Have you ever heard the rule “don’t go grocery shopping while hungry?” Maybe we should also add “don’t go grocery shopping while thirsty” to the list. Because if you’re someone who loves to indulge in sweet beverages, a simple trip to the grocery store can often result in a cart filled with processed drinks. And as it turns out, certain beverages can be just as detrimental to your health and weight loss goals as frozen foods and salty snacks can be.
To discover some of the worst beverages you should leave out of your cart next time you’re grocery shopping, we spoke to health experts Lisa Richards, creator of The Candida Diet, and Bridget Swinney, MS, RDN, LD. They told us that premade coffee drinks and sweet tea are two options you should avoid if you want to lose weight or just maintain a healthy metabolism.
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1. Premade coffee drinks
If you consider your coffee a sweet treat to savor each morning but don't like to take the time to make your own, you may be tempted to buy bottled, processed, premade coffee drinks like the kind Starbucks sells at grocery stores. However, Richards says this is a bad idea, especially if you want to lose weight. "Premade and processed coffee drinks are a convenient alternative to standing in line for a traditional sugar-laden coffee," she notes. However, the downsides can't be ignored: "They contain empty calories, fat, and added sugar." Over time, consuming all of those processed ingredients and receiving virtually no nutritional value can do a number on your metabolism. In fact, Richards says the sugar is "a contributor to metabolic disorders." For this reason, it's best to make your coffee at home rather than going with a processed, premade option—and whenever possible, take it black, or at least keep the add-ins to a minimum!
2. Sweet tea
If tea is more your thing that coffee is, you may gravitate towards bottles or jugs of sweet tea while walking through the beverage aisle at the grocery store. Unfortunately though, no matter what you put it in, sugar is sugar—and it's never a good thing to consume if you want to lose weight and maintain a fast metabolism. So, while tea is great on its own (in fact, some varieties can even boost your metabolism and help you slim down!), sugar-loaded options are a no-go. Swinney explains that when you drink sweetened tea (or any sweet beverage), your blood sugars will spike and your body will produce more insulin. "Insulin is needed for your body to let the sugar into your cells, so you can use it for energy," she says. "Extra glucose can cause you to feel a sugar high followed by a drop in energy due to the effect of insulin." Over time, drinking sugary beverages in excess could even result in insulin resistance, eventually leading to weight gain due to the fat storage caused by insulin. In fact, too much sugar can lead to worse than a slow metabolism and weight gain: "If the body can't keep up with the demand for more insulin, pre-diabetes or diabetes can occur," Swinney warns. Yikes!
The bottom line
While it's okay to treat yourself to your favorite bottled drink every now and then, it's important to be conscious of the impact the beverages we consume can have on our bodies. And when it comes to options like sugary coffee and sweetened tea, the health risks aren't worth going overboard and having these drinks in excess. For this reason, it's best to whip up your own coffee or tea at home (and leaving sugar out of the mix!) whenever possible rather than buying these varieties from the grocery store.
