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Are Beverages Making You Fat?

Think you’ve got your diet under control? You may be gulping down hundreds of unwanted calories without even knowing it. New findings are adding to the research suggesting that more than ever before, what and how much we drink may increase calorie intake and weight without our noticing.

More than 20 percent of our daily calories come from the things we drink. But the World Health Organization recommends that we consume only about 10 percent of our calories from liquids. All those extra calories are adding to American’s obesity epidemic, making it more difficult for people to lose weight.

Here are a few tips to avoid “drinking” on the pounds:

• Think before you drink. Steer clear of beverages loaded with caloric ingredients, such as sugar, corn syrup, fructose, milk, cream, syrup, special flavorings and even fruit juice.
• Calculate the “total calories,” not just one serving. Many beverages list calories per serving, but pack two or more servings into each bottle. So take the time to check out the serving size and figure out how many servings and calories are included in one container.
• Don’t get fooled by healthy drinks. Fruit juice and fruit smoothies may be filled with nutrition, but they’re often high in calories. So if you’re watching your weight, you’re better off eating fruit vs. drinking it. And just because a product claims to be “all natural” or contains “no refined or added sugars” doesn’t mean it’s calorie-free.
• Watch out for alcohol. If you're planning an evening of dinner and drinks, you could have the calorie-equivalent to a whole meal in drinks only, before you’ve eaten anything at all. The average glass of wine has about 100 calories, and a 12 oz. beer contains approximately 150 calories.
  
  According to researchers, it’s not uncommon for a mixed drink to have about 300 calories and the decadent frozen drinks like daiquiris to have 500 or more calories each. So limiting the number and types of drinks you have before eating will make a major difference for your waistline.