Dr. Mark Hyman, New York Times best-selling author and co-founder of Function Health, doesn’t talk about sugar lightly. “Excess sugar consumption is one of the deadliest drugs of our time,” he writes.

While we all know that foods like ice cream, candy, and cookies contain sugar, high amounts of sugar are quite prevalent in a lot of foods that are considered to be “healthy”, like packaged yogurts, granola, trail mix, and salad dressings. Therefore, you may be consuming a lot more sugar than you think before you even add a beverage to your meal or snack. 

If you’re mindful of your health but don’t bother to read the nutrition labels on your beverages, you could be doing a lot of harm to your body. Here is what you need to know about sugar in the beverages you’re consuming.

Dangerously sweet beverages 

According to a 2019 study, the US population still consumes more than 300% of the recommended daily amount of added sugar. One of the ways that Americans consume sugar most readily is through beverages like soda, coffees, teas, juices, and smoothies. Check out the sugar content of these popular US drinks:

America’s favorite fall treat, a pumpkin spice latté from Starbucks, has 50 grams of sugar in a medium, or “Grande”. 

A Snapple Peach Tea, a vending machine staple, packs a whopping 40 grams of sugar in its 16 fluid ounces.

Think juices and smoothies are much better? Think again. A 15.2 fluid ounce “Superfood Machine” smoothie from Naked juices contains 54 grams of sugar.

Why is it important to reduce your sugar intake

Why does Dr. Hyman consider sugar a “drug”? Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can lead to weight gain and may increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Jessie Inchauspé, a New York Times best-selling author also known as the “Glucose Goddess”, explains that sugar spikes can cause “cravings, brain fog, hormonal and fertility issues, skin conditions, wrinkles, [and] poor sleep”. High sugar consumption also causes inflammation and therefore speeds up aging. 

If that isn’t scary enough, consuming a lot of sugar will also impact your energy levels in a major way. Guzzling a beverage that is loaded in sugar and lacking in protein, fat, or fiber might lead to a brief energy boost, but that’s shortly followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar, also known as a “crash”.

Sugar not only impacts your physical health, but can negatively influence your mental health as well. There is a well-established link between mood disorders like depression and anxiety and poor blood sugar control. Those with diabetes are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, and diabetic patients are also about 20% more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders. 

Beverages that are low in sugar 

If you still want to enjoy the occasional freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie or ice cream cone on a hot day, it’s best to keep your sugar intake in your beverages low. Here are some of our favorite low-sugar beverage “hacks”:

Instead of soda, try sparkling water “sweetened” with lemon, lime, or orange slices.

If you’re going to enjoy a cup of coffee, try ordering it black and lightly sweetening it yourself rather than ordering a sugary drink off a specialty menu. 

If you’d like a smoothie, make it at home and focus on adding in a quality protein powder, healthy fats, and some greens like spinach so it’s not such a sugar bomb like many store-bought smoothies. 

Here at Mateina, we pride ourselves on our canned Yerba Mate beverages that are lower in sugar than other Yerba Mate drinks on the market. Our Peach Passion and Grapefruit Guava Yerba Mate Brews each contain only 8 grams of sugar per can. 

Our newest flavor, Lemon Zero, is completely sugar-free. Lemon Zero blends zesty lemon and a hint of ginger, making it taste like a classic half-and-half iced tea, but infused with the essence of Yerba Mate and without any sugar whatsoever. With 0 grams of sugar, this is a beverage you can enjoy worry-free. 

Conclusion 

None of us are perfect, and life is meant to be enjoyed. A little sugar here and there will not derail all the progress you’ve made in establishing a healthy diet. But the more you can reduce the sugar in your diet, the more calm, stable, and balanced you’ll feel on a daily basis. Mateina is here to support you in that endeavor.