Beverages To Have When You’re On A Kcal Meal Plan

May 26, 2021 in Lifestyle

We’re sure you’ve heard this before “don’t drink your calories”. You should try avoiding any extra calories from beverages when you’re on a Kcal meal plan, especially if you’re looking to lose weight. This means, you should avoid juices, soft drinks and those fancy caramel macchiatos and lattés. Juices, even if fresh, are high in sugar. One cup can have up to 25g of sugar equivalent to 5 teaspoons. Sodas have even more sugar, around 32g equivalent to 6 teaspoons! So what beverages can you have?

Water
You knew that already, but you’re probably not drinking the right amount of water for your body needs. To know how much water you should drink daily, multiply your weight in kilos by 35. The number you get is the amount of mL you should consume daily. For example, if you’re 70kg, you should be consuming 2450 mL, which is approximately 2.5L a day. Keep in mind that this number should be increased on the days you exercise and during summer time!

Infused Water
If you love juices or any sweet beverage, consider replacing them with flavoured water, also known as infused water. This will help you reduce your sugar/carb intake to achieve your desired weight loss. Infused water is basically a combination of any fruit, vegetable and herbs immersed in cold water. Most common infused water are cilantro lemon and ginger lemon. It is very easy to make your own, all you have to do is to pick your favourite fruit and let it sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature or for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge. You can just leave it overnight to be consumed the day after! And guess what? Homemade infused waters can last up to 3 days in the fridge.

Sparkling Water
If you enjoy fizzy drinks, sparkling water is a good replacement. Not only it has zero calories and sugar, but also presents many health benefits. It has been shown to improve digestion, reduce constipation as well as appetite… And don’t worry, even if sparkling water is carbonated and any carbonated drink like sodas are known to be harmful for your tooth enamel and bones, there is currently no evidence that sparkling water is bad for you.

Coffee Or Herbal Teas
No sugar nor milk in your coffee or tea. As previously discussed, we’re aiming to eliminate any extra source of sugar or calorie on top of your Kcal meal plan. Stick to black coffee or green tea. Also, did you know that caffein in coffee may boost your weight loss? It was shown to temporarily increase your metabolism by 3 to 10%. However, studies showed that this only works for people who are not regular coffee consumer and if you’re exercising too!

Written by Dona Maria Mesmar, Kcal Nutrition Manager
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