time, though alcohol is apparently one of the culprits. According to researchers at the University of North Carolina, the number of calories American adults get through their beverages has nearly doubled over the past 37 years.
How many additional calories does this add up to? And what are the health implications?
Drinking in More Calories
The study was published in the November issue of Obesity Research, and it examined beverage consumption trends among 46,576 American adults. Researchers found that calories from beverages increased 94 percent from 1965 to 2002--an increase of 222 calories a day, on average.
The problem, warned the researchers, is that beverages are not as filling as solid food. "Regardless of beverage type -- water, sodas, milk, orange juice or beer -- those extra calories are not compensated for by a reduction in food intake." They worry this may be bad news in terms of health issues like obesity and diabetes.
What's Changing?
So are people drinking the same things as they used to, just more of them? Turns out: nope, the picture is getting more complex. For example, fruit and vegetable juices and diet beverages were "not important" in 1977 patterns--but by 2002, they were.
In addition, more adults were drinking soda between 1965 and 2002 (adding an additional 108 calories per day). Alcohol was up 73 calories per day, and fruit juice was up 20 calories per day.
However, calories from whole-fat milk declined from 119 calories per day in 1965 to 69 calories per day in 2002.
An Opportunity?
Though this may seem like bad news, perhaps there's a more optimistic way to look at it. This data suggests that there are still plenty of folks who haven't taken advantage of one of the "easier" ways to cut back on calories. Not that giving up a favorite indulgence is ever easy! But by cutting back on alcohol, sugary soft drinks, (and even healthy glasses of fruit juice) and substituting water or tea or other non-caloric beverages instead--folks who want to lose weight could trim a bunch of extra calories that aren't filling them up anyway. (Or is that just seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty?)
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I cut most sodas out a few years ago and dropped 5 pounds almost immediately. Now, I still drink them, but about one a week on average instead of 2-3 a day.
People think I'm evil and a freak when they hear that my sons don't get sodas EVER, and juice rarely. I've actually had people ask me "Well what do they drink?" Um, water. Why set them up for bad habits as babies?
Replyexcellent. you probably do not suffer from heartburn. and you don't get hyper/fat/diabetes from drinking too much water.
ReplyJudy, you're not the meanest mommie in the world regarding the sodas. My grandsons drink water most of the time and their friends are floored when they ask for sodas and are told there aren't any. The boys are 8 & 11 and play outside instead of vegetating in front of tv, video games and the like. They race dirt bikes with their father and don't have an ounce of fat on them. Most of the time my daughter is a scratch cook, like me.
ReplyI am so proud of her for sticking by her guns and raising these boys to be healthy, even tho it goes against the grain of mass behavior.
Wow, Judy and Nan, it's great to hear about parents who are limiting soft drinks and instilling good habits at an early age!
I grew up pretty much addicted to Coca Cola, and didn't kick the habit until well into my thirties. And I still miss it! But I sure don't miss all those empty calories. Perhaps if I hadn't grown up with the habit, it would have been far easier to let go of.
ReplyNo soda in our household...or juice or milk, for that matter. It's an unnecessary expense when cheap water comes right out of the tap!
ReplyOnce I started to eat healthily and realized how many calories were in drinks, I switched to water most of the time (with a bit of coffee or tea in the mornings). I figured that way I can eat more real food and be within my daily calorie goals.
BTW-My parents only let us drink pop on the weekend, and even then the max was one can per day (back when the cans weren't huge.) We drank water mostly, and milk with meals.
Replysome people don't differentiate between diet soda and regular soda. i was practically raised on diet soda, and still drink it, along with water, crystal light, iced and hot tea, etc. i rarely drink coffee.
i think the real culprit for the alcohol consumption is every single article in health magazines touting the benefits of red wine, the occasional beer, et cetera.
Replydiet sodas are dangerous, with the possible exception of saccharin. the others screw up brain chemistry, cause addiction, and not only that, they can goof up the way your body processes fuel. better off to have a little natural sugar than any of this crap.
ReplyWhen you swill down a few beers at night - you're having the equivalent of a whole extra meal (and a nutritionally poor one at that).
Replynjtx71:
Actually no one abuses red wine as far as I recall, and it is good for you.
Replyah, i think the word is wino. you can drink too much wine.
ReplyIn addition to the extra "empty" calories, soda and alcoholic beverages tend to dehydrate you, which makes it even HARDER to lose weight! In my experience if you're taking in a lot of calories from those types of beverages you're probably not drinking a lot (or enough) water to meet your needs.
ReplyThere is an implication that US residents somehow drink more alcohol then other countries.
This is just not the case. Alcohol consumption, liters per population aged 15+, according to OECD HEALTH DATA in 2003. http://www.irdes.fr/
1 Luxembourg 15.5
2 France 14
3 Ireland 13.5
4 Hungary 13.2
5 Czech Republic 12.1
6 Spain 11.7
7 Denmark 11.5
8 Portugal 11.4
9 United Kingdom 11.2
10 Austria 11.1
11 Switzerland 10.8
12 Belgium 10.7
13 Germany 10.2
14 Australia 9.8
15 Netherlands 9.7
16 Finland 9.3
17 New Zealand 8.9
18 Korea 8.6
19 United States 8.4
I highly doubt we moved to even close to top 10 since 2003...
Maybe we need to drink more! :D
Milk consumption has declined, except in children and teens, according to the FDA data ( page 8). I am not sure how it compares to other developed countries. http://ftc.gov/os/comments/foodmarketingstudy/521602-00009.pdf
I cannot comment ubiased and quantitatively on soda consumption, but I can tell you that bottled water consumption has trended almost identically with carbonated soft drinks!
Replythe problem with milk is 1) hormones- they make the cow fat, our bodies process them the same way. 2) homogenization- unnecessary altering of the milk to artificially extend shelf life it has detrimental effects upon the nutritional components of the milk twinkies last forever- are they 'health food'- no! 3) pasteurization- it destroys the beneficial organisms, destroys the enzymes, reduces the vitamin and mineral content. REAL fresh raw milk would be a lot more healthy.
ReplyTons of people abuse red wine, both in a health sense and a substance abuse sense. I know plenty of people who would drop some poundage quickly if they stopped downing two glasses a night. And then there are the alcoholics.
Maybe I'm confused as to what you meant by "abuse?" Red wine in moderation is indeed good for you, but drink too much and you're taking in useless calories.
ReplyYeah right on red wine being bad for you. I have a glass of red wine each night and I'm not overweight because I eat healthy and exercise. Red wine is good for you.
Replylets see- should we consume red wine like we do other things - supersize, all we can drink buffet? that is why red wine is healthy, because we treat it with respect, unlike the way we treat food. hmm. maybe we should treat food as something that actually has an impact upon our health. Eureka! i'm a genius!!
ReplyAs a man who was formerly overweight, I can say that I'm 100% positive the main reason I put on weight in the first place was because of my soda and juice consumption.
ReplyI could easily drink up a half a bottle if not more of soda, and would drink ridiculously and needlessly large sodas after a meal at McDonalds or Wendy's.
and how much would it be if you drank red wine instead? i think, an unhealthy amount. ah, but water you can fill up on, and it won't hurt you. ( if it's pure water - no pesticides, flouride or chlorine or other crap
ReplyI put on 30 pounds in four months once and it was because I'd lost my job, and as a way to save money, I existed on grilled cheese sandwiches and Pepsi cola. I was drinking a 2 liter a day because they were only 89 cents. Now I don't drink pop almost ever, although I did go a bit crazy over Thanksgiving. I've found a really good alternative in Tropicana Sugar Free Lemonade and Orange Ade. It doesn't have that typical diet taste that makes it impossible for me to drink diet sodas.
Replyi wish my mother would cut out the soft drinks from our household. at university, i live elsewhere so i do not get it for myself. however, my 9 year old brother still lives at home and drinks this. he isn't overweight, in fact, he's normal weight for his age. i guess because there appears to be no outward consequence, no one sees a problem. but i really can't stand my mum's trend of buying unhealthy things for him like soft drinks, happy meals, pizza and cakes. these bad habits have been set up since he was about 5 years old. i can see that his dad and my mum used to "reward" him with food and now it's can be difficult to get him to eat healthier. honestly, i think she's just naive about proper nutrition. i always try to tell him that good food & lots of water makes you strong because then he's more inclined to eat it (e.g- brown bread instead of white). currently, he drinks little water unless it's mixed with cordial. people are addicted to sugar and artifical flavours; this is why people say water tastes disgusting when really the taste is pretty much inoffensive because it's so mild.
i know when i have children, there will not be any soft drinks in my household, and not much juice either. many people have grown up their entire lives with consuming more of these drinks rather than water and we think it's normal when in actuality, it is not.
ReplyThree months ago, I cut out all alcohol from my diet (I used to consume anywhere between 5-7 beers a week). I do occasionally have a glass of red wine, or vodka tonic at get-togethers, but I honestly don't miss it. I'm at an age where my body doesn't recover all that well from a Saturday night drinking binge, and I certainly don't need the extra calories! Also, I've reverted to my childhood habits: either water or milk with dinner, as was the rule set by my parents. Also, we don't keep any sodas in the house - they just lead to temptation, but my boyfriend and I honestly don't like the fizziness and no to mention all that sugar.
ReplyI grew up drinking milk and water and very rarely we'd get juice (always REAL fruit juice like orange juice...not HiC or anything like that). We had soda in the house because my mom drank it and we were only allowed to drink it sometimes. Usually, my dad would make my sister and I share a can. I sort of rebelled when I was in high school and I started buying my own soda (usually diet soda) and I kind of got addicted to it. I don't drink liquid calories except for beer or vodka mixed with diet soda. And even then, I count them into my daily intake.
ReplyCalories through liquids is such a tough one as they are so easily disguised. I truly think lots of this "real fruit juices" are to blame for a lot of additional calories.
ReplyI have a question about juice - is it healthy to have a 6-oz. glass of cranberry juice with dinner nightly? I've heard it's good for the excretory system but am not sure how much to have so I don't get into all those extra calories.
ReplyI grew up on fruit juice, pop, and milk. For some reason or another (not to lose weight!) my parents just stopped buying them. Now all of us drink way more filtered water, tea, and coffee.
But...to be honest, I still love me some diet pepsi. I tell my mom not to buy it, because...honestly, I can go through 2+ cans a day of liquid Alzheimer's in a day, easy. I understand that I don't need that artificial concoction in my body, and I've realized I don't have the willpower to not drink it when it is in the house, so I only ever have it if we go out to restaurants, and then I only have one cup.
I've lost 50lbs, and kept it off for almost three years now, so I must be doing something right. :P
Reply