When we follow a healthy eating plan or are trying to lose pregnancy weight we all need to drink at least two litres of water per day – and many of us choose to supplement our water intake with drinks such as tea, coffee, soft drinks and maybe even a glass or two of wine every now and again.
But what you might not realise is that your favourite beverages could contain lots of hidden calories, fat and sugar – which could seriously de-rail your healthy eating and pregnancy weight loss plans. This is especially true in the summer, as we tend to consume more fruit juices and soft drinks throughout the hot months as a means of cooling down.
The reason why many people hit a wall when they are losing pregnancy weight may be because of these hidden calories in drinks – many people tend to forget that drinks contain calories, so if they pop into a coffee shop and grab a medium latte, they might not even realise that that drink contains, on average, 290 calories – which is roughly the same number of calories as a medium portion of French fries.
One of the easiest ways to control the calories you take in through your drinks is to quite simply practice portion control. While that may seem really obvious, many people will order a large coffee or buy a larger cup of soft drink when they are out and about than they might pour themselves at home – which makes it really easy for them to take in more calories without even realising. Instead, when you’re ordering drinks when out, always order a small drink and say no to any extra toppings you may be offered. To cut the calories even more, make your own drink to take with you before you leave home – you can really save on calories this way.
To help you to control the calories you take in through your drinks, we’ve come up with a list of calories found in some of the most common beverages.
Calories in drinks
- Juices: orange juice, 200ml: 88, apple juice, 200ml: 96, carrot juice: 200ml: 48, pineapple juice, 200ml: 100, tomato juice, 200ml: 28, grapefruit juice, 200ml: 80, mixed tropical fruit juice, 200ml: 98, mixed vegetable juice (average), 200ml: 40.
- Coffee (average calories from major retailers): black coffee, 270ml: 5, white coffee, 270ml: 19, white coffee with one sugar, 270ml: 43, espresso coffee, 25ml: 1, mocha, 450ml: 330, latte, 450ml: 180, cappuccino, 450ml: 130, Americano, 450ml: 15.
- Milk: skim milk, 200ml: 84, semi-skim milk, 200ml: 100, whole fat milk, 200ml: 134.
- Alcoholic drinks: Irish cream liquor, 25ml: 87, beer, bitter, 100ml: 32, beer, stout, 100ml: 30, gin, 25ml: 56, lager, 100ml: 45, sherry, 100ml: 136, vodka, 25ml: 56.
- Wine and champagne: champagne, 100ml: 74, white wine, 100ml: 74, red wine, 100ml: 68, rose wine, 100ml: 76.
- Soft drinks: coca-cola, 330ml: 142, lemonade, 200ml: 130, energy drink, 350ml: 160, iron bru, 330ml: 142, apple soda, 300ml: 60, ginger ale, 170ml: 70.
- Diet soft drinks: diet coca-cola, 330ml: 1, diet lemonade, 250ml: 3, diet iron bru, 330ml: 2, diet ginger ale, 170ml: 5.
As you can see, packaged drinks such as fruit juices are also surprisingly high in calories. In the summer months, one of the best options to go for drink-wise is vegetable juice – it is very low in calories, but it is also packed full of goodness.
Another good choice is cold sparkling water – it has no calories, but it has a bit of a fizz that makes it more interesting than plain old water. You could pep up fizzy water with a cold herbal teas and adding fresh limes, lemons and mint– that way you get a fruity flavour and a bit of fizz, too. Whatever you choose to drink this summer, keep an eye on your portions and you’ll be going in the right direction!
If you are ready to lose weight then the Lose Baby Weight plans offer a healthy and safe exercise and diet routine that are safe in breastfeeding and can help support your milk supply
And don’t forget to check out our current promotions and discounts page to see what specials we have on this week on our Healthy Mummy product range
