If you wanted to remove a few hundred calories a day with the least sense of sacrifice, drinks are where you would look first. Liquid calories are poorly detected by the appetite system: a 250-calorie drink does not reduce what you eat afterwards the way 250 calories of food would.
What is actually in the glass
| Drink, 330 ml | Sugar | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Cola | ~35 g | 9 teaspoons |
| Orange juice | ~28 g | 7 teaspoons |
| Iced tea, sweetened | ~25 g | 6 teaspoons |
| Energy drink | ~35 g | 9 teaspoons |
| Flavoured latte, large | ~30 g | 7–8 teaspoons |
Juice deserves its own paragraph
Juice keeps most of the sugar of the fruit and loses most of the fibre, which is what made the fruit filling in the first place. Three oranges are hard to eat and easy to drink. It is not equivalent to a soft drink — the vitamins are real — but it is closer than the packaging implies, and it should be treated as a drink rather than as a portion of fruit.
Do diet drinks work?
As a replacement for sugary drinks, yes: intake falls and trials show modest weight loss compared with continuing with sugar. The evidence does not support the idea that they are harmful at normal intakes, and it also does not support treating them as beneficial in themselves. They are a bridge — useful while the habit changes.
A realistic way to cut down
- Change one occasion, not all of them. The afternoon can is usually the most habitual and the easiest to move.
- Make the replacement pleasant. Sparkling water with lemon, cold unsweetened tea, ayran. Water alone works for some people and bores others into relapse.
- Keep the ritual. If the drink marks a break, keep the break — just change what is in the glass.
- Do not stock what you are trying to reduce. Availability at home decides far more than willpower does.
Kiva's shortcut
Log drinks for three days. Most people find several hundred calories a day they had never counted as food — and it is the least painful place to reclaim them.
Children, teeth and medical conditions
Sugary drinks are a leading contributor to tooth decay, particularly when sipped over long periods. Guidance for children is stricter than for adults. If you have diabetes, are pregnant, or manage a condition affected by sugar intake, discuss drink choices with your doctor or dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
Is fruit juice as bad as soft drinks?
Juice contains vitamins that soft drinks do not, but the sugar content per glass is broadly similar and the fibre is largely gone. Whole fruit is more filling and a better default; juice is best treated as an occasional drink.
Do diet drinks help with weight loss?
Swapping sugary drinks for diet versions reduces calorie intake and is associated with modest weight loss in trials. They are a useful stepping stone, though water remains the simplest long-term option.
How much sugar is in a can of cola?
A 330 ml can typically contains around 35 g of sugar, which is roughly nine teaspoons — close to or above the daily free-sugar guidance for many adults in a single drink.
Keep reading
How to track calories accurately (without hating it)
Why most food logs drift 20–30% off, and the five habits that make tracking accurate enough to be useful.
How much water do you need a day?
Where the eight-glasses rule came from, what really sets your needs, and the one check that beats every formula.