Ok, I must admit that one of my few "true" addictions (besides food) is Mountain Dew. I love it--everything about it. I usually drink two 12 oz. cans/day of the stuff.

Well, this past week-end I decided I was going to get back on the diet "wagon" by counting calories and generally cleaning up what I was eating. Kind of as a "last fling" I stopped on the way home from class last night and got a 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew. You know, one last kiss kind of thing.

To aid me on my diet (which will be calorie counting & exercise), I bought single-serving sizes of the foods which I like to eat. For breakfast, this included 6.75 oz. bottles of Sunny Delight (they're easy to drink on my way to work in the mornings). This morning when I got in my truck, I noticed that there was about 6 oz. (rough estimate) of Mt. Dew left in my bottle from last night.

Now here's the delimma: Do I drink the ambrosia or leave it and be "good" and drink the Sunny D? I read the nutritional label of the Mt. Dew and determined that I'd be consuming about 110 calories if I drank it (I rounded up to 8 oz. because that's what the calorie count was for). . . . . Wait a minute. . . . . 110 calories for 8 oz? The Sunny Delight has 110 calories for 6.75 oz.!!

I let this information simmer in my brain on the drive to work. When I got to work, I went to the fridge and got a can of Mt. Dew to check some stats. This is what I found:

12 oz. Mt. Dew: Calories 170; Sodium 70 mg.; Total Carb. 46 g.; Sugars 46 g.

6.75 oz. Sunny D: Calories 110; Sodium 140 mg. ; Total Carb. 27 g.; Sugars 25 g

This is for almost HALF the amount of the Mountain Dew!!!!

Now, maybe everyone knew this but me, but this just totally BLEW MY MIND!!!! I mean, those little bottles of Sunny Delight are what people give thier KIDS!

Even the ingredients are close to the same! The one MAIN difference there being the caffeine content. Of course, Sunny D doesn't have the caffeine of Mt. Dew, but you can drink caffeine Mt. Dew!

Anyway, just had to share this "rant"!

I feel better now. Even though I did just buy that thingy of Sunny Delight last night for my "diet." Next time I'll check things out a little more carefully.

Cheryl

I drank the Sunny Delight AND the leftover Mountain Dew.

generally juices are not good for diets. maybe consider crystal light if you don't like the taste of water.

I had always looked at the ingredients of juices when buying for my kids and mine loved Juicy Juice, which is 100% juice. As I've gotten more familiar with healthy eating, I choose to eat the piece of fruit. I want the fiber and fullness that the fruit gives me.
I really enjoy diet A & W Rootbeer and LaCroix water. Maybe on a free day, I'll drink 8 oz of regular juice or soda....but rarely.

I would have guessed sunny d had alot of calories and what not, mainly b/c of the fact that it is a kids drink, but i never would have guessed it would be so close to mountain dew. Pop actually doesnt have that much calories (they have enough, but certainly not as much as you would guess) but the sugar, carbs, etc. is what kills you.

Juices can be ok as long as you read the labels, and make sure it is REALLY all natural stuff, with no extra sugar or anything added...maybe buy some oranges and make fresh squeezed orange juice for your way to work? I like having juice in the mornings as well, I'll drink water the rest of the day but I need something else besides water in the mornings lol

I think I learned from the maintainers that very few of them drink their calories. It's not satisfying. I need my calories to fill my tummy
I adore diet coke. I drink black coffee, green or echinacea tea and water (oh the odd spot of red wine) and that's all.
But now you all have got me hankering for a nice glass of ruby red grapefruit juice mmmm

Juices can be bad for diets. Especially Sunny D, which isn't a lot of actual juice.

I have limited my childrens juice to 100% pure juice, with NO sugar added and only 6 oz per day if they want it. Just because it IS very high calorie

I don't know if your Sunny D is the same recipe as the stuff they sell here in the UK but the only time I bought it (about 9 years ago) I noticed that the ingredients listed vegetable oil! Needless to say it went in the bin unfinished and I cleaned my teeth afterwards - ewwww!

Water

High Fructose Corn Syrup

2% or less of each of the following:

Concentrated juices (orange, tangerine, apple, lime, grapefruit)
Citric acid
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1)
Natural flavors
Modified cornstarch
Canola oil
Sodium citrate
Cellulose gum
Xantham gum
Sodium hexametaphosphate
Sodium bensoate to protect flavor
Yellow #5
Yellow #6



Um, hmmmm, teach me to think that because it's "made for kids" it'll be any better for me! Also help me to be "not so guilty" of not reading nutrition labels!

that is why i drink mainly water,but i do drink diet drinks every once in a while.but i dont count calories ,just carbs and protein. i don't like sunny d at all in the first place,neither do my kids.i get them crystal light,it tastes good and its better for u.

Even 100% juice isn't a real nutritive bargain. An 8 oz glass of apple juice with nothing added to it has 110 calories & 27 g of sugar. An 8 oz glass of cola has 102 calories & 26 g of carbohydrates, which is surely all sugar. Juice does indeed have the benefit of having some vitamins & minerals, but generally speaking drinking one's calories isn't even a good idea for kids. (An actual apple, btw, has 81 calories & also 4g fiber.)

It's not just juices. Get this....

My Nature's Path Organic FlaxPlus Raisin Bran
3/4 cup = 180 cal., 2.5g fat, 280mg sodium, 16g sugars

My General Mills Cookie Crisp (which I keep for when I need a sweet munchie while doing my sudoku puzzles)
1 cup = 120 cal., 1.5g fat, 170 sodium, 13g sugars PLUS more vitamins.

*sigh* I guess what they say is true...you can't judge a box by it's health food genre advertising.

Label reading has increased my grocery store time but I think it'll be worth it.

another option:

if i want juice, i will drink a superfood (the green looking drink)or an odwella drink. it's about 5 ww points (250ish calories), but it's filling, full of fruits/veggies, and it quenches my thirst after the gym.

overall, drinking your calories is never going to leave you as full as eating your calories.

That a girl!