KEY POINTS:
You're being so good. You've cut out the chocolate and the chips, you're stuffing yourself with fruit and vegetables and no carbohydrates pass your lips after 7pm. Yet you're not losing weight.
Your problem may be that you're not taking into account what you're drinking. That's most likely because liquids don't make us feel as full as food does, so we often ignore the fact they can be high in kilojoules.
Coffees, soft drinks, alcohol and even apparently healthy fruit juices throughout the day, can add up to over half your recommended daily intake of kilojoules. Here's how to make smart drinking choices.
SOFT DRINKS
Soft drinks have very high levels of sugar - one 355ml can may contain 10 teaspoons of sugar. They have no nutritional value.
Kilojoule count (for 250ml):
Cola 450kJ
Lemonade 500kJ
Tonic water 375kJ
Smart sipping:
Regard soft drinks as a special treat and only have them occasionally. If there are times you really must have them, opt for diet versions or buy a single can or small bottle, rather than keeping a large bottle in the house.
COFFEE AND TEA
The huge popularity of "fancy" coffees means many of us may be consuming lots more kilojoules than we realise. With the exception of espresso, they are frequently served in enormous cups, so you end up drinking much more than you would if you brewed one yourself.
Kilojoule count:
One cup of latte (whole milk) 545kJ
One cup of latte (skim milk) 335kJ
One large Frappuccino 864kJ
Smart sipping:
Asking for skim milk will cut kilojoules. Restrict yourself to one normal-sized coffee a day. If you need a hot drink try tea (made with regular milk and no sugar, it's only 50kJ a cup) or green tea.
ALCOHOL
You can blow a whole day's worth of kilojoules on alcohol in just one night if you're a big drinker. Beer is very fattening and cocktails also tend to be bad for you. If you knock back spirits with a mixer like cola - already full of sugar - that raises the kilojoule count considerably.
Kilojoule count:
Red Wine ( 120ml) 335kJ
White wine (120ml) 315kJ
Rum and cola (150ml) 500kJ
Rum and diet cola (150ml) 290kJ
One can of beer 565 kJ
Smart sipping:
Choose diet versions of mixers if you're drinking spirits - they can save you up to 300kJ per drink. If you're likely to be drinking lots in one session have a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage.
FRUIT JUICE
Fruit juice can be good for you as it contains important vitamins and minerals but it's not necessarily non-fattening. In fact it may be just as high in kilojoules as some soft drinks. Read the labels.
Kilojoule count (for 200ml):
Tomato juice 200kJ
Unsweetened grapefruit juice 305kJ
Freshly squeezed orange juice 320kJ
Apple juice 390kJ
Smart sipping:
Choose unsweetened varieties or water down your fruit juice by adding still or sparkling mineral water. Try not to have more than one glass a day.
SPORTS AND ENERGY DRINKS
These include a range of beverages. Mostly designed to be used while exercising and to replace electrolytes as well as fluids, they tend to include glucose or fructose.
Kilojoule count:
Mizone Peak Mandarin sportswater (650ml) 355kJ
Red Bull energy drink (250ml) 500kJ
Gatorade sports drink (600ml) 630kJ
Smart sipping:
Regard energy drinks as an occasional treat and only have sports drinks if you are working out intensely. Otherwise drink water - maybe with a squeeze of lemon.
- Detours, HoS
