Sugar tax, heard of it? A proposed tax added to drinks such as cola, lemonade and energy drinks, aimed at curbing Australia’s growing obesity epidemic. Now without diving in whether such a tax would or would not work nor whether we should or shouldn’t consume such drinks, I thought I would highlight a few points to keep in mind when choosing an appropriate lunch time drink.
The first point to consider is the presence of “hidden” calories in sugary drinks. Do we know how much sugar these drinks actually contain? The average 375ml bottle of soft drink contains the equivalent of 9 teaspoons of added sugar while a 600ml bottle can contain up to 15 teaspoons. Imagine putting 9 teaspoons on sugar in your morning coffee!
When we convert the sugar content of a 600ml bottle of soft drink to calories it measures up at a whopping 237 calories. With the average recommended calorie intake for a moderately active female being 2000 calories and male being 2700 calories, a single bottle of soft drink added to lunch can contribute between 9% and 12% of our bodies daily caloric requirements.
The second point to consider is how much “bang for our buck” we get from these calories. Added sugar is often referred to as an “empty calorie.” By this we are referring to the fact they provide energy but little to no other nutrition. On top of this, have you noticed how high sugar food and drinks never tend to leave us feeling full or satisfied, often leading to further or additional food or drink consumption? This can in part be attributed to a “hunger hormone” produced in our stomach which is more effectively suppressed by foods high in protein and fats than foods high in sugar. Meaning this “hunger hormone” will become reactive sooner after consuming high sugar food or drinks.
To conclude, yes these drinks can be suitable to have in moderation however; if you are finding yourself consuming these on a regular basis, it might be time to swap that lunch time soft drink for a lunch time water.
