Benefits of Drinking More Water Instead of Sugary Drinks

There has been a notable increase in children and adults in Ireland drinking sugary drinks in recent years, which can impact our nutrient intake, dental health, and weight. The calories in sugar-sweetened beverages are considered empty calories, meaning they have no nutritional benefit. The amount of water you drink is important, and sugary drinks have been associated with a lower quality diet, higher body weight, and general ill health. Switching to drinking natural mineral water will have many benefits to everybody’s health.

Effects of sugary drinks

Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages often is connected to tooth decay, cavities, weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, and gout. Limiting the consumption of these sugary drinks and replacing them with water can improve health and help maintain a healthy weight and a healthy diet.

There was a survey conducted of a week’s food diary compiled by 25,000 men and women aged between 40 – 79 in Norfolk in England. Researchers confirmed that drinking a sugary drink a day and drinking water instead could cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to a quarter.

It is very important to know how to identify sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). SSBs include soda, sports drinks, fruit drinks,, sweetened coffee and tea, energy drinks, and other sweet drinks. Understanding the importance of water for proper hydration is so important. Water should be the primary beverage for everyday consumption. This should be even more important for adults and kids engaged in routine physical activity.

How to give up sugary drinks and tips to stay healthy

• Speak to your manager at work and ask about whether they can provide a water cooler. Mains-fed coolers have minimal cost and the water is more appealing.
• Ask your child’s school to allow students to carry water bottles in class, if they don’t already. Most schools have drinking water fountains.
• Make water appealing and accessible. Add some mint leaves, slices of lemon, or lime.
• Reusable water bottles can make it easier to drink water on the go, and save money.
• Skip the extras when ordering coffee such as cream, and chocolate syrup.
• Reduce sugar in tea and coffee.
• Keep sugar-sweetened beverages out of the house.
• If you struggle to cut out your sugary drinks, instead of going cold turkey, try reducing the amount you drink at first before cutting them out completely.
• Replace fizzy drinks with sparkling water, you can even add some fruit slices or mint to add some flavour. Our Instant Boiling taps also have sparkling water available at the touch of a button.

Summary:

The regular consumption of sugary drinks has greatly increased over the past few decades. Most adults consume about 400 calories per day as beverages, and regular soda is the number one drink. The added sugars and calories in sugary drinks can add up — so rethink what you drink.

Staying hydrated is important, so use one or more of the tips provided to drink more water and get on the right track to living a healthier life. Check out our products to see which can help you with your drive to a healthier life.