Drinks with food is necessary, normal and at most times is healthy. That is, unless you are drinking the wrong drinks. Certain beverages after your meal at night can have the reverse effets of all that you’ve done that day or even that week. Not to mention other issues that can develop over time.
Here are seven of the drinks not to drink tonight after dinner.
Coffee with Creamer
Coffee can be relaxing on a cold day, and it goes perfectly with dessert. If your body can handle the amount of caffeine in your cup without experiencing sleeplessness, then sip away. The main thing to avoid when having a late-night cup of coffee is the creamer.
For example, Coffee-Mate powdered creamer, or “whitener,” contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and corn syrup. These ingredients recreate the texture of cream, but they’re harmful to your health. Corn syrup is a source of sugar that’s hard for your body to metabolize, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil contains trans fats. If you’re not careful, your body may latch onto these unhealthy ingredients during the night.
Diet Soda
Anything with “diet” in the name may be interpreted as healthy, but don’t let the labels fool you. If you’re trying to lose weight, would you ever down an entire bag of candy before you go to bed? Dr. Chris Tolcher, pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, refers to soft drinks and diet soda as “liquid candy.” If a doctor won’t touch it, you may want to reconsider. The artificial sugar in Diet Coke can do a lot of damage to your waistline — especially if you’re drinking it right before you lay down or go to sleep.
Cow’s Milk
A common myth about milk from a cow is that humans need it to have strong, healthy bones. Although a lot of people believe that a glass of milk offers calcium, vitamins, and protein, it actually contains acidic animal protein that takes calcium out of the bones. Therefore, drinking milk does the exact opposite of what people believe. Plus,…
…milk contains antibiotics, unnecessary fat, cholesterol, and calories. Who would want to add all of that to their daily intake right after a meal?
Powdered Mixtures
Do you love to add powders like Crystal Light to your bedside glass of H2O? The ingredients may make you think otherwise. These packets are filled with artificial flavors and sweeteners such as aspartame. The side effects of drinking these ingredients include anxiety, headaches, nausea, and abdominal pain. If you ask us, that doesn’t sound like good night’s sleep.
Flavored Water
Drinking water any time of the day has been proven to help your health in many ways. However, flavored water is a different story. Take vitamin water, for example. The average 20-ounce bottle of Vitamin Water contains about 30 grams of sugar and 120 calories. If you’re drinking water before you go to bed, stick to the original.
Apple Juice
Considering chugging a glass of packaged OJ right after dinner? Unfortunately, most store-bought fruit juices contain unnecessary amount of fructose. Though fruit juice contains naturally occurring fructose, it’s the added sucrose from juice concentrates that can pack on the pounds. For example, Natural News reports that a typical glass of commercial apple juice has as much fructose as you would find in six apples. However, it doesn’t have the enzymes the liver needs to process all that fructose. After just a couple of sips, your stomach will be hanging onto nothing but sugar and fructose, which is never the ideal situation you want your stomach in.
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks give the body electrolytes, and that’s about it. Unless you’re training for a marathon or heading to the gym right after dinner, you’re really just filling up on carbs, calories, and sugar. Most sports drinks contain a lot of ingredients we never want to put into the body, and downing one of these after dinner when you’re not being active just multiplies the negative effects.
Article originally seen here.