How Much Sugar Are You Really Drinking?

In a world where obesity, diabetes and similar diet-related conditions are on the rise, knowing which products to watch out for when trying to stay healthy and fit is essential. Though most people keep tabs on their intake of sugar through food and processed products, many are still unaware that drinks too contain simple sugars which, if consumed to excess, can prove detrimental to health, internal organs, your waistline and overall wellbeing. If you're not in the sweet-flavored knowhow, 36 grams is the recommended average daily allowance of sugar and most people surpass it by far just through drinks, to say nothing of food. So, how up to date are you on your daily sugar intake through soft beverages? Scroll down to find out.   Vitamin Water, 20 oz. bottle – Sports drink with hidden sugars Though often recommended as perfect refreshment for athletes and recreational sportsmen, Vitamin Water is packed with simple sugars – as many as an astonishing 32 grams of white poison – so it may not be as healthy as the commercial says. In fact, simple sugars transform into fat in the liver, so if you're not careful, that belly fat may start showing with excess daily Vitamin Water intake.   Mountain Dew, 20 oz. bottle – Sugar, spice and all the brominated vice A much-loved beverage among both the young and the elderly alike, Mountain Dew is not healthy in the least. In addition to as many as 77 grams of sugar per bottle, this soda also contains brominated vegetable oil, a synthetic chemical that can trigger severe toxic effects once it accumulates in the body.   Starbucks White Hot Chocolate, 20 oz. pack – Whooping sugar quantities per glass Bad news, hot chocolate lovers: Starbucks white hot chocolate, with that smooth, delicious whipped cream on top is a true disaster for your figure. With an incredible 76 grams (or 18 teaspoons) of sugar per glass, Starbucks white hot chocolate is definitely not a great option for a light midday snack – you'd better wolf down two regular chocolate bars instead.   SoBe Energize Green Tea, 20 oz. bottle – Not so green sugar-wise Though green tea reportedly has great slimming effects, SoBe Energize Green Tea is not the ideal variety to rely on for a sexy figure. Packing as many as 51 grams of sugar per bottle, SoBe Energize Green Tea may boost your energy quickly, but it will definitely get your blood sugar up faster and higher than you originally bargained for.   Minute Maid Lemonade, 20 oz. bottle – Sweet but hazardous in the long run Lemonade can't be bad for your health, right? After all, lemon helps lose, not gain, weight. Well, though this statement may be true of homemade lemonade with minimal quantities of added sugar, it doesn't apply to bottled lemony-flavored drinks. Believe it or not, a bottle of Minute Maid Lemonade has as many as 67.5 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to 16 sugar cubes per pack. Now, that's not exactly what you'd call healthy, right?   McDonald's Triple Thick Chocolate Shake, 32 oz. – Sugary-flavored murder It's no news that McDonald's grubs are not a byword for healthy food, but did you know that a single large McDonald's triple-thick chocolate shake contains as many as an outrageous 168 grams of sugar? Now that's a drink to send you doing cartwheels across the room – or add an extra inch to your waistline if not used up by a couple of hours of heavy training or exercises.   Impressed yet? Yes, it's true – you should start reading the drink labels carefully from now on unless you're all too eager to build up diabetes type 2 some time in the foreseeable future. An aspect of regular diet that frequently gets overlooked, soft drinks and sodas are packed with simple sugars so you should try and watch your daily intake of sweet-flavored liquids whenever you can – your body and health will be eternally grateful to you for the extra effort.