Some Of The Medical Differences Between Health Drinks: Chemicals And Calories

Nothing feels better after a good workout than a long cool drink. Choosing the right one, however, can be confusing. Is is more beneficial to drink a sugar-free soda, or would one of those flashy, hip, high-energy products be a better choice? Or should you skip both, and choose something more nutritionally beneficial? Each one has its own set of claims. What are the medical differences between Health drinks?

To be truly healthful a drink should provide some nutritional support and benefit. In recent months advertising for nutritional supplements that look a little like milk, but come in different flavors, has increased. These products have actually existed for many years, but until recently were used primarily in health or elder-care facilities to supplement the diets of people who had trouble eating because of disease or aging.

The differences between this kind of drink and a candy-bar snack are illuminating. The good news is that the packaged drink has more vitamins and minerals than candy, and lower amounts of saturated fat. Surprisingly, however, both snacks contain very little fiber, and provide much of their energy boost through sugar. They lack any of the beneficial phytochemicals found in non-processed foods.

While most diet specialists do not recommend meal replacement for people with normal weight, they do recommend an diet rich in nutrients. Rather than a supplemental beverage, younger and reasonably healthy people may instead opt for one of the newer “energy drinks.” Such products are also being heavily advertised on TV, but are aimed at a much younger audience.

The best thing about the new energy-boosting drinks is that they are not usually drowning in sugar. There is a controversy, however, because the energy they provide is not from food, but from caffeine. Most contain more caffeine than a cup of coffee, and people who are sensitive to this drug may feel uncomfortable after drinking it, with possible rapid heartbeat, nervousness, insomnia, hand tremors and other common symptoms.

While moderate intake of stimulants is usually harmless, these products should not be used as a cure-all for alcohol intoxication as some people claim. Drinking coffee when drunk can increase alertness, but does not get rid of the alcohol in the body. Caffeine helps a drinker stay awake, but will not sober anyone up, and is not generally a healthy ingredient. But what about soda? Is drinking soda every medically beneficial?

Ever since the introduction of diet soda, the great debate about which is best has continued unabated. No one really argues that sugar-laden soda is a nutritious food, providing the user little more than something cold and bubbly that tastes sweet. Eliminating the sugar but keeping the pleasure factor is the idea behind diet soda, and it may have some benefits for diabetic or overweight people. But is it nutritionally superior?

People choosing diet sodas are taking in artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose or saccharin. Some studies link these sweeteners to certain kinds of cancers, and weight gain around the belly. The only benefit is their lack of refined sugar. The medical differences between Health drinks show that none of these products, whether marketed as health, energy or diet supplements are actually true substitutes for adequate nutrition, and some actually have drawbacks. None should be used as a replacement for a sound, balanced diet.

Learn more about the medical differences between health drinks now in our comprehensive guide to great lose weight tips and all you need to know about how and where to find the best weight loss review on the Net.