Staying Well-Hydrated is Essential to Maintaining Good Health
One afternoon, I held an informal meeting with my Contact Center team. Working in a contact center can be both stressful, and draining. Being in close proximity with so many people, and being on the phone all day can take its toll. Near the end of the meeting I asked for a show of hands from everyone who was drinking at least 2 liters of water daily. I’ve posted before about the importance of staying hydrated (see link here). The hot summer months put many of us at even further risk of dehydration, and expose us to a host of illnesses including colds, flus and unwanted infections (again, see here).
Drinking Sodas is like Having a Liquid Dessert
After the meeting, I spoke with one young agent who told me that she had been recently unwell and had been put on a diet by her doctor. Sprite in hand she told me of her recent success with finally drinking her herbal tea without sugar, and of her valiant efforts to reduce her sugar intake. Without missing a beat, and admittedly not even stopping to consider whether it would hurt her feelings, I grabbed her Sprite bottle. Reading the label out loud, I informed her that there were 52 grams of sugar in that one bottle. Most people have no idea of the significance of 52 grams of sugar. This unsuspecting young lady skipped putting two teaspoons of sugar in her tea, only to consume THIRTEEN teaspoons of sugar in her 16 oz. bottle of Sprite.
Read Food Labels and Drink More Water
Sprite is not a substitute for water. If you want something bubbly, try sparkling water with a splash of lemon, but by all means stay away from sweetened soft drinks. The moral of the story is to learn to read and understand food product labels. One teaspoon of sugar is roughly 4 grams. Therefore, the next time you pick up that that container of healthy, fruity Yoplait yogurt, read the label. You will see that it actually contains about EIGHT teaspoons of sugar. Yikes!