How Many Calories Are You Drinking? This Quiz Will Tell You
Does your beverage intake earn you a perfect score of 100? Or will you bomb this test like the rest of America? (Photo: Getty Images/Yahoo Health)
It’s no secret that soda is bad for your body — but how often do you consider the other liquids you’re guzzling?
If you’re like the majority of Americans, not often enough, says Brenda Davy, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech University. “There are a lot of drinks we would refer to as ‘sugar-sweetened beverages’ that folks may not think of as sugar-sweetened,” she tells Yahoo Health. “They’ll think of soda, but they may not think of sports drinks. Or sweetened tea. Or sweetened coffee drinks.”
As a nation, we’re obsessed with soda — and as a result, we’re also frequently reminded that those little 12-ounce cans are weapons of waistline destruction. “The problems with consuming soft drinks have been pretty widely publicized,” says Davy. Yet most of don’t think twice about downing, say, a glass of lemonade or sweet tea — which, like soda, could be partly to blame for the obesity epidemic.
The problem? Liquid calories are often empty ones, so they may not factor in to how full we feel. “There’s some evidence suggesting that liquid calories have different effects on satiety than solid-food calories do,” Davy explains. In other words, sipping a 500-calorie soda with your meal doesn’t necessarily reduce the amount of food you consume. “Those beverage calories are additive to what’s eaten at the meal,” she says.
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Yet, when most of us consider calories, we think about gut bombs like burgers and fries, failing to consider the impact of beverages on our daily calorie quota.
That’s why Davy and her co-investigators developed the Healthy Beverage Intake (HBI), a tool for assessing the quality of people’s liquid diets, which she describes in a new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The HBI considers factors like water intake, the number of calories you drink per day, and the volume of beverages like milk, soda, and coffee you imbibe on a daily basis, then gives you a score on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the healthiest.
Using dietary data from more than 16,000 adults, the researchers determined that the average American would receive a grade of 63 out of 100. “Basically, we’re in the D or F range, in terms of grading our beverage intake,” says Davy. A “typical” beverage pattern, with an HBI score of 56, consisted of about 8.5 fluid ounces of water, 8 fluid ounces of black coffee, 8.5 fluid ounces of diet soda, 17 ounces of soda, and an 8.5-ounce vanilla latte per day. By contrast, a “healthy” beverage pattern, with a perfect score of 100, includes 51 fluid ounces of water, 17 fluid ounces of black coffee, 8.5 fluid ounces of green tea, 8.5 fluid ounces of skim milk, and 5 ounces of red wine per day.
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As the researchers had hoped, a high score really did translate to health benefits: Among normal-weight men, each 10-point increase in HBI score was associated with a 36 percent lower risk of having a 40-inch (or larger) waist and a 7 percent lower chance of having high C-reactive protein levels, a marker of inflammation. Among overweight or obese men, each 10-point increase equaled a 4 percent reduced risk of high LDL “bad” cholesterol. Among women of all weights, each 10-point increase in HBI score was associated with a 3 percent lower risk of high LDL cholesterol, and for both sexes of any size, a reduced risk of high blood pressure.
Curious how your liquid intake stacks up? Follow the steps below to calculate your Healthy Beverage Index score.
Step 1: Calculate your daily calorie requirements.
We’ve all heard the 2,000-calories-a-day gospel, but the truth is, every person’s body has a unique energy requirement. Calculate your individual calorie quota here, then jot this number down.
Note: The “stress factor” component of the equation refers to your physical activity level. Determine your stress factor, which you’ll enter into the calculator at the above link, using the following guidelines:
Sedentary (very rarely or never exercise): 1.2.
Lightly active (light exercise, one to three times per week): 1.375
Moderately active (moderate exercise, three to five times per week ): 1.55
Very active (six to seven days per week): 1.725
Extremely active (two workouts per day): 1.9
Step 2: Figure out your fluid needs.
How much liquid does your body demand? For every calorie you require, you should take in 1 milliliter of liquid. So, for example, if you need 1,500 calories a day, you should be drinking 1,500 milliliters a day, which amounts to about 51 fluid ounces. (To convert milliliters to fluid ounces, use this calculator.)
Step 3: Check your fluids.
Over the course of an average day, estimate how many fluid ounces of each of the following types of drinks you down. (As a reference, there are 8 fluid ounces in a cup.)
Then multiple your daily intake of each beverage by the average number of calories per fluid ounce for that drink (refer to the chart below). For example, if you drink one can of regular soda per day, multiply 12 ounces by 13.3 calories to yield a total of 159.6 calories. Do this for each drink type, and then add up all of the numbers to calculate your total liquid calorie intake.
Average number of calories per fluid ounce:
Water = 0
100% Fruit Juice = 17.67
Sweetened juice drink (e.g. lemonade, punch, fruit ades) = 14.3
Whole milk = 22.8
Reduced-fat milk (2%) = 18.7
Low-fat/fat-free milk (skim, 1%, buttermilk, soy milk) = 11.45
Soft drinks (regular) = 13.3
Diet soft drinks/artificially sweetened drinks (e.g. Crystal Light) = .3
Sweetened tea = 10
Tea or coffee with cream and/or sugar (includes non-dairy creamer) = 8.2
Tea or coffee, black = .35
Beer, ales, wine coolers, light beer = 10.3
Hard liquor (shots, rum, tequila, etc.) = 68.18
Wine (red or white) = 20.6
Energy/sports drinks = 14
Step 4: Take the quiz.
Question #1: Does your daily water intake equal 20 percent of your total fluid requirements?
Calculate it: Multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .2. Then use this calculator to convert that number to fluid ounces. Is your daily water intake greater than or equal to this number?
Example: If you require 1,500 mL of fluid per day, you should be drinking at least 300 mL of water per day. That amounts to about 10 fluid ounces.
If yes, add 15 points to your score.
If no, multiply the number of mL of water you consume each day by 15. Then multiply your total fluid requirements, as determined above, by .2. Divide the first number by the second number. This is the number of points you receive.
Example: If you consume 5 ounces of water per day, that’s about 148 mL. Multiply that by 15, and you get 2,220. If your daily liquid requirement is 1,500 mL, and you multiply that by .2, you get 300. Finally, 2,220 divided by 300 equals 7.4, the number of points you would receive.
Question #2: Does your daily unsweetened coffee and tea intake equal 0-40% of your total fluid requirements?
Calculate it: Multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .4. Then use this calculator to convert that number to fluid ounces. Is your daily unsweetened coffee and tea intake less than or equal to this number?
If yes, add 5 points to your score.
If no, add 0 points to your score.
Question #3: Does your daily low-fat milk intake equal 0-16% of your total fluid requirements?
Calculate it: Multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .16. Then use this calculator to convert that number to fluid ounces. Is your daily low-fat milk intake less than or equal to this number?
If yes, add 5 points to your score.
If no, add 0 points to your score.
Question #4: Does your daily diet drink intake equal 0-8% of your total fluid requirements? (Remember, this includes artificially sweetened coffee or tea, as well as diet soda and drinks like Crystal Light.)
Calculate it: Multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .8. Then use this calculator to convert that number to fluid ounces. Is your daily diet drink intake less than or equal to this number?
If yes, add 5 points to your score.
If no, add 0 points to your score.
Question #5: Does your daily 100% fruit juice intake equal 0-8% of your total fluid requirements?
Calculate it: Multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .8. Then use this calculator to convert that number to fluid ounces. Is your daily 100% fruit juice intake less than or equal to this number?
If yes, add 5 points to your score.
If no, add 0 points to your score.
Question #6: Do you drink 0-1 (for women) or 0-2 (for men) alcoholic beverages per day? (Note: A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.)
If yes, add 5 points to your score.
If no, add 0 points to your score.
Question #7: Do you drink whole or 2% milk on the average day?
If yes, add 0 points to your score.
If no, add 5 points to your score.
Question #8: Does your daily sugar-sweetened beverage intake equal 0-8% of your total fluid requirements? (Remember, this includes soda, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee or tea, and sugar-containing meal replacement drinks.)
Calculate it: Multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .8. Then use this calculator to convert that number to fluid ounces. Is your daily sugar-sweetened beverage intake less than or equal to this number?
If yes, add 15 points to your score.
If no, add 0 points to your score.
Question #9: What percentage of your total calories comes from beverages?
Calculate it: Divide your daily beverage calories (as determined in step 3) by your daily total calorie needs (as determined in step 1). Then shift the decimal point to the right two places to determine the percentage of your calories that come from beverages.
Example: If you drink 250 calories each day and require a total of 1,500 calories, divide 250 by 1,500 to yield .167, or 16.7%.
If less than 10%, add 15 points to your score.
If 10-14.9%, subtract your percentage from 15, then multiply that number by 3.33. This is the number of points you receive.
If 15% or greater, add 0 points to your score.
Question #10: Do you meet your daily fluid requirements?
If yes, add 20 points to your score.
If no, multiply your water intake (in mL) by 15. Then multiply your total fluid requirements (in mL) by .2. Divide the first number by the second number. This is the number of points you receive.
LAST STEP: Add up all of your points from questions 1 through 10. How does your score stack up to the national average of 63?
Got a Bad Score?
“Just a 10-point change is associated with significant improvements in health,” summarizes Davy. “I think anything below 90 could be improved.” She suggests these strategies to whip your beverage intake into shape:
Focus on water
Staying hydrated does more than keep your skin supple. Studies have linked even mild dehydration to poor concentration and mood, headaches, anger, and hostility, while adequate fluid intake is associated with improved cognitive functioning. It’s not just your brain that benefits, either: “There’s also a reduced risk of diabetes, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and coronary heart disease,” says Davy.
In her study, the healthiest drinkers got most of their fluid from water. To up your intake, simply invest in a reusable water bottle and carry it with you throughout the day, she suggests, reducing your odds of reaching for a soda when you’re thirsty. Hate the taste? Flavor your H2O with sliced cucumber or fruit.
Dilute your juice
If it’s not breakfast without a glass of O.J., consider diluting your morning juice with water. That way, your juice isn’t so concentrated with calories, and you’ll get more sips per serving.
Kick the can
If you can’t go cold turkey, wean yourself off of soda by slowly reducing your intake—for example, go from a full can to three-quarters of a can, then after a few days, cut back to half a can. Continue this process until you’ve eliminated soda entirely.
Indulge wisely
Instead of indulging in soda when you’re craving something sweet, choose a drink that contains dairy, like a latte, so you’re at least consuming a little calcium, says Davy. Other smart options: red wine, which has been shown to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, or tea, a rich source of antioxidants.
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