Blog

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Whenever we think about eating better and watching what we consume, we typically only think of the foods that we eat. We’ll cut back on ultra-processed foods, unhealthy carbs, unnecessary desserts, and things like that (especially after the holidays). But how often do we think about the beverages that we drink on a daily basis?

According to registered dietician Heather Nace, many of the drinks that we consume are where a lot of our added sugar intake actually comes from. If you think about it, it’s much easier and much less noticeable to just sip on sugary beverages all day as opposed to eating sugary desserts and other foods.

Some of the biggest culprits when it comes to sugar-filled beverages that we consume daily and really don’t give much thought to include drinks such as flavored coffees, sodas, sweetened teas, energy drinks, juices, and alcohol. As a barista at a local coffee shop, I’ve seen just how much sugar goes into a lot of flavored coffees, teas, and energy drinks. Also, just a little tip: Blended coffee drinks contain an outrageous amount of sugar. While iced and hot coffees also can have a lot of sugar, it is nowhere near the amount that a blended coffee has.

This isn’t to say that you should completely avoid drinking these kinds of beverages and drink only water, although there are benefits to that. But rather we all just need to be mindful of the sugars we consume that we don’t often realize are there and consume them in moderation.