Sip to Slim

Sip Smart: Back Off Sugar

Replace one sugary drink with water or a zero-calorie beverage and you'll save yourself from about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Think about adding lemon, lime, mint or frozen strawberries for flavor and fun.
The liquid sugar in soda appears to bypass the body's normal fullness cues. One study compared an extra 450 calories per day from jelly beans vs. soda. The candy eaters unconsciously ate fewer calories overall, but not so the soda drinkers. They gained 2.5 pounds in four weeks.

Sip Smart: Use a Tall, Thin Glass

Use a tall, skinny glass instead of a short, wide tumbler to cut liquid calories -- and your weight -- without dieting. You'll drink 25%-30% less juice, soda, wine, or any other beverage.
How can this work? Brian Wansink, PhD, says visual cues can trick us into consuming more or less. His tests at Cornell University found all kinds of people poured more into a short, wide glass -- even experienced bartenders.

Sip Smart: Limit Alcohol 

When an occasion includes alcohol order a glass of water along with it.  Sip each drink intermittently with the each other.  Alcohol has more calories per gram (7) than carbohydrates (4) or protein (4). It can also lead you to mindlessly inhale chips, nuts, and other foods you'd normally limit.

Sip Smart: Go for the Green

Drinking green tea may also be a good weight loss strategy. Some studies suggest that it can boost the body's calorie-burning engine temporarily, possibly through the action of phytochemicals called catechins.  You'll get a refreshing drink without tons of calories.

Coffee...It's a Food Group!!!

Donald Hensrud, chair of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic expresses that people have preconceived ideas about different foods, and the common perception about coffee drinking is that it’s bad for you. But for most people, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Studying coffee’s health effects is tricky because coffee comes in so many forms and strengths. The volume is not the issue.  The strength of the potent brown liquid is determined by the amount of caffeine in coffee.

Here are some of the benefits of coffee:

• Might help protect against heart arrhythmia, stroke and depression in women, and basal cell carcinoma
• Contains hundreds of antioxidants. Coffee is the main source of antioxidants for some coffee lovers.
• Improved cognition and alertness
• Decrease in depression risk & suicide risk
• Can potentially reduce the risk of liver disease.

So, go ahead and take advantage of your java with all of its health benefits!

However, as much as I crave a cup of joe, I have to consume sparingly because it sometimes produces acid reflux. Other side effects can include heart palpitations, indigestion, insomnia, and urinary tract problems in men. A side note; coffee doesn’t appear to increase blood pressure over the long haul, among people who don’t drink it often, it can cause blood pressure to spike temporarily. If you add cream and sugar to your coffee, your coffee habit could lead to weight gain.  So the old saying goes, “All things in moderation.”

National Coffee Drinking Trends Study,The National Coffee Association of U.S.A. Inc., 2011

Jennifer LaRue Huget, Eat, Drink & Be Healthy Columnist, 11/15/2011