Sugary drinks cause obesity, are they difficult to quit? Nutritionists teach 3 effective ways to quit

There are many beverage stores in Taiwan, and drinking a drink a day has become a daily routine for many people. However, most beverages contain too much refined sugar. Long-term excessive intake can not only easily cause obesity, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver, dental caries and other diseases, but also increase the risk of various cancers.

Most beverages contain too much refined sugar. Long-term excessive intake can not only easily cause obesity, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver, dental caries and other diseases, but also increase the risk of various cancers.

In view of the harmful effects of sugary drinks on health, the Cancer Care Foundation assisted Taipei Qiming Primary School in designing a special nutrition education course. Nutritionist Yang Chuanying led interns from the National Taiwan Normal University's Bachelor of Nutrition Science program. Through the course and the three tips to stay away from drinks ("drink more water", "less sweet drinks" and "choose healthy", the students of Qiming Primary School will always remember to reduce their intake of sugary drinks and take back control of their health.

The beverage has a very high calorie and sugar content, and students are afraid to drink it anymore

The course consists of two parts: practical work and exercise. Taking into account the particularity of students at Qiming School, the course design focuses on taste, sensory perception and exercise safety. In the first part of the practice, students were first asked to taste a sugary drink with the same amount of sugar as a beverage and guess the sugar content. After the answer was announced, they were asked to touch and feel the actual weight of the sugar. Many students said that they had no idea that a cup of milk tea in a breakfast shop contained nearly 40 grams of sugar, not to mention a larger bottle of beverage. In the second part of the course, students were asked to jog and do jumping jacks for 1 minute. While the students were still out of breath after the exercise, the actual exercise time required to metabolize the calories of each item was immediately announced. The students wailed that the exercise was too tiring and they would not dare to drink beverages in the future.

Lin Chenfang, head of the physical education and health group at Taipei Qiming Primary School, said that students are often seen ordering drinks in groups at school, but due to visual limitations, students have little desire to exercise. To address these issues, the school actively promotes reducing beverage intake and not using snacks and drinks as encouragement. Staff will also be arranged to take students to exercise during breaks, but these effects are limited. Through this course, students can feel it more concretely, which has played a great role in warning.

One cup of bubble tea exceeds the limit. 3 effective ways to quit sugary drinks

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's recommendation that "daily dietary added sugar intake should not exceed 10% of total calories", if the daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories, then no more than 50 grams of refined sugar should be consumed a day. However, a cup of 700c.c. full-sugar bubble tea on the market contains nearly 62 grams of sugar, which is far more than the daily limit. Nutritionist Yang Chuanying said that it is difficult for everyone to completely stop drinking beverages, but they can grasp the following principles to reduce the intake of sugary drinks.

Drink plenty of water:

It is recommended to drink more boiled water instead of sugary drinks, which can reduce calorie intake and keep away from the threat of obesity and various metabolic diseases; it can also maintain a constant body temperature to prevent heat stroke; it removes waste from the body through the excretion of urine, sweat and feces, promotes gastrointestinal motility to prevent constipation and avoid urethritis. The recommended daily water intake is body weight multiplied by 30. The daily water intake for an adult is about 2000cc. When drinking water, you should drink it in multiple times and drink it slowly to avoid causing physical discomfort.

Less sweet drinks:

If it is difficult to quit sugary drinks immediately, you can start by reducing the amount of sugar. If you originally ordered full-sugar drinks, change to half-sugar or light sugar, and then gradually change to sugar-free. At the same time, also try to gradually reduce the frequency. If you originally drank one cup a day, change to one cup a week or one cup a month. By reducing the amount of sugar and the frequency, you can gradually reduce your dependence on sugary drinks.

Choose health:

If you really want to drink, you might as well choose healthy drinks instead, such as: sugar-free tea, no/low-sugar soy milk, yogurt, milk, homemade vegetable and fruit juice (without filter residue), etc., which can provide a variety of nutrients. However, special attention should be paid. Many people believe that sports drinks should be drunk after exercise to replenish electrolytes. However, the average person does not exercise as much as athletes, but sports drinks contain a lot of sugar, and drinking them will replenish many calories consumed during exercise.