All Entries For drinks
What if I told you there is something you can drink that is easily accessible, free, healthy, and can help you lose more weight? Does it sound too good to be true? For years, people have speculated that this drink helps with weight loss. But until now there hasn’t been much scientific evidence to back up that claim. So what is it?
Posted 9/3/2010 10:12:31 AM By: Jen Mueller : 86 comments
The smoothie has increased in popularity over the last several years. So much so that the smoothie maker has recently become one of the hottest selling small appliances. At the same time, smoothie and juice bars have popped up in malls and communities all over the country.
Earlier this week my son asked to stop for a smoothie. Since he is a growing teenager that eats almost hourly as well as being a "fruit boy," as we fondly refer to him, I made the stop. Since this was my first trip to this particular smoothie cafe, I let him make his selection while I looked over the menu boards. While we waited and I reviewed the "supercharged power up" vitamin and protein additive options, I wondered exactly what was in the concoction he had selected that set me back $4.58. He walked out happy with his selection of a 24-ounce Island Lemonade Smoothie (frozen lemonade) while I was a bit disappointed that he ended up with nothing more than a specialty frozen sugar drink instead of something more nutrient rich. The next day I came across an article discussing the new McDonald's McCafe real fruit smoothies that caused me to take a deeper look. I wondered if this could be a more nutrient wise option for the next time my son wanted a smoothie.
Posted 7/15/2010 1:26:28 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 200 comments
One of the top one hit wonder songs of the 1980's was Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The key words to the song were relax and don't do it. Those words also apply to the new line of beverages called relaxation drinks.
A new Wall Street Journal article outlines some scary truths about these new drinks that have not been clinically tested but have been touted to lower stress, anxiety and aid sleep. Since key ingredients range from plant extracts to natural human hormones, I thought it would be important to explain a little more about them before you decide if they are right for you.
Posted 4/1/2010 6:20:37 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 117 comments
Did you down a couple of green-tinted beers this past Wednesday? What better time than post-St. Patty's Day to talk about how alcohol affects your weight. One new study questions if what we thought we knew about alcohol and weight management holds true. No, I'm not trying to send you into a shame spiral for indulging on Wednesday's famous drinking holiday, so don't worry. But since you may still have alcohol calories on your mind, well here it goes.
When it comes to weight management, one of the easiest things many people can do to cut back on calories is to drink less alcohol—or give it up altogether. After all, alcohol contributes non-nutritious ("empty") calories to your diet, can make you more likely to overeat when you're under its influence, and often results in more calories being stored as fat. Plus when you're on a calorie-controlled diet, you need to make the most of the calories you consume, choosing super nutritious foods to give you the most bang for your calorie budget. Makes sense, right?
If that's true, you may say, then people who drink the most are probably more likely to be overweight and people who drink the least (or not at all) would be more likely to maintain a trim, healthy weight. That is logical, but a recent study published in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found that nondrinkers were actually more likely to gain weight than people who consumed "moderate" amounts of alcohol. (Yes, that is counterintuitive.) So is there more to this story or should you go back out to the bar and chug another beer in an effort to keep your weight down?
Posted 3/19/2010 12:11:08 PM By: Nicole Nichols : 202 comments
There were lots of foods and drinks that came quite easy for me to give up when I started this journey, with one exception--DIET COKE. I had always been a big fan of diet drinks from way back in the days when TAB and Fresca were considered the quintessential diet drinks. But that all changed in July 1982 when Diet Coke hit the stores shelves-- from that point on, I was hooked.
I was not a big coffee drinker in college. Keep in mind I grew up in the pre-Starbucks, pre-coffee house age. Coffee was coffee. Of course you could choose between decaf and regular coffee, and if you wanted to add a hint of cinnamon or hazelnut, you could indulge in a little smidgen of flavored non-dairy creamer. So in order to meet my caffeine requirements for studying I would drink my beloved Diet Coke.
I would have a Diet Coke early in the morning and throughout the day. I would occasionally drink water, but once again, bottled water was not the norm in vending machines at the time. When I became pregnant in 1987 I did give it up. There was something about not knowing how aspartame would affect my pregnancy. Sadly though on the way home from the hospital I had my husband stop by our local McDonald's to pick up a Diet Coke.
Posted 12/16/2009 4:06:14 PM By: Nancy Howard : 595 comments
I'm not a big fan of the taste of milk, but I drink it because I think it's good for you. Add some chocolate syrup to it, and of course I like it even more. But at that point, is the milk becoming more like a dessert? A new campaign is trying to keep chocolate milk as a choice in school cafeterias, saying that taking it away will do more harm than good.
Posted 11/27/2009 6:05:44 AM By: Jen Mueller : 209 comments
The mid-afternoon coffee break. For some, it's enjoyment. For others, it's a necessity in order to function until the end of the day. A plain cup of coffee or tea won't break the bank when it comes to calories (less than 10 calories per cup). But the more "fancy" your order becomes, the faster the calories and fat can skyrocket. A recent study looked at what kinds of drinks people opt for during their afternoon visit to the local Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts.
Posted 10/30/2009 11:12:57 AM By: Jen Mueller : 109 comments
Early last week my colleague and dailySpark.com editor Stepfanie Romine, sent me an idea for a blog about using pickle juice as a electrolyte replacement source for exercisers . She actually stumbled across the idea from one of the comments left on her blog from a Spark member regarding the use of energy gels and supplements.
My first thought was--FOR REAL? In my almost 4 years of running I have come across a number of electrolyte replacement sources in my time--everything from Gatorade and PowerAde to Pedialyte, salt tablets, even pretzels, but I have never heard of anyone using pickle juice to rehydrate or replace electrolytes with. But it makes sense.
Posted 10/28/2009 4:52:29 PM By: Nancy Howard : 164 comments
I'm routinely asked why SparkPeople focuses so much on drinking water. The idea that you need to drink 8 glasses a day is a myth, right? Although the amount of water you should consume varies from person to person, there are a lot of reasons to make sure you're getting enough. If you're looking for a few, a new study confirms that water drinkers tend to have better diets.
Posted 10/27/2009 6:02:52 AM By: Jen Mueller : 192 comments
When you decide it's time to make a change to your diet, one of the first things a lot of people do is switch out the regular soda for diet. It saves on calories and sugar, and can still give you the caffeine boost and beverage variety you're looking for. But some recent studies say that diet drinks might not be much better for your health.
A 2007 study from Boston University found that both sugar sodas and diet drinks boost the risk of metabolic syndrome- a collection of risk factors that increase your risk of health problems like heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Another study, published in the journal Circulation, found the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none. Keep in mind that these studies show an association between diet soda and metabolic syndrome. They don't necessarily say that drinking diet soda will lead you to develop the condition.
Posted 8/11/2009 2:08:30 PM By: Jen Mueller : 380 comments
When you're out to dinner, you probably make special requests to slim down your meal: sauce on the side, no butter, hold the salt. You can also to the same for your favorite cocktails!
When we sidle on up to the bar or pour a drink at home, we can treat ourselves without bankrupting our calorie bank for the day. Many cocktails served in bars and especially in restaurants are super sized, loaded with caloric garnishes and overpriced. Find out how you can slim down five of the most popular--and caloric--cocktails out there. (Some of these requests and recipes are more suited for home, but you can always ask the bartender to specially make your drink.)
Posted 7/24/2009 2:18:48 PM By: Stepfanie Romine : 79 comments
Who's hungry? Me, too!
It's a great time to share some of the NEW foods and drinks we've tried--and want you to try! Here are some quick reviews of these new products.
NEW flavors from Gnu
The folks at Gnu sent us their high-fiber bars to try a few months ago, and we reviewed them on the dailySpark.
Now there are two more flavors, which we recently sampled: Lemon Ginger and Espresso Chip. If you like lemon, you'll love the new Lemon Ginger bar. The Espresso Chip bar has more espresso than chip, so if you like coffee, this is the bar for you. Like all Gnu bars, these have 12 g of fiber (about half of your daily recommended value). The lemon flavor has 130 calories and 4 g fat; the espresso bar has 140 calories and 4 g fat. It's just my opinion, but I think the Lemon Ginger bars are the best Gnu flavor yet! For more info on Gnu bars, including where to buy, read this post.
Who's thirsty? We were recently sent some new drinks, too.
Posted 7/22/2009 6:10:52 AM By: Stepfanie Romine : 48 comments
Numerous studies have suggested that alcohol can be part of a healthy diet. In fact, many suggest that moderate amounts of alcohol can reduce your risk for heart disease and even diabetes. But not all researchers are convinced that alcohol- even in moderation- is good for you.
Critics say that no study has ever proved a causal relationship between moderate drinking and lower disease rates- only that the two tend to go together. Does moderate drinking make you healthier, or is it just that healthy people tend to drink moderately? If you're a moderate drinker, it's assumed that you probably take care of yourself (eating healthy, exercising regularly). So are those the lifestyle habits that most significantly contribute to good health, instead of how much you drink?
Posted 6/30/2009 5:24:40 PM By: Jen Mueller : 85 comments
Eating a balanced diet every day is the best way to make sure you are getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
A multivitamin can be helpful in providing some "insurance" for those days when your food choices aren't the best.
Water regulates every function of our body, flushes out waste and toxins and transports nutrients. Since our bodies contain about 70% water, it is really important to drink water daily.
So what about the combination of vitamins and water together?
Posted 6/11/2009 6:44:44 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 171 comments
We all know that water is good for you. It can help you feel fuller, it's a good replacement for sugary drinks like soda or juice, improves the look of your skin- the list is long. But did you know that drinking water might also help reduce your risk of a heart attack?
Posted 6/9/2009 9:12:08 AM By: Jen Mueller : 124 comments
Read More Entries >
|
|
