Beware of These 4 Summer Sippers

Staying hydrated during the warm weather is a must. Choosing the wrong bevvie can lead to guzzling hundreds of unnecessary calories. Be wary of these four choices!

Lemonade. Bottled lemonades have around seven teaspoons of sugar depending on the brand. Sugar-free lemonade mixes don’t have that fresh lemony flavor and are filled with artificial sweeteners.
Instead: Control the ingredients by making your own batch. Use freshly squeezed lemons, water, and two teaspoons of sugar per serving.


Iced Tea. Tea contains a compound called oxalates which prevent your body from absorbing calcium. This doesn’t mean to avoid iced tea altogether, rather to limit yourself to no more than a cup or two per day. In addition, bottled iced tea and powdered mixes have boatloads of sugar, which will quickly put you over your daily limit for added sugar (six teaspoons max for women and nine teaspoons max for men).
Instead: Choose freshly brewed iced tea sans the sugar—it’s zero calories! To add flavor without many calories, use a touch of honey or agave, a splash of juice, or fresh mint.

Smoothies. Starbucks’ 16-ounce strawberry smoothies come in at 300 calories and 41 grams of sugar. This amount isn’t unusual for smoothies that are made with ice cream or reduced fat (2%) milk.

Instead: Opt for smoothies made with non-fat or low-fat yogurt or ice, and keep portions to 8 or 12 ounces.

Sports Drinks. Sports drinks are a combination of water, sugar, and electrolytes like potassium and sodium and have about 50 calories and three teaspoons of sugar per cup. They aren’t meant as a lazy summer afternoon beverage as they contain a nice amount of sugar and usually are gulped down in greater than one cup servings.

Instead: Sports drinks are specially designed for athletes to help replenish fluids, electrolytes, and carbs to fuel muscles. If you’re not exercising, then just go for good old water.


by Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition and dietetics from New York University. She is also a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist by the state of New York. She is also an ActivewearUSA.com Advisory Council Member.