What can I drink on a diet?
If you’re dieting it can be easy to ignore what you drink. However, some drinks have more calories than you might think, while others can help delay your appetite. Read on for our tips on what to drink if you’re trying to shave a few pounds.
The best drinks to support a diet:
If you’re dieting, it’s important to stay hydrated. You may be getting less water from your food than normal, so you’ll need to drink more to make up for it, plus staying hydrated can help you feel less hungry. Here are our top 5 dieting drinks.
- Water
Water is always the safest option, and you should try and drink plenty throughout the day. It doesn’t contain any calories and it will keep you well hydrated. The exact amount of water you need to drink will depend on your size and exercise level, but we recommend that everyone drinks at least 1 litre of pure water per day while dieting.
- Tea
Whether it’s green tea, ginger tea, or any other flavour, this is a great option. Just don’t add sugar and avoid pre-made tea that is likely to have been sweetened, such as bottled ice-tea. As an extra bonus, some herbal teas (peppermint, lemongrass, and others) have also been linked to improved digestion and may prevent bloating.
- Vegetable juice
Vegetable juices will generally have fewer calories than fruit juice, so if you’re looking for a substitution that’s a bit more substantial than tea or water, this can be a good option. For example, tomato juice has less than half the calories of orange juice with around 40 calories per glass compared to 110.
- Plant-based protein shakes
When it comes to protein shakes, you’ll need to be quite discerning to find good low-calorie options. If you’re able to make your own at home, this will be the safest option and is also likely to taste the best. We recommend choosing your preferred combination of berries, thickeners, protein and flavourings from the list below and mixing them with an unsweetened plant-based milk:
- Berries: blueberry, raspberry, strawberry
- Thickeners: banana, avocado, ice
- Protein: Peanut butter, almond butter, low-calorie protein supplements
- Flavourings: unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, chai tea
- Juice shots
If you’re craving more flavour from your drinks but trying to stay away from the bad stuff, juice shots can be a great solution as they come in tiny servings. A juice shot likely contains between 30 and 60 calories depending on the flavour. Just make sure you stick to one a day to prevent the calories adding up.
What are the best alcoholic drinks if you’re dieting?
In general, it may be a good idea to avoid alcohol if you’re dieting. Not only can it quickly add to your calories, but it may also lower your self-control and make it harder to stick to your goals. However, if you do want a drink, here are your best options.
- Gin and tonic
In general, clear spirits and low-calorie mixers will be your friend. It’s also best to avoid drinks with a lot of sweeteners in, as while they may be low-calorie, they can still contribute to sugar cravings. A gin shot contains 110 calories and a bottle of tonic water is also about 100 calories, although this may vary depending on the brand.
- Vodka, lime, and soda
Vodka is the lowest calorie spirit with around 100 calories per shot. Top up your glass with the juice from half a lime (30 calories) and fizzy water for one of the lowest calorie alcoholic drink options.
- White wine spritzer
If you’re looking for something other than spirits, white wine contains slightly fewer calories than red, with 120 calories in a small glass. We recommend topping your glass up with fizzy water to add volume for a more diet-friendly drink.
What about a morning coffee?
Black coffee doesn’t contain any calories, so if you can avoid adding milk or sugar it can be fine to drink on a diet. However, different people react differently to caffeine, and some may find that coffee leads to bloating or that it increases the appetite.
Looking for help to lose weight?
At Powermeals we believe in building healthy habits that last. Our weight loss meals focus on real food with plenty of vegetables and protein that helps you feel full throughout the day. No sugary processed food in sight. Our ready-to-eat meals are pre-portioned and delivered direct to your door in a weekly box, anywhere in Switzerland.
