Usually, people only really focus on what foods they should be eating when they start a new diet. Beverages are usually overlooked as an insignificant part of one’s diet, but that is not true. You can change your diet to all healthy foods and still mess it up by drinking a lot of sugary beverages like soda.
You can also screw it up by drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages that contain empty calories – calories that the body cannot burn as energy and instead end up getting stored as fat. So, what beverages are the best to drink when dieting?
Typically, you would want to drink beverages that have very low calorie content, as well as ingredients that energize the body so that you can get more physical activity throughout the day. Let’s take a look at some.
Types of Weight Loss Fat Burning Drinks
Protein Shakes
Your diet should contain plenty of protein already, but if it does not, protein shakes are a great beverage to drink. Typically, you would want to drink them before, during, or after a workout so that the protein can go to work in helping to build your muscle mass.
Protein shakes are also a great option for people who avoid many protein-rich foods, such as vegans who do not eat meat (which is the one of the best sources of protein), since it allows them to get their fill of protein without having to break their oath to not eat certain foods.
Adolescents stand to benefit from drinking protein shakes as well due to them being in the prime age for muscle growth and development. The protein can go a long way in helping them build strong muscles. Those who have recently hurt themselves doing their workout or playing a sport can drink protein shakes to speed up their recovery time as well.
There are multiple kinds of protein shakes that you will find in stores and online: soy, casein, and whey. I can’t recommend one more than another, it is all up to you and what you find the most palatable.
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are not the healthiest option when looking for good drinks to help you lose weight. That said, they do provide weight loss benefits since they are very low in calories. Take a can of the popular energy drink Monster for instance. It contains only 110 calories.
The downside to energy drinks like Monster is that they usually contain a lot of sugar and caffeine. Caffeine is fantastic for weight loss, but it can be detrimental to your health if you consume too much (and a lot of energy drink makers PACK their beverages with caffeine because it is a natural energy booster). And of course, I do not even need to explain why having too much sugar is bad.
That said, energy drinks are not all bad. They do give you a boost of energy that no other kind of weight loss beverage can. On top of that, they help to make you more focused so that you can get through the task at hand without being distracted.
Electrolyte Beverages
When you think of electrolyte beverages, I want you to think of beverages like Gatorade and Propel. These are beverages that many athletes and fitness experts take to stay hydrated and energized during their workout and sports activities.
We all know that our body can lose a lot of electrolytes when we work out and get sweaty. And when we lose those electrolytes, our bodies become dehydrated. These beverages work to restore our electrolyte levels so that we can keep working out without worrying about getting dehydrated.
Should You Include These Kinds of Beverages in Your Diet?
There is an easy answer for that: yes. Of course, these beverages are not the healthiest things to consume and tend to contain too much of a bad ingredient. However, one cannot ignore the benefits. Protein shakes, in particular, are a fantastic choice because they lack the downsides of the other beverages listed.
That said, they are not the most appetizing option and can only really be consumed around the time that you are working out. What about what you should drink throughout the day? Many people would opt for an energy drink, or coffee.
What does the science say? Interestingly, several studies have come out that indicate that replacing full meals with just one of these dieting beverages can significantly contribute to weight loss. This means instead of eating some a slab of meat, you can drink a protein shake and get the same amount of protein, feel just as full, and not gain any weight.
And this was not just temporary weight loss either. The subjects in the study did this for about a year and kept their weight off. And once they stopped replacing the meal with the beverage, they gained the weight back. If that is not a direct correlation, I do not know what is.
It appears that the best answer to this question is that these drinks should not just be included in your diet, but they should replace one of the meals in your diet.
Are There Any Adverse Effects From Consuming These Beverages?
If you are going to take the route of replacing one of your main meals with one of these beverages, then you will probably feel the effects of hunger. I mean, you are replacing a full meal that your body is used to eating every day with just a simple beverage. It will take some time for your body to adjust and start feeling full after consuming the beverage instead.
Something to note as well is the sharp decrease in calorie content. The meal you are replacing the beverage with probably had anywhere from double to quadruple the amount of calories that the beverage has. This means your body has less fuel to burn as energy so you may feel a bit sluggish until your body adjusts.
On top of that, you may not be getting all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs when you replace a nutrient-rich meal with a simple beverage. You may need to start taking vitamin and mineral supplements to keep your body from developing the symptoms of various nutrient deficiencies that can greatly hinder your body’s performance.
Weight Loss Fat Burning Drinks Wrap Up
The science says that beverages can play a big part in our diets and our mission to lose weight. In fact, they can play such a huge role that the science even suggests that replacing one of our daily meals with a beverage can go a long way in helping us lose weight.
But of course, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. The various downsides of these beverages and replacing meals with them must be noted and considered before making this change to your diet. If you fear that you will not get enough of the essential nutrients your body needs, you may need to consider buying supplements to fill this void.
And I feel the need to say that the best beverage to drink for weight loss has to be good ol’ H2O. This is the beverage you should be drinking throughout the day as it keeps you hydrated and staves off cravings.
That said, it obviously cannot replace any of your main meals like the other beverages explained in this article can. Also, it does not contribute a whole lot to electrolyte restoration or muscle growth. This is simply a good beverage to drink when you are not working out.
As always, have a talk with your doctor, dietician, or any other trusted expert before making such changes to your diet to be sure that your body can handle it.
