Processed beverages are a go-to drink for a lot of people. They are tasty, easily available and also cheap.
On a perfect night at home with your friend, you might feel like getting these beverages to go with the pizza that you are having.
You might be wondering; one glass of coca cola or Tropicana juice is not going to make any difference. But it will.
These drinks are extremely addictive as well. It is a known fact that processed drinks are bad for health.
We also know that the high sugar content can make us fat and rot our teeth. But there are other health hazards that these drinks can cause.
1. Overdose of sugar
All processed beverages contain an enormous amount of sugar that is harmful if ingested every day. The sugar gets added and absorbed in your bloodstream. There are two kinds of sugar, glucose and fructose. The latter kind is not good for your health at all as was reported in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. You should avoid it all costs. Try replacing your beverages with fruits, honey, and tea with brown sugar. Brown sugar contains some nutritional aspects like higher levels of calcium, iron and potassium and slightly lower levels of calories than white sugar, which are good for your body. However, if you are a health freak, you should stop or reduce the intake of any sugar at all.
2. Spike in insulin level
As you consume sugar and sugary beverages, the quantity of glucose in your blood will rise. In order to do away with the sugar content, the pancreas produces large amounts of insulin. The more sugar you consume, the more your insulin level will raise leading to diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
3. Weight gain
Sugary beverages and soft drinks do not reduce the hunger hormone and they will not satiate your hunger. As a result, the amount of ghrelin in your body will remain the same. You will consume the same quantity of food like you usually do. Beverages will neither help you decrease your food consumption, nor will it help you lose weight. Instead, the calories you are consuming through sugar and aerated drinks will only add to your weight gain.
4. Fatty liver
Processed beverages can also adversely affect your liver. Liver helps metabolize the fructose level in your body. The fructose gets converted into fat, which accumulates in the liver. This is called fatty liver. If you are a sucker for these drinks, chances are you will get fatty liver problems in the future.
5. Belly fat
Belly fat is extremely difficult to do away with. This portion of our body stores most of the fat and once you start developing belly fat, it is very difficult to get rid of it. The fructose that is causing fatty liver can also cause belly fat. Excess belly fat can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart related diseases.
6. Dental health
Aerated soft drinks contain a certain amount of acid in them, which is not good for your dental health. It can cause tooth decay and cavities both of which are extremely painful and difficult to get rid of.
Just because you cannot drink processed beverages does not mean that your life is over. There are hundreds of tempting drinks and food that you can try as an alternative. Try switching to natural beverages like milk shakes and fruit smoothies that are healthy for both your body, skin and hair.
