Thirsty Thursday - Sugar in Our Drinks

I have not mentioned much about my occupation, but I am a high school counselor.  A few weeks back, we had a nutritionist come and speak to our students.  Her topic was the amount of sugar in the drinks that we drink.  While I have had an awareness of this for quite some time because I am a label reader, I was appalled by the activity that she had for our students.  She had measured out the amount of sugar that was in each drink and put it in separate Ziploc bags.  The students were to guess which bags of sugar went with which drinks.  There were drinks with more sugar and carbs in all of these drinks than I have in a week.----And this is what is being marketed TO OUR CHILDREN!  The nutritionist works for Children's Hospital in our area.  She reported that Type II Diabetes used to be a disease that affected mostly adults.  Now, they are seeing more and more young people being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.  I know that I have seen this reported multiple times on the news in our area, as well.

The students were not the only ones at fault for drinking these drinks.  I would say that 75% of the teachers in our school are drinking them as well.  We are being given sugar in massive amounts...and it is changing the chemistry of children today.  And we don't even think about it!  If you do nothing else, read your labels.  Don't be a victim to this horrid culture of eating/drinking without thinking.

Since the presentation by the nutritionist, I am proud to say that I have not seen any of the teachers who attended the presentation drinking those drinks.

Just to give you an idea, I am posting some pictures to represent the amount of sugar that is in each of these drinks below.

You probably wouldn't give your toddler 10 Oreos to eat....but you would give him Apple Juice without thinking twice, right?

Do you still want that Coke?  Pepsi is the same.

It's green tea....It is healthy, right?

May not seem so bad after looking at the other pictures...but it makes a point that you need to read labels.  Buy the unsweetened version.  Refuse to drink drinks with added sugar.

Again....do you want to give this to your kids now?

This is supposed to be a "healthy" sports drink.  Does this make you think twice?

Starbucks isn't so appealing when you think of it in this light.  Right?

What do I drink when I feel like I want a treat?.....Something different than plain, old water?  Sparkling water.  There are many brands out now...and they are flavored if you choose.  (I wonder about those "natural flavors," too....so I opt for the plain ones and I squeeze lemon, lime, or berries into mine.)  I find that Aldi's brand is the most affordable...and it is every bit as good as the more expensive brands.  It is surprising how good a little fizz can be when you have cleansed your pallet by refusing to drink so much sugar.  

Choose wisely.  I learned from my experience of illness that you only get one body.  Be kind to it.  We are not meant to eat these massive amounts of sugar.

KetoRunningMama