Monday, 30 November 2009
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Are You Drinking Your Daily Calories Away?
A few weeks back, I was drinking a bottle of V8 Fusion Juice, and what I thought was a healthy drink, since one serving of juice is one serving of vegetables, was really one that was filled with an obscene amount of sugar and calories.
I looked at this tiny bottle with its aesthetically pleasing shape and thought to myself, if I drank the whole bottle (which is easy to do without thinking since they are so tiny) I would essentially be drinking a great percentage of my daily calories away without even realizing it!
It got me thinking more to other kinds of drinks that give you a bottle that contains more than one serving of its product and thought, "For those (like myself) who like to keep tabs on the amount of calories they take in, how are they to know when to stop drinking?" It is hard to track by sight how much of the product you actually drank since most beverage bottles come in containers of varying widths, heights, and volume. Surely, most people don't carry around a tiny measuring cup to keep tabs on these things (except I really wouldn't put it past certain people).
And so, I thought that perhaps manufacturers could place a small gauge on the sides of the bottles to help people keep track of the amount that they are inbibing, since I know that to make bottles the actual serving size would not benefit the company in cost (more plastic would be used to make two smaller bottles than one big one and the cost to produce more bottles would drive the price up and consumers would not want to buy a small drink for double the cost).
I brought this idea up to a few friends of mine and while most of them laughed saying that I really needed to do more with my time, one brought up the idea that to do that would need more plastic since it is essentially a relief being placed into the surface of the bottle. I countered with the fact that most, if not all, plastic bottles manufactured today have designs and unnecessary indentations placed into the bottles' surface to make it more aesthetically pleasing, how would adding a gauge be any different.
What do you think? Do you think that drink companies should help the country be more health conscious by placing gauges on their bottles to help keep track of serving sizes?
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About the Author
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- From: LoneDarkness@xanga
- Name: Alyssa
- About Me: "So I says to da doc- you know what I says to da doc? I says, "Say doc, I tink I have a frog in my troat," and you know what he says to me? Doc says, "what makes you tink you have a frog in your troat?" and you know what I says to him? I says, "ribbit." "
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Comments (25)
As a calorie counter, I stay away from much of anythign other than water while I'm out and about. It's the only safe way.
That would be so amazing! One the other hand, most people who count their calories don't drink things with sugar in them. On the other other hand, maybe they would if they could control it. And every once in a while even the most strict of dieters like to have a sugary drink.
Definitely couldn't hurt!
I think it's the consumer's responsibility to keep track of their calories.
@Beautybird_fly@xanga - You are right. That's when I splurge and the smallest drink or one I know that isn't heavily caloric, like cold coffee or a small juice. When i completely cave and have a cola, I just have t oadjust the rest of my meals for the day. But it's worth it every once and a while. :D
I like Diet Soda.
But then I also like alcohol, and that's a problem :P
@DropLikeFlies@xanga - So true! I actually hate regular soda but I drink diet sodas by the galons. Regular vitamin water, fuze, and arizona green teas, however, are my weakness! And I always wish they had a better way to keep track of how much you've drank because they disappear so quickly!
That's an awesome idea.
Skip the gauge, just tell me how many calories are in the effing bottle.
Hey, they've got the gauges on the bottles of oil, why not for juice? I think it's a great idea, especially since many say, "5 servings", when obviously, I could drink it in one sitting.
One thing though. When you look at the ingredients, you wonder how it could be a full serving of veggies or fruit. I'm figuring that it's saying a full serving of that one particular veggie, but not all the veggies you need in a day. Sort of like putting froot loops with a good breakfast spread and saying it's "part" of that good balanced breakfast. In fact, so is the spoon you're eating it with. Either way, my point is that you're not actually getting a full-day's serving of all the veggies you need...so if it's carrot juice mixed with apple juice, you're getting a full-day's serving of carrots, but not the greens you need. Not very honest, but obvioiusly good marketing.
I think they should mark the number of calories in the bottle if it is expected to be had as a single serving, rather then 1/2 of it being written as a serving. Its not that hard though, look at the side, the serving size is usually a cup (250mls) and the bottle is usually 591mls, so I just know around half is a whole serving. No biggy.
I also just drink water and tea... seems useless drinking calories, but every now and then I will have a glass of soy milk or some OJ.
If the consumer is not responsible enough to keep track of the diet, it's the consumer's fault, not the fault of the company. The company need not spoonfeed the consumers.
okay... if there are "two servings" per bottle then drink half and there you go! why do you need a gauge? I'm not that great at math but I can tell when a bottle looks and feels halfway empty. Then, you stop and drink the second serving at a different time. duh.
@Shy___Away@xanga - amen
@shes_lump@xanga - Some bottles its hard to tell exactly. I thought the gauge would be a good idea because I have friends that count down to a single calorie and odd shaped bottles make it hard for them to decide lol but you do have a point
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Get a measuring cup glass? A normal glass with measurements on the side of it.
That sounds like a good idea.
if you really care that much, i say don't drink the stuff. i, personally, stick to water, hot tea, and hot coffee (with a little milk and no sugar). i'm not much for sugary drinks (other than pure, 100% coconut water. that zico stuff. it's really good, and actually comes in a serving size. it's expensive as shit for an 11 ounce bottle, but worth it).
if you must have it, and you are serious about watching your intake, i see no real problem with doing the math. it's really not that hard, and it's not that inconvenient, either. most people have cell phones. most cell phones have calculators. if the serving is 50 calories, and there are 2.5 servings, then it is 125 calories.
well, supposedly, anyway. i say supposedly, because, for that matter, if you really want to count calories, most nutrition labels lie. if you do the math (carb x 4 + protein x 4 + fat x 9 = total calorie content), most under-estimate by 10+ calories. not a lot, but it could add up in a day. take vitamin water 10. it is not 10 calories. it is also not 25 (as the math would suggest, if you just multiply 10 by 2.5 servings). vitamin water 10 is actually 16 calories per serving, which would make it 40 calories. not a big difference, but, well, if you drink 5 of the damn things a day, it is the difference between what some people may think 5 bottles have (40 calories. people who buy into advertising, anyway), what they think they have, having calculated the serving size (125 calories), and what they really have (200 calories) ... but that is a whole different topic. one that i know too much about for my own good, haha.
/ramble. my point being, i agree with the people who said that it is the consumer's job. sure, it would be nice if the companies were so caring and considerate as to make it easy for us. but the odds of that are slim to none.
instead of using more plastic or making indents they could just put measuring lines on the bottle wrapper
I don't see much reason for it. I do the math and figure out how much is in the bottle, and that's good enough for me. I'm also fine with approximations, so if I drank about half the bottle, I drank about half the soda, I had about half the calories in the bottle. Coke has about 230 calories in a 20 oz bottle, so based on a 2000 calorie diet, that's just over 1/10 the daily recommended, which can easily be compensated for. This is, of course, assuming one or two bottles. I've known people who will drink more calories in soft drinks per day than I consume in drinks and food over the same day.
Furthermore, most bottles are radially symmetric, so if you put the lid on and turn it sideways, then you can measure the half-way point fairly accurately.
Of course, as has been stated above, this is all rather moot on those who drink primarily water or other beverages with single digit calorie counts.
or, you can invest in this nifty water bottle, and pour your drink into it.
http://www.sportline.com/hydracoach.php
it keeps track of how many ounces you drink, even if you refill it. it just tracks what goes through the drinking nozzle.
it may be a hassle pouring your drink to and from this water bottle but if it really bugs you that much, i'd say it's worth it.
@snowandstarstone@xanga - I agree, then I'll decide from that.
I would be very surprised if they started putting gauges on the bottle, they want you to down the whole thing. Then they want you to go and buy another, and guzzle that one down too... it's all about the $ for them.
I think that's an OK idea. But really, if a person is very concerned about calories, they can choose healthier drinks. If you are drinking something that is sugary and not really good for you at all, it seems to me you shouldn't be worrying about the amount of it you are drinking, but that you are drinking it at all. Plus, you can semi-gauge how much you are drinking yourself. Yeah, maybe you won't know the different between 250 calories and 260, but still, you can approximate half a bottle, a fourth, etc., and how many calories are in that.