Drinking Your Calories

So recently I've heard from a few sources that I should never drink my calories (like soup or maybe a light cappuccino) but when I asked them why they never gave me a reasonable answer or explanation.
So is it ok to drink my calories? If not, please tell me why. I love soup way to much to give it up lol.

Replies

  • BaconSan
    BaconSan Posts: 14
    Drink your calories. Why not? Maybe some people want to chew every calorie so they know they are eating something. Soup usually is a good diet food if it is not fat because it fills up the stomach so you think you have eaten a lot but it is is usually low calories especially if you make it yourself cuz then you can control what goes into it. Enjoy!
  • inkandsheep
    inkandsheep Posts: 101 Member
    I think it's largely due to the sugar in drinks behaving differently than say sugar in fruit. If you don't get the fibre with the sugar (like you do in fruit) it's worse. I don't think there's an issue with soup though unless you're talking about processed stuff like those powders you stir into water or some canned soups that are very high in sodium.
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
    So recently I've heard from a few sources that I should never drink my calories (like soup or maybe a light cappuccino) but when I asked them why they never gave me a reasonable answer or explanation.
    So is it ok to drink my calories? If not, please tell me why. I love soup way to much to give it up lol.


    in a word... satiety.

    often if you drink your calories, you will still feel just as hungry, and will eat more.. so by drinking calories, you have increased your calorie consumption for the day. or at the very least, feel hungry compared to eating solid food.


    other then that, and the obvious "filling up on junk" like soda/beer leading to malnutrition... dont worry about it.
  • tanyaslosingit
    tanyaslosingit Posts: 178 Member
    So recently I've heard from a few sources that I should never drink my calories (like soup or maybe a light cappuccino) but when I asked them why they never gave me a reasonable answer or explanation.
    So is it ok to drink my calories? If not, please tell me why. I love soup way to much to give it up lol.

    I think the "Don't drink your calories" adage is being taken somewhat out of context if the maxim is being applied to soup. I think the idea is that 1) you need make sure you drink your water quota for the day (which people often don't do in favor of drinking other beverages) and 2) that you need to make sure you get the nutrients and vitamins that you need (which you won't if you enjoy Happy Hour. Alcoholic beverages are very high calorie.) Also, processed beverages - from certain kinds of flavored water all the way through to sodas contain "suspect" ingredients that counter healthy eating (e.g. high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners , etc.) I really don't see any reason to give up soup!

    (BTW - I include organic and homemade soups in my diet. No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or fillers (HFCS) and; less sodium) :smile:
  • adrushe
    adrushe Posts: 25
    So recently I've heard from a few sources that I should never drink my calories (like soup or maybe a light cappuccino) but when I asked them why they never gave me a reasonable answer or explanation.
    So is it ok to drink my calories? If not, please tell me why. I love soup way to much to give it up lol.

    I think the "Don't drink your calories" adage is being taken somewhat out of context if the maxim is being applied to soup. I think the idea is that 1) you need make sure you drink your water quota for the day (which people often don't do in favor of drinking other beverages) and 2) that you need to make sure you get the nutrients and vitamins that you need (which you won't if you enjoy Happy Hour. Alcoholic beverages are very high calorie.) Also, processed beverages - from certain kinds of flavored water all the way through to sodas contain "suspect" ingredients that counter healthy eating (e.g. high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners , etc.) I really don't see any reason to give up soup!

    (BTW - I include organic and homemade soups in my diet. No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or fillers (HFCS) and; less sodium) :smile:


    I agree, I think soup is a little extreme. I think the whole "don't drink your calories" applies more to things with a lot of sugar such as pop, lattes, etc etc. Plus you need to remember all in moderation. ONE pop a day isn't going to hurt you but if you're drinking an entire 12-pack then there's a problem. I think as long as you take everything in moderation you're okay.
  • jillbeanschoop
    jillbeanschoop Posts: 61 Member
    I think there are two things regarding the don't drink your calories mantra- one is "liquid calories" - juices, soda, etc. which does almost nothing for you nutritionally and just adds empty calories to your diet. You are better off eating the orange with the fiber it contains rather than drinking the high sugar juice of the orange. The other is the satiety thing. I just don't feel full if I have a liquid meal. There is something to be said about volumetrics. I often go for low calorie big foods - salads, fruits, vegetables. I like to saute up a bunch of vegetables and then add a can of low sodium V8. To me, that is not drinking your calories. It has volume and substance.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    - Solid foods tend to be more filling. Usually. So you might find you can control hunger better if you eat rather than drink.
    - A lot of people who "drink their calories" are drinking things like juiced vegetables. A lot of the nutrients and fiber end up in the "gunk bin" and thrown away when you do that, so you aren't getting the full benefit of those beautiful vegetables.
    - Other people who "drink their calories" are drinking them in the form of sugary drinks and shakes that may not contain the actual nutrition they need. Replacing one meal a day with Slim-Fast or Shakeology or whatever the latest canned fad might be is relatively harmless. Drinking all your meals every day is probably not.

    More importantly, whoever told you that eating soup is considered "drinking your calories" has no idea what the concept means. Canned soups will have a lot of sodium, but if you watch them carefully or make good soup at home, eat up! Soup is food floating in broth.
  • ChaCha9904
    ChaCha9904 Posts: 20 Member
    Whey they say not to drink your calories, it usually refers to empty calories, like a beer with dinner. That's adding an extra 120 cals and it's not giving you any health benefits (though recent research might debate that...). So if you grabbing a soda or juice or cappuccino through out the day on top of all your solid calories, you're just adding to your calorie count. As far as soups go, a lot of people believe that sipping on broth prior to eating can actually help you eat less. So if you're ever wondering why the heck the weight isn't coming off as quickly as you'd like, take a look at what you're drinking.
  • Zichu
    Zichu Posts: 542 Member
    I wouldn't recommend living on like a liquid diet or anything lol. You just aren't going to get the right nutrients or hit your macros properly doing this. They usually low in calories as well, so it would be hard to reach your goal, unless you survived on fruit juice, but even then, you might as well be drinking regular soda because you lose a lot of the vitamins, minerals and fiber when you consume fruit in juice form, so your essentially just getting sugar.

    If you are going to have soup, add some chicken to it to get that protein and maybe a wholewheat roll with it or something.
  • ChaCha9904
    ChaCha9904 Posts: 20 Member
    Obviously there are some soups that count as entire meals and you have to watch your salt with a lot of them. But sipping on low sodium chicken or veggie broth with a few noodles might help. The Japanese do this...that's why you usually always get a bowl to sip on when you go get sushi.
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    A lot of liquid calories (cappuccinos, juice, pop/soda, etc.) have little to no nutritional value. So if you don't account for it, you will likely go over your calorie goal. It usually doesn't make you feel "full" either so you still eat the same things you usually eat.
    That being said, I have an iced cappuccino about once a month. I love them! lol But I account for it ... I still make sure I don't go over my calories every day.

    Things like soup (obviously not the canned type, I'm talking homemade), some people say it's BETTER to have soup than the same things but not in liquid. Because the water helps you feel full and then you end up eating less.
  • oldmanstauf
    oldmanstauf Posts: 202 Member
    It's fine to drink your calories if you meet your goals, but I'd rather spend calories on food rather than a bottle of coke, glass of juice and the like.