If you are actively trying to lose or gain weight, one thing you would hear a lot about is calories. Your calorie intake impacts your weight. The higher your calorie intake, the more weight you are supposed to gain, and vice versa.
For the most part of it, you will have to pay attention to the food you eat since that is where most of the calories you consume come from. ‘Most’ because food is not the only thing that gives you calories. Drinks also contain calories in varying amounts, like foods.
This means that there are drinks with low calories as well as those with high calories. In this article, what we will be looking at are drinks with high calories.
It is very important that you are aware of these drinks as they could make your weight loss or weight gain journey easier.
Keep in mind that just because something has a high calorie content does not mean it is automatically bad for you. It all depends on the phase you are in life. If you want to lose weight, then avoid drinks with high calories. If you are trying to gain weight, then you can include some high-calorie drinks in your daily diet.
Without further ado, let us now explore some drinks with high calories in Nigeria.
1. Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are very popular in Nigeria. They are imported, sold, ad consumed in high amounts yearly.
Nonetheless, most energy drinks have a surprisingly high calorie count per serving.
For example, Monster Energy drink contains 220 calories.
Other energy drinks in Nigeria that have high calories are Fearless Energy Drink, Predator Energy Drinks, Supakomando, Red Bull, Power Horse, Lucozade, and Bullet.
2. Fruit Juices
Most fruit juices contain a lot of calories than you would expect.
Fruit juice calories are almost pure sugar because the fiber is removed during the juicing process.
Hence, fruit juice have a high number of calories and can be used for weight gain.
3. Smoothies
As we noted above, high-calorie foods or drinks are not always unhealthy, and one good example are smoothies.
Smoothies are made using fruits, vegetables, and nuts. In some cases, yoghurt or cream may be added to make the consistency thicker.
Sometimes, three or four fruits might be used in making one smoothie. Each fruit has its calorie count, and combining it altogether would result in a drink with a higher calorie count than you might need in one sitting.
While you might be able to finish so many fruits in one go because they have been blended together, it would be easier to consume them all, meaning you would be consuming a lot of calories at once.
If you are watching your calorie intake and you must have a smoothie, make sure to limit the number of fruits you use and avoid using yoghurt or cream totally if you can. If possible, know the calorie count of each fruit you are using before blending away.
Also, keep in mind that you do not have to finish the smoothie in one go. You can store the rest in the fridge and finish them later.
4. Milkshakes
Milkshakes are good and quite refreshing, especially on a hot day. But almost every glass of milkshake you hold in your hand has such a high-calorie content, which is why they are very satisfying.
Milkshakes are made using milk or cream and other ingredients, including fruits, chocolate bars, crushed biscuits, ice cream, and so on.
The thicker the milkshake, the higher the calorie count. Not to also forget that milkshakes are not exactly healthy, and you should not be drinking them a lot.
5. Chocolate Drinks
This includes hot chocolate drinks like Milo, Bournvita, and so on.
These drinks are rich in calories, and drinking them alone in the morning can provide you with just enough energy to get your day started.
Most times, these drinks already contain milk and sugar, and most people still add extra milk and sugar when making them.
They are also packed with nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and protein. All of this adds to the calorie count.
If you are trying to lose weight, you can replace your chocolate drinks with tea, which contains way fewer calories and has a lot of health benefits.
6. Soft Drinks
A bottle of soft drink could contain as much as 105 calories, which is more than you need from any drink.
It could also contain approximately 7-9 cubes of sugar, depending on the brand.
That’s more sugar than you would need to consume in one sitting. Not to mention how soft drinks damage your teeth and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Some popular soft drinks with high calories in Nigeria are Bigi, Fanta, Coca-cola, Sprite, LaCasera, and Pepsi.
Most of these soft drinks contains 150 calories and above.
Even if you are trying to gain weight, avoid soft drinks as much as you can and look for healthier options.
7. Alcoholic Drinks
Most alcoholic drinks, like beer, white wine, and even cocktails, have high-calorie content.
For example, 250 ml of beer contains 100 calories, and 250 ml of white wine contains 250 calories.
This is something people may not realise because of the taste, but a lot of alcoholic drinks are made from malt, barley, and other carbohydrate-rich foods as the base.
That is why it is no surprise that people who take drinks like beer regularly often find it difficult to lose weight, especially belly fat.
Other drinks with high calories in Nigeria include full-fat yogurt, palm wine, Nigerian Chapman, and Burukutu.
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