Beverages and health

A key component of good health is avoiding drinks that are loaded with sugar, like pop and hot chocolate. Since drinking too much sugar can lead to high blood pressure symptoms, important practices can be employed to make sure sugar from beverages doesn’t adversely affect your blood pressure.

WATER

Cheap and healthy, it is advisable to drink 9-13 cups of water per day. Containing zero calories and no sugar content, drinking water regularly will only increase your overall health.

MILK SHOULD BE LOW-FAT

Milk contains calcium, which strengthens your bones. Other benefits can include healthier teeth, rehydration and increased vitamin intake.

LIMIT INTAKE OF POP AND FLAVORED WATER

They both have a very high sugar content and can be one of the biggest culprits for causing weight gain. Worse than that, they tend to be lower in nutrients while causing your daily calorie intake to skyrocket. Be sure to monitor your intake.

DRINKS CONTAINING CAFFEINE

On the plus side, a caffeine-heavy drink can make you feel more energized and alert. On the downside, taking in too much caffeine can adversely affect your cardiovascular health. Drinks with high amounts of caffeine include coffee, energy drinks, colas, and tea to name a few. When you consume these, you may find yourself going to the washroom more often as caffeinated drinks cause the body to increase its urine production.

Health Canada provides recommendations for moderate caffeine intake:

• It is recommended that adults limit their caffeine intake to no more than 400 mg/day. This is about the amount found in three 8-ounce cups of regular coffee.
• Health Canada also recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women limit their intake to no more than 300 mg per day (about two, 8oz cups of coffee or six, 8oz cups of tea).
• Recommended limits for children are even lower. For children aged 12 and under Health Canada recommends a maximum daily intake of no more than 2.5mg/kg of body weight. Based on average weight, that works out to be no more than:
  • 45 mg/day for children 4-6 years
  • 62.5 mg/day for children 7-9 years
  • 85 mg/day for children 10-12 years

  It doesn’t take much for children to reach these limits; a 12-oz (355 mL) can of cola contains about 30 mg of caffeine and a solid milk chocolate bar has contains about 10 mg.

• For children, drinks such as cola should be limited, particularly if they are very young, due to the high caffeine content.

• Energy drinks are not recommended for children because of their high caffeine content and other ingredients. The caffeine content varies in energy drinks based on the brand and can size. One energy drink could well exceed the recommended daily caffeine intake for children.
• Health Canada hasn’t developed a definitive amount of caffeine that is safe for teens; however, a caffeine intake of no more than 2.5mg/kg of body weight is recommended.

Watch out for those sugary beverages! And read more about HOW SUGAR AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH.