Have you ever heard the rule “don’t go shopping if you’re hungry”? Maybe we should also add “don’t go shopping when you’re thirsty” to the list. Because if you are someone who loves to enjoy sweet drinks, a simple trip to the grocery store can often result in a cart full of processed beverages. And it turns out that certain beverages can be just as detrimental to your health and weight-loss goals as frozen foods and salty snacks.
To find out some of the worst drinks to leave out of your cart the next time you go shopping, we talked to health experts. Lisa Richardscreator of The Candida Diet, and bridget swinney, MS, RDN, LD. We were told that brewed coffee drinks and sweet tea are two options to avoid if you want to lose weight or simply maintain a healthy metabolism.
1. Pre-made coffee drinks
If you consider coffee a sweet treat to savor each morning, but you don’t like taking the time to make it yourself, you may be tempted to buy bottled, processed, pre-made coffee drinks like the guy who sells Starbucks in grocery stores. However, Richards says that’s a bad idea, especially if you want to lose weight. “Pre-made, processed coffee drinks are a convenient alternative to standing in line for traditional sugar-laden coffee,” he says. However, the downsides can’t be ignored: “They contain empty calories, fat, and added sugar.” Over time, consuming all those processed ingredients and receiving virtually no nutritional value can affect your metabolism. In fact, Richards says that sugar “contributes to metabolic disorders.” For this reason, it’s best to brew your coffee at home rather than opt for a pre-brewed, processed option, and whenever possible, drink it black, or at least keep add-ins to a minimum!
2. sweet tea
Yes tea is more your thing than coffee, you may gravitate towards bottles or pitchers of sweet tea as you walk down the beverage aisle at the grocery store. Unfortunately, no matter what you put it on, sugar it is sugar, and it is never a good thing to consume if you want to lose weight and maintain a fast metabolism. So while tea is great on its own (in fact, some varieties can even speed up your metabolism and help you slim down!), sugar-laden options just don’t cut it. Swinney explains that when you drink sweetened tea (or any sweet beverage), your blood sugar will rise and your body will produce more insulin. “Insulin is necessary for your body to allow sugar to enter your cells, so you can use it for energy,” she says. “The extra glucose can cause you to feel a blood sugar high followed by a drop in energy due to the effect of insulin.” Over time, excessive consumption of sugary drinks could even lead to insulin resistance, eventually leading to weight gain due to insulin-caused fat storage. In fact, too much sugar can cause worse than slow metabolism and weight gain: “If the body can’t meet the demand for more insulin, prediabetes or diabetes can occur,” Swinney warns. Oh!
The bottom line
While it’s okay to enjoy your favorite bottled beverage from time to time, it’s important to be aware of the impact the beverages we consume can have on our bodies. And when it comes to options like sugary coffee and sweetened tea, it’s not worth exaggerating the health risks and drinking these beverages to excess. For this reason, it’s best to make your own coffee or tea at home (and leave the sugar out of the mix!) whenever possible rather than buying these varieties from the supermarket.
