Many Canadians are not aware of the health risks associated with the beverages they drink every day. There are several popular drinks in Canada that can be detrimental if drank on a regular basis. These ten types of drinks are some of the worst beverages for your body and should be replaced with healthier alternatives as often as possible.
Soda and Pop
Soda, or pop, is one of the unhealthiest beverages you can drink. For millions of consumers, the sweet, syrupy taste and crisp carbonation makes soda hard to refuse—despite the fact that the high sugar content is a health hazard.
Each can of soda contains 138 calories and approximately 39 grams of sugar. That is equivalent to 10 teaspoons of table sugar. Canadians are advised to limit their sugar to less than 10% of their daily calories, which means that one can of soda nearly exceeds sugar’s daily recommended allowance.
Sugar is a known cause of several serious ailments. Those who frequently drink soda, even just once a week, are nearly guaranteed to experience weight gain, especially in comparison to those who don’t drink soda at all. Sugar has also been linked to an increased chance of diabetes, heart disease, kidney and liver diseases, specific arthritis, and even cancer.
An additional problem with sugar is that it can be highly addicting. Those who regularly drink soda will likely crave high-calorie foods, sugary drinks, and sweet treats. Alternatively, limiting soda has proven to curb these cravings after some time.
If you are struggling to kick your soda cravings, try carbonated water. You can drink natural spring water and use a carbonation machine to add those delightful bubbles.
Drinks with Food Dye
Sports drinks, slushies, and other colourful drinks are full of food dyes and artificial colours. These colours include Yellow 5, Red 40, and Blue 1. Studies have found these colours to be responsible for hyperactivity in children, but also allergic reactions and behavioural changes. Some consumers utilize sports drinks to replace electrolytes after physical exertion, but it is possible to properly replenish the body without consuming fake dyes.
Since spring water absorbs minerals as it travels to its source, it can naturally replace lost electrolytes in the body. Before exercising, or prior to a day in the sun, fill up some reusable water bottles with spring water from a glass bottle.
Bear springs is one of the only glass bottled water providers in Toronto. We deliver our spring water fresh in our glass bottles, to help preserve the water’s purity and great taste. Our glass bottles are extremely durable, and are an amazing alternative when it comes to helping the environment.
Alcoholic Drinks
Moderate alcohol consumption is considered to be beneficial for its favourable influence on cardiovascular health. Aside from this, there are worrisome risks attached to drinking alcohol.
Drinking an excessive amount of alcohol in a single occurrence can not only be toxic but leads to inebriation and the potential for bad or reckless decisions. Heavy and frequent alcohol consumption over a long period of time strongly increases the risk of illnesses such as liver disease and/or cancer in the digestive tract or breast. In July 2021, CTV News reported that in 2020, 7000 new cancer cases in Canada were related to alcohol. Alcohol can also be addictive and might stunt development and growth in young people if ingested prematurely. On top of that, alcohol is a diuretic, which quickly leads to dehydration if fluids are not promptly replaced with water.
Fruit Juice
Fresh fruit is full of essential vitamins and boosts the body’s immunity, but drinking fruit juice on a regular basis might be counterproductive to your health.
Similar to soda, the main concern with drinking fruit juice is its high sugar content. Fruit juice is filled with both glucose and fructose; simple types of sugar that the body quickly breaks down. Glucose is broken down via insulin and raises the body’s blood sugar levels, while fructose is taken in by the liver. Over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes and even dementia. A liver oversaturated with fructose can eventually lead to fatty liver disease.
Instead of drinking fruit juice, just eat fruit. The fibre in fruit makes a huge impact on the digestive process because it slows it down. This means the sugar in fruit is not absorbed as quickly and takes longer to enter the bloodstream (unlike liquid). It also means that for one portion of fruit (for example, one orange vs one cup of orange juice) the body will process much less sugar and stay fuller longer.
In the instances where you’re craving a fruity drink instead of a fruit snack, try fruit-infused spring water. It offers the natural freshness of regular juice, but without any sugar. Plus, it keeps you hydrated.
Sweet Drinks
Sweet drinks like lemonade, iced tea, punch, and flavoured kids’ drinks also contain very high levels of simple sugar. Another downside to simple sugar, and fructose specifically, is that it can lead to a build up of visceral belly fat. This type of fat is usually non-visible, and it increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Canada is highly concerned with the amount of sugar in the average Canadian diet. They advise that Canadians “limit [their] intake of sugar sweetened beverages and drink water [instead].”
Sweet drinks provide no nutritional value, deplete your body of energy (first causing a sugar high and then a sugar crash), and actually dehydrate you. If you frequently find yourself opting for a sweet drink, reconsider your habit and choose a healthier beverage, like spring water, instead.
Energy Drinks
It can be tempting to rely on an energy drink for a pick-me-up, especially when you feel tired or need to focus. However, the large amounts of caffeine and sugar in energy drinks don’t “energize” you at all.
Instead of energizing the mind and body, caffeine activates the brain and nervous system. Consumers believe they are operating from a deep well of energy, but they are actually over-stimulated. With energy drinks, unsettling symptoms of over-stimulation can arise quickly, such as an elevated heart rate, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and anxiety. You may have experienced some of these symptoms if you’ve ever had an energy drink.
The majority of energy drinks (depending on the size) contain over 100 mg of caffeine per serving, with some drinks containing 200 mg or more. Drinking energy drinks over the longterm will put a significant strain on your cardiovascular system, making you more susceptible to heart disease.
If you’re searching for a good source of fuel for your body, go back to basics. Eat something healthy, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and stay well-hydrated. Repeating these simple but effective habits will do more for you than a caffeinated drink.
Coffee (and Creamers)
Did you know that coffee and water are the highest-consumed beverages in Canada?
When it comes to coffee, moderation and smart dietary choices are the key to keeping your “daily fix” from doing a disservice to your body.
Coffee is great for kick-starting your brain in the morning, and for propelling you through the day. Coffee can also over-stimulate you, make you jittery or nervous, elevate your pulse, and cause insomnia. It is also very acidic, which can lead to acid reflux, especially if it’s black coffee or taken on an empty stomach. Some consumers can’t stand the taste of black coffee, which means they turn to table sugar, artificial sweeteners, or unhealthy creamers to remedy the bitter taste.
As discussed earlier, sugar and sweeteners should only be used in moderation, if at all. Coffee creamers should also be limited. They are notorious for being high in calories and quite sweet. They also contain trans fat, which is the worst type of dietary fat and can lead to poor heart health, stroke, and diabetes. Speciality drinks are also a culprit. Anytime you visit your nearby coffee shop and order an extravagant drink, you’re ordering plenty of calories and sugar, and paying a lot for it.
Coffee is not the only way to wake up in the morning. Drinking a glass of spring water when you wake up can activate the brain just like coffee. Water naturally energizes your body, which means staying hydrated is a great way to sustain your energy levels during the day. Plus, when you wake up with water, you won’t experience any of the hyperactivity or complications caused by caffeine.
Sugar Free or Diet Soda
The incentive for sugar-free or diet soda is that it contains zero sugar and zero calories. Any type of sugary drink that is stripped of sugar needs to somehow replicate its characteristic sweet taste, which is why sugar-free and diet soda is loaded with artificial sweetener.
Aspartame is a popular sugar substitute used in thousands of everyday products and goods. This artificial sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar! Aspartame contains 4 calories per gram, just like sugar; however, each can of sugar-free or diet soda contains approximately 180 mg of aspartame. Although an individual serving of aspartame sounds insignificant, the health conditions associated with this sweetener are staggering.
Over the years, several studies have claimed that aspartame can lead to strokes, seizures, heart disease, inflammation, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Aspartame is also considered to be a factor in the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and causes unbalanced gut bacteria (which in itself raises the risk of deterioration in the brain).
The substitution of sugar with an artificial sweetener might help you limit calories in the moment, but your body’s dependence on sweet, high-calorie foods and drinks will only increase. This is why many people who drink sugar-free or diet soda actually gain weight over time.
Powdered Drink Mixes
Several types of drinks are sold in the form of powder. These include flavour enhancers for water, juice mixes for kids, and protein powder. One of the reasons why consumers prefer these mixes above authentic versions of the same drink is because they are convenient.
Flavour enhancers are used by those who want to stay hydrated but don’t typically like the taste of water. These mixes are advertised as low-calorie and low-sugar, which they are, but their sweet taste comes from unhealthy artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. Juice mixes (often marketed to kids) contain sugar and artificial colours, which increase hyperactivity in children and develop cravings for high-calorie, sweet treats from a young age. Protein powder is a dietary supplement. It can be mixed with water or milk, helps with muscle repair, and can act as a meal replacement. The problem with some protein powders is that they discretely contain a lot of sugar. On top of that, sometimes unknown contaminants are also included in the mix, which can harm the body.
There is a more convenient way to drink what you love. Renting a water cooler gives you easy access to flavourful spring water whenever you want. With bear springs, renting a water cooler is simple. Choose your preferred water dispenser and bottles, and enjoy the great taste of our wilderness water.
Tap Water
Tap water is not technically unhealthy; nor is it the healthiest or purest water you could be drinking. Tap water is treated by the city, with chemicals such as chlorine, fluoride, ammonia, and phosphoric acid. These substances cleanse the water of any harmful toxins, but they often cause a noticeable change in the smell, taste, and look of municipal water.
Many residents also have concerns about frequently ingesting chlorine. This chemical has been associated with heart conditions, allergies, and multiple types of cancer. Chlorine also has the potential to kill the good bacteria in your gut, which is needed to regulate your general health. Instead of drinking from the tap, make a better choice for your body by switching to spring water.
Bear springs spring water is naturally pure and locally sourced. Our wilderness water is delivered across the GTA and tastes fresh and delicious, making it a fantastic substitute to any kind of unhealthy beverage.
