SOFT DRINKS include soda, lemonade, sweet tea, sports drinks and any beverage sweetened with sugar or sugar substitute. How much sugar do you think is in the beverages you consume? Look at how much sugar is in a few of these popular choices:

20 oz. bottle of Coke 17 teaspoons
20 oz. bottle of Fruitopia 18 teaspoons
16 oz. bottle of Sunny Delight 19 teaspoons

Some soft drinks may have added vitamin C, calcium or other nutrients, but they are basically flavored sugar water. You must look at the nutrition facts label to see how many servings are in each container and how much sugar is in each serving. The major problem with consuming toomuch sugar is the extra calories. Another problem is children are consuming soft drinks at an earlier age.

How many soft drinks do you consume? If you were to drink 1 can of sugar sweetened soft drink every day and not cut back in calories anywhere else, you could gain up to 15 pounds in a year.

Soft drinks were once thought to be a treat. Now they are a part of our regular diet. Recently, soft drinks have come under scrutiny for their contributions to the rise of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

To calculate how much sugar is in your beverage:

Step 1. Look at the �Nutrition Facts� panel.
Step 2. Write down the number of �Servings per Container�
Step 3. Write down how many �Grams of Sugar�
Step 4. Multiply �Servings per Container� by �Grams of Sugar�
Step 5. Divide �Total Grams of Sugar by 4. This will tell you how many teaspoons of sugar are in your beverage container.

Ideas for consuming less sugar:

Choose soft drinks every once in a while and use smaller portions
Decrease the amount of sugar in tea
If you drink soft drinks, choose diet drinks
Choose healthier beverages such as low-fat or fat-free milk
The smartest choice of all is WATER

Bottom line: The evidence is strong that cutting back on sugary drinks or eliminating them altogether may help with weight control and lower the risk of diabetes.

For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 828-255-5522.

(Images provided by Buncombe County.)

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