Beverage Guidelines Suggest Drinking Fewer Calories
By Rachel Burke

A national survey reports that Americans get more than one-fifth of their daily calories from beverages. That’s two times more liquid calories than health experts recommend.

It seems as if there’s a soda machine around every corner. With just the push of a button you can get a refreshing drink and more than two hundred calories.

Carolina senior Ashley Brammer drank so much soda her freshman year she gained five pounds. “I would go up to Lenoir and get one of those cups and just kinda fill it up after classes and stuff,” Brammer says. “And I realized I started gaining weight from it so I cut back.”

Now Brammer opts for water instead of soda and says she can see a difference.

Nutritionists say many people don’t realize they’re gaining weight from what they drink. UNC-CH research assistant Kiyah Duffey helped put together guidelines showing how many calories you should consume from beverages.

“It’s all about moderation and balance,” Duffey says.

So what should you drink? The healthy beverage guidelines classify drinks into different levels. Nutritionists recommend you choose drinks from the lowest levels; these include water, unsweetened tea, coffee and low-fat or skim milk. Scientists say you should limit drinks from the higher levels, such as diet drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, alcohol and soda.

Duke dietician Franca Alphin advises students on how to maintain a healthy diet.

“People on one level are not registering that they are consuming a lot of calories because beverages go down so quickly and they are very refreshing,” Alphin says.

Brammer says she feels healthier without drinking a soda every day.

“I don’t think I feel like I really need to have it all,” Brammer says. “It's just sort of a treat every now and again.”

And that’s what researchers recommend. Drink sugary beverages every now and then – not all the time.

A single can of soda has more sugar than a slice of chocolate cake. To see the healthy beverage guidelines visit www.beverageguidancepanel.org.