"What Do You Drink?"

I was relaxing with my family for the night when my text message alert went off.  I checked my phone and saw that my cousin had asked me "what do you drink?" 
This question was followed by his list of preferred beverages......G2, Propel, Smart Balance fruit juice, etc.  He likes to come to me for training advice, and this time his question made me realize something about myself. 

My drink list only consists of three items!

Item 1: Water.  Obviously this is essential, and when I'm training clients, you will almost always see a bottle of water in my hand or nearby.  In fact, I often drink more during a training session than the client who is doing all the work!  My drink of choice when eating out is water with lemon.

Item 2: Water with Whey Protein.  I know, water again..... Well, water is the base ingredient for most beverages, healthy or not.  I prefer the healthy choices.  I will almost always have a whey shake for breakfast with my bowl of oats and cinnamon.  I will use my whey shakes for convenient meals while in between training appointments as well.  Nothing is faster or simpler.  The Miller household goes through plenty of whey protein, as Jess is a big fan as well.

Item 3: Milk.  I don't drink a large amount of milk.  If I had to estimate, I drink under a half of a gallon per week.  Certain meals just taste better when followed with a glass of milk.  If I'm trying to sneak in a few extra calories, I will use milk with my whey shakes, but this isn't the usual drill.  Milk is the most uncommon of my three drink items.

My main realization from my cousin's message is that my drink selection is very limited, and I feel that this is something that more and more people should strive for. 

Sweetened drinks can easily drive your daily calorie total out of control.  Even zero calorie drinks will trick your system into craving other sweets, as the more sweet foods you eat, the more you crave.  Just because a drink might have zero calories, it doesn't mean there aren't other adverse effects associated with drinking it. 

There are many pitfalls to watch out for when straying away from basic, natural beverages.  If you are not well versed in nutritional knowledge, than I recommend leaving them out of the equation.  A large glass of fruit juice will contain more calories than a can of regular soda.  Sure, it has vitamins and minerals, but if weight loss is your concern, there are better ways to get those which don't come with hundreds of carb calories.

If you must have something other than water, give green tea a taste.  There are caffeinated and decaffeinated versions to suit your liking, and green tea boasts some great health benefits as well.

In closing, keep your drink list short and simple.  Its much tougher to over eat on solid foods than it is by drinking your calories.  Stick to the basics, your bodyfat percentage will thank you, and so will the mirror!

I'd like to thank my cousin Brent for this blog idea.