“In an effort to get people and places to choose healthier beverages, the Minneapolis Health eDepartment has launched the reTHINK campaign. The new campaign aims to help people to understand how beverages make up a significant part of their diet, and what people drink can either positively or negatively impact their mind and body. Experts have identified sugary drinks as the single largest contributor of calories and added sugars to the U.S. diet.” – http://www.cdc.gov/

Sweeteners that add calories to a beverage go by many different names and are not always obvious to anyone looking at the ingredients list. Some common caloric sweeteners are listed below. If these appear in the ingredients list of your favorite beverage, you are drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage.

• High-fructose corn syrup
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrates
• Honey
• Sugar
• Syrup
• Corn syrup
• Sucrose
• Dextrose

Here are some tips to find what is in your drinks:

• Look at the nutritional facts that are usually on the side or back of the products. It gives information on how much a product contain sugar, sodium, and calories, etc. Make sure that you are aware of how much you consume throughout the day whether it is foods or drinks. You don’t want to exceed your daily calorie intake or waste it on unhealthy food.
• Drink water instead of sugary and carbonated drinks. There are many benefits to drinking water. Water helps your body flush out waste, keep your body hydrated, maintain bowel movements, and more. It doesn’t have any calories and can help you lose weight. Don’t substitute water with anything, drink water!
• When ordering drinks, go for less! Less is more and more satisfying. Whether it’s ordering smoothies, coffees, shakes, etc., get it in small, if possible kid size. If you get it in a smaller size, you won’t feel as bad eating it, you’ll save money, and won’t have the urge to finish the entire drink especially if it’s in a large size.
• Sodium intake is another thing to watch out for. Too much sodium can lead to heart related accidents and diseases, high blood pressures, stroke, and more. “Based on a 2013 phone survey of more than 180,000 adults across 26 states, DC and Puerto Rico, CDC research reveals that just over half of U.S. adults reported taking action to watch or reduce sodium intake – while one in five say they have received professional medical advice to reduce sodium intake.” http://www.cdc.gov/

Facts & info belong to http://www.cdc.gov/.