Introduction
If you’re looking to get lean and stay healthy, it’s important to watch what you drink as well as what you eat. Unfortunately, many of us have bad drinking habits that can sabotage our efforts to stay fit and healthy. Nutritionists have identified four of the worst drinking habits that can prevent you from achieving a lean body. In this article, we’ll discuss these four habits and provide tips on how to break them. We’ll also provide healthier alternatives to help you stay on track with your health and fitness goals.
4 Worst Drinking Habits for a Lean Body, Say Nutritionists — Eat This Not That
If you’re looking to get lean and stay healthy, nutritionists say there are certain drinking habits you should avoid. From sugary cocktails to beer binges, here are four of the worst drinking habits for a lean body.
1. Drinking Too Much Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to weight gain, dehydration, and an increased risk of certain diseases. The American Heart Association recommends that men consume no more than two drinks per day and women no more than one. If you’re looking to get lean, it’s best to stick to this recommendation.
2. Drinking Sugary Cocktails
Sugary cocktails are loaded with empty calories and can quickly add up. If you’re looking to get lean, opt for drinks that are low in sugar and calories, such as vodka and soda water or a light beer. Avoid drinks that are loaded with syrups, juices, and other sugary mixers.
3. Drinking Beer Binges
Beer binges can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of certain diseases. If you’re looking to get lean, it’s best to limit your beer consumption to one or two drinks per day. Avoid drinking more than that, as it can quickly add up.
4. Drinking Too Much Wine
Wine can be a healthy part of a balanced diet, but drinking too much can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of certain diseases. The American Heart Association recommends that men consume no more than two drinks per day and women no more than one. If you’re looking to get lean, it’s best to stick to this recommendation.
The worst drinks for a lean body are those that are easy to make habitual to the point where you consume them nearly every day, maybe even multiple times a day, and don’t even realize you’re doing it. They are the drinks that don’t feel heavy in your hand or thick and creamy in your mouth nor are they filling when they finally reach your stomach.
We asked our nutritionist friends to name their picks for worst drinks for habitual drinking. Read on to discover what they are, and for more on how to eat healthy, don’t miss 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work.
Many dietitians point to sugar-sweetened beverages, especially soda, as the worst possible drink to make a habit of because it’s basically just sugar and water. “Soda is very high in sugar and calories; a 24-ounce soda can have 60 grams of sugar, the same as 12 teaspoons of sugar,” says Brenda Peralta, RD, a writer for FeastGood.
Soda and other sugary drinks are so hard to avoid because we have been programmed to order soda whenever we place an order for fast food. And sugary drinks are available everywhere you turn, especially in the grocery stores.
A new pilot study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest investigated the placement and promotion of sugary drinks, the top source of added sugars in the United States, across 16 grocery stores in one metropolitan area. On average, sugar-sweetened beverages appear in about 30 locations, including endcaps and checkout areas, within each grocery store and were featured in nine price promotions per location.
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Even though they don’t have any calories, beverages that contain artificial sweeteners can be harmful to you if you want a lean body. “Studies show that artificial sweeteners may negatively impact your microbiome and cause glucose intolerance, which may make it harder to lose weight,” says USA Rx’s Heather Hanks, MS, who holds a degree in complementary and alternative medicine and specializes in holistic nutrition, gut health, and chronic disease management.
“Even when used in small amounts, you may still find that you crave more calories than you did before you drank that artificially-sweetened beverage,” says Hanks. A 2021 study published in JAMA Network Open adds to the evidence that drinks made with a specific artificial sweetener, sucralose, may stimulate the appetite by priming the brains of people with obesity to crave high-calorie foods.
Hanks’ recommendation: water is by far the best thing you can drink if you want a lean body.
RELATED: This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Water
Morning coffee is arguably the most common drinking habit among Americans, which makes coffee potentially the worst drink for a lean belly.
“Coffee alone won’t cause weight gain, and, in some cases, it can improve your weight-loss efforts (by boosting metabolism and helping control appetite),” says Trista Best, RD, a registered dietitian at Balance Once.
But it’s those high-calorie sweeteners and high-fat creamers you add in that turn a coffee habit into an opportunity for serious weight gain, she says. The worst culprits are those specialty coffees made at coffee shops like Starbucks. That chain’s White Chocolate Mocha, made with whole milk and whipped cream, packs up to 620 calories and 67 grams of sugar, more than you’ll consume by eating five chocolate croissants!
RELATED: The #1 Worst Coffee Habit for Weight Loss, Says Dietitian
It’s easy to forget the number of calories in beer, wine, and cocktails when you’re enjoying yourself with friends at happy hour. So, here’s your refresher: There are two main reasons drinking alcohol regularly is the worst type of drinking habit for a lean body, according to Daniel Boyer, MD, a medical researcher with the Farr Institute. First, alcohol (ethanol) has calories, about 12 calories per ounce. While a regular beer may have about 150 calories per 12 ounces can, and a glass of red wine about 125 calories, some blended cocktails made with sugary mixers can top 600 calories.
Secondly, “taking too much alcohol makes your body prefer the excess alcohol to fat as an energy source,” says Dr. Boyer. So, you end up burning off the alcohol while your fat stores continue to build up in your body. One study demonstrated that when subjects were given four different meals, including one meal with alcohol, the booze-rich meal suppressed the oxidation of fat more than any of the no-alcohol meals.
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