Diet Drinks - Will They Make You Fat?

Posted on Feb 9th 2009 1:00PM by Jacki Donaldson

Diet drinks can pack on the pounds, say recent reports, and Oprah's Dr. Katz weighs in on the topic over at Oprah.com.

Dr. Katz believes diet drinks can cause weight gain. But science is not decisive on the matter. Suggestive, yes. For sure, no. It's the sugar substitutes (saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, neotame and acesulfame-K) that can do the damage, but evidence of this is based only on animal studies. Now, it's logical to assume that humans who consume these sweeteners end up overeating like animals do (sugar substitues cause the brain to expect more energy than it gets, which causes the desire to keep eating), but we won't know conclusively until humans are put under the microscope. Well, you know what I mean.

Dr. Katz isn't a big fan of the diet drink. "My particular concern is that artificial sweeteners are 200 to 13,000 times as sweet as sugar, and that is a potent stimulus for turning a sweet tooth into a fang," he says. He does make one exception for the drinks though: "They can be a great substitute for people who drink a lot of regular soda and are trying to cut down. Just be sure to take the next step -- toward the water cooler."

Drink Shockers

By Mary Kearl

Your favorite beverage may be just as diet-wrecking as fatty fast food, adding calories, sugar and fat and offering little or no nutritional value. Watch out for these drink shockers that will tip you closer to the F.D.A. and U.S.D.A. recommended daily limits for calories (2,000), fat (65 grams) and added sugar (40 grams) a day. Added sugars means any sugar not found naturally within the food, so look out for ingredients like sugar, maple syrup, honey, corn syrup and molasses, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Red Bull

Size: 8.3 oz can
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 27 g

This drink contains more than half the sugar you should have in one day. Plus, do you really want to use 110 of your 2,000 calories on something you can drink in about 10 seconds?

*Calories per Ounce: About 13

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Sunsweet Prune Juice

Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 180
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 24 g

While Sunsweet's juice is 100 percent juice and does not contain any added sugars, it still is a high concentration of natural sucrose, which means the calories can add up. In comparison, one serving of Sunsweet's regular prunes contains 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar. Plus, it contains 11 percent fiber which you miss out on when you drink the juice.

*Calories per Ounce: 22.5

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red

Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 28 g

Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red contains five percent juice, which means 95 percent of it comes from water, plus dubious ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial flavoring, juice concentrates and sugar. Since many "juice" drinks like Hawaiian punch do not contain 100 percent juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice intake to 4-6 ounces for kids under 7 years, and no more than 8-12 ounces for older children and teens.

*Calories per Ounce: 15

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Hershey's Chocolate Milk

Size: 1 cup, or 8 fl oz
Calories: 270
Fat: 5 g
Sugars: 45 g

Just one serving of this milk contains 33 more grams of sugar than regular low-fat milk, or nearly all the added sugar you should have in one day. Make this an occasional treat, not a once or twice-a-day habit.

*Calories per Ounce: 33.75

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

McDonald's McFlurry with M&M's candies

Size: 12 oz
Calories: 620
Fat: 20 g
Sugars: 85 g

When it comes to calories, this drink is about the equivalent of one meal. Plus, you better watch your sugar intake for the rest of the day.

*Calories per Ounce: About 52

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Wendy's Chocolate Twisted Frosty with M&M's

Size: 16 oz
Calories: 560
Fat: 19 g
Sugars: 72 g

Yes, this drink is a little lighter on all counts than a McFlurry, but you'd still be better off ordering a chocolate or vanilla Frosty in the junior or small sizes. You'd save 250 to 410 calories and 11 to 15 grams of fat.

*Calories per Ounce: 35

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Glaceau Vitamin Water

Size: 20 oz
Calories: 125
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: about 33 g

There is one easy way to avoid this diet trap. If you're feeling dehydrated or low on energy, drink a glass of calorie-free, sugar-free, fat-free water and eat one of your five to nine servings of fruits or veggies recommended by the U.S.D.A.

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Crème, Double Chocolate Chip Crème (without whipped cream)

Size: Venti, 24 fl oz
Calories: 550
Fat: 11 g
Sugars: 79 g

By adding whipped cream this drink becomes even more shocking with an extra 120 calories and 11 fat grams.

*Calories per Ounce: About 23

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Baskin Robbins Cappuccino Blast Caramel

Size: Small, 16 fl oz
Calories: 480
Fat: 16 g
Sugars: 68 g

Steer clear of this cappuccino the next time you're at Baskin Robbins -- it contains about a quarter of your daily fat allowance -- and head for the low fat variety of the Cappuccino Blast. At 220 calories and 2 grams of fat it's a much lighter option. But watch your sugar content for the rest of the day because even this option contains 44 grams.

*Calories per Ounce: 30