Skinny sipping: Drink pounds away

Many of us watch what we eat but not what we drink when on a diet. That's a mistake. People can get around a fifth of their daily calories from beverages. Choosing the right drinks can tweak your metabolism, curb your appetite and reduce your total calorie count. Which drinks are spoilers and which are helpers on the path to weight loss?

Spoiler: Fizzy drinks

Every time you have a sweet fizzy drink, you're consuming hundreds of empty calories. Switching to diet soft drinks is an obvious way to cut calories, but the research is mixed on whether this change results in weight loss. Some studies show a short-term benefit. Others find diet drinkers gain weight. If your calorie intake exceeds what you burn off, just switching to diet fizzy drinks may not do the trick.

Helper: Water

Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day, and the benefits don't stop there. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may encourage the stomach to feel full more quickly, so you don’t eat as much. In addition, new research suggests drinking plenty of water may have a positive effect on your metabolism.

Jury's out: Fruit juice

Juice can have as many calories as a fizzy drink, but it has far more to offer in the way of nutrients. This presents a dilemma -- you want the vitamins and antioxidants without all the extra sugar. The safest bet: look for 100% fruit juice. Steer clear of juice drinks that have added sweeteners. Look for the percentage of real juice on the nutritional label. You can also slash calories by drinking water with a tiny bit of juice added.

Helper: Vegetable juice

Vegetable juice is every bit as nutritious as fruit juice with about half the calories. A 150ml glass of tomato juice has around 33 calories, compared to 65 calories for orange juice Choosing juice with pulp provides some fibre, too, which can help control hunger.

Jury's out: Smoothies

Blend a banana, strawberries and blueberries into a frothy smoothie, and you've got a delicious arsenal of disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. The homemade variety is best when you’re counting calories, because you can control the ingredients: skimmed milk and fresh or frozen fruit are all you need. Restaurant smoothies may contain ice cream, honey, or other sweeteners that boost the calorie count sky-high.

Jury's out: Skimmed milk

Eating calcium-rich foods may do a body good, but calcium probably won't help you lose weight, new research now reveals. Some earlier studies suggested calcium may prompt the body to burn more fat, but there's little evidence to support these claims. To get the benefits of calcium without getting extra fat, stick to skimmed milk and  low-fat yoghurt and cheese.

Spoiler: Energy drinks

Sports and energy drinks are calorie bombs like sweet fizzy drinks. They may have more added nutrients, but you can find the same vitamins and minerals in low-calorie foods. People who are serious about losing weight should stay hydrated with water rather than sports drinks.

Helper: Black coffee

When you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than colas or energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of coffee (about three to four cups a day) may improve mood and concentration, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

Spoiler: Fancy coffee

Once you add heavy cream, flavoured syrups, and/or whipped cream, that innocent mug of black coffee becomes a minefield of fat and sugar. Specialty coffees can contain around 500 calories or more per cup -- possibly more than an entire meal! If you don’t like your coffee black, add a little skimmed milk and artificial sweetener to keep the calorie count low.

Helper: Green tea

Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little caffeine. Not only is it near calorie-free, some research suggests green tea may stimulate weight loss. It's not clear exactly how it aids weight loss, though caffeine and micronutrients called catechins may each play a role.  The benefit appears to last only a few hours, so it may help to drink green tea at least twice a day.

Spoiler: Cocktails

A shot of spirits has fewer calories than wine, but once you mix in fizzy drinks or cream, watch out… a white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories. A less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with a diet drink.

Helper: Light beer

OK, beer is not really going to help you lose weight, but if you’re out with friends and want to share a pitcher, light beer is the way to go. 330ml of low calorie lager has 99 calories compared with 122 in normal lager.

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