In the Drink - how beverages contribute to obesity

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Nov, 2000 by Jackie Adriano

Good to the Last Drop

Do people drink more just because they're served more?

"Serving sizes have a tremendous effect on everyone, but a much more dramatic effect on males," says Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Research Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In a new (still unpublished) study, he gave free Coke or Sprite to 372 teens and adults who were eating at McDonald's, Burger King, or Hardee's restaurants. Roughly half were given a child-size (12-ounce) drink, while the others got a large (32-ounce) drink.

"The girls and women drank 17 ounces when they got the large size, but only 9 ounces when they got the small drink," says Wansink.

"The differences were even more extreme for the boys and men. They consume anything you give them--about 28 of the 32 ounces in the large drink and 11 of the 12 ounces in the small drink."

And what's remarkable, says Wansink, is that "people don't perceive that they're consuming any more calories with a large drink than with a small."

When asked how many calories they drank, most people had no clue, he says. "But even when we looked at people who said they could estimate calories well--usually females--they said they had consumed about 100 calories, whether they drank 9 ounces or 17 ounces."

Take Charge

Don't get us wrong. It's not just 300-calorie beverages that are making Americans pudgy. It's also 670-calorie Cinnabons, 800-calorie tuna salad sandwiches, 1,000-calorie Big Macs and Fries, 1,200-calorie orders of Stuffed Potato Skins, 1,600-calorie platters of General Tso's Chicken, and 2,400-calorie plates of Cheese Fries.

But at least some people think twice before gulping down 1,000 calories of food. They may not question the "hidden" calories in beverages.

Yet they're so easy to avoid. Dieters may have trouble eating less food over the long term. But surely they could get used to drinking noncaloric beverages with and between meals.

"People have two options," says Mattes. "Either they start consuming non-caloric beverages like water, tea, coffee, or diet soda. Or they can drink whatever they want, but compensate by eating less food."

Here are some other strategies for avoiding beverage bloat:

* Order "kiddie" or "small" sizes. At McDonald's (and many other restaurants), a child's serving is 12 ounces. And a "small" at most fast food restaurants is 16 ounces (two cups).

* Ask for ice in your drink. You'll get less beverage ... and fewer calories.

* Get an empty cup or glass and split a beverage with a friend. If the waiter offers a free refill, ask for water.

* Don't have a caloric beverage as a snack to stave off hunger before a meal. It won't curb your appetite as well as solid food. Try baby carrots, slices of melon, or orange wedges instead.

* You don't have to eliminate healthy beverages like orange juice and low-fat milk. Mix OJ with seltzer for a refreshing drink with half the usual calories. And the calcium, protein, and other nutrients in that glass of milk may be worth its 100-or-so calories.