A medium-sized (16-ounce) fruit-flavoured slushie can deliver as much as 70 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 17.5 teaspoons.pkanchana/Getty Images
If you’re like many people, by now you’ve likely swapped your daily hot coffee for a cool, refreshing beverage, perhaps a flavoured iced cold brew, a sweet lemonade, or a fruit-flavoured slushie drink.
However, you may not realize how much sugar these thirst-quenching drinks contain, not to mention how many calories.
A study published last year in the journal Nature Climate Change analyzed U.S. data from 2004 through 2019 and found that people purchase, and likely consume, more added sugar from sugary beverages and frozen desserts during periods of rising temperatures and heatwaves.
The finding isn’t surprising given the sugar content of many popular summer drinks. A medium-sized (16-ounce) fruit-flavoured slushie, for instance, can deliver as much as 70 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 17.5 teaspoons.
Here’s what to know about popular summer drinks, along with tips to help you sip smarter.
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How much sugar is too much?
In 2015 the World Health Organization released guidelines recommending people reduce their intake of “free” sugars to less than 10 per cent of daily calories, with additional health benefits at levels below 5 per cent. For a 2,000 calorie diet, the five per cent free-sugar limit is equivalent to no more than 25 grams a day, about six teaspoons worth.
Free sugars include added sugars, as well as those naturally present in honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, pure fruit juice and fruit juice concentrates.
How much sugar is hiding in your summer drink?
The nutrition numbers for many popular summer drinks may surprise you.
Consider that a large (24-ounce) Tim Hortons Peach Poppin’ Frozen Quencher serves up 500 calories and a whopping 93 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 23 teaspoons. The company’s large Frozen Lemonade provides 330 calories and 73 grams of sugar, roughly 18 teaspoons.
For comparison, a similar-sized medium (22-ounce) regular cola has fewer calories (284) and less sugar (67 grams). That doesn’t make sugar-sweetened soft drinks a healthy choice, however, or a recommended substitute.
A Grande (16-ounce) Starbuck’s Mango Strawberry Lemonade Refresher has 39 grams (10 teaspoons) of sugar. Upgrade to a Trenta size (30-ounce) and the sugar content jumps to 79 grams (20 teaspoons).
Sparkling Strawberry Acai Lemonade-Refresher, left, and Sparkling Mango Refresher from Starbucks.Starbucks/Supplied
Sip on Second Cup’s large (22-ounce) Italian Soda, “a combination of soda water and your choice of flavour,” and you’ll consume 54 grams of sugar (13.5 teaspoons).
Even flavoured iced cold brews – with coffee as their main ingredient – can supply a considerable amount of sugar, owing to concentrated syrups and sugar-sweetened cream toppings and sauces.
Second Cup’s large (22-ounce) Vanilla Bean Flash Cold Brew has 38 grams of sugar while a Starbuck’s Venti (24-ounce) S’mores Cold Brew delivers 34 grams, equivalent to 9.5 and 8.5 teaspoons of sugar, respectively.
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Downsides of sugary drinks
If consumed regularly, sugary drinks are associated with an increased risk weight gain and obesity.
Not only do they add extra calories to your diet, but research also suggests that calories in sugary drinks are less filling than the same number of calories from solid foods.
Studies indicate that people may compensate by eating a little less later, but that isn’t enough to offset all of the calories. Over time, this can contribute to weight gain.
A diet high in sugar-sweetened beverages and added sugars is also tied to a great risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Strategies to sip smarter
You certainly don’t have to ban these sugar-sweetened, warm-weather drinks from your summer diet. Many are best enjoyed as occasional treats.
If you consume them more often, the following tips can help you do so while reducing your intake of sugar and calories.
Order a smaller size
Instead of ordering the largest size, think small. For example, choosing a small rather than a large Tim Hortons Vanilla Bean Cold Brew cuts the sugar and calories in half, to 15 grams of sugar and 120 calories.
Reduce syrup pumps
One pump of flavoured syrup adds about 5 grams of sugar and 20 calories. Ask the barista to reduce the number of syrup pumps. If ordering through an app, Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Second Cup allow you to customize the number of syrup pumps or flavour shots.
Downsize the trimmings
To cut back on sugar and calories, skip the whipped cream topping. You can also adjust the amount of flavoured cold foam in Starbucks cold brew drinks.
Choose lower sugar drinks
Iced tea is a refreshing summer drink with little or no added sugar. Starbucks and Second Cup both offer unsweetened iced tea.
You can also reduce the sugar in Starbucks Iced Black Tea Lemonade by ordering it with light or no lemonade.
Second Cup’s small sweetened Brewed Iced Tea contains seven grams of sugar, substantially less than many other summer drink offerings.
Read nutrition information
To know what’s in your summer drink and make a more informed choice, check company websites or mobile apps for nutrition information before you order.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.