Top 20 Unhealthiest Drinks

What’s wrong with iced tea? Isn’t it just hot brewed tea that’s cooled down? And isn’t tea good for you? Well yes, in its simplest form, iced tea is just cooled tea and it's true that many teas have antioxidants and other beneficial properties. The problem is that, for most of us, that isn’t the kind of iced tea we’re drinking. We’re drinking bottled and canned iced tea, or making it from an instant powdered mix. And those don’t have the same benefits. The powdered mixes are often so processed that most, if not all, of the antioxidants are lost. Then there’s all the added sugar - which depending on the brand can be equivalent to the amount found in a similar-sized can of soda!

To be clear, we aren’t talking about orange juice here. We’re talking about orange drinks. Orange juice in its best and purest form is freshly squeezed oranges. Orange drink is a collection of ingredients, of which only a small portion (if any) comes from actual oranges. Just take a look at the ingredient list on an orange Hi-C or Capri-Sun. The first ingredient is water and the second is sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It isn’t till the third item on the list that juice even gets mentioned - and not only is it from concentrate, but it’s a very small percentage of the drink. The picture of the orange on the container has almost more nutritional value than the actual drink inside.

Whether you call tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable doesn’t change the fact that they’re a good source of fiber and many vitamins. And if you want to cook and prepare your own tomato juice at home, there can definitely be some health benefits to said drink. However, if you prefer to purchase the canned stuff from your local grocery store, may we kindly suggest you don’t. Although you may see words on the can like “no additives” or “100% Tomato Juice,” those statements fail to mention the ridiculously high sodium content - as high as 43% of the daily recommended value. So, if you’re going to buy it, at least look at the low sodium options.

While some ginger beers might have about 0.5% alcohol, that has nothing to do with why it made our list. Once again the culprit is sugar. While the ginger flavor is strong in ginger beer, “sugar” is often the second ingredient - usually even before the ginger root or natural flavoring. Now, the truth is that ginger can be really good for you and so we get the appeal of ginger beer and its strong gingery taste. However, more research is needed in order to see if the health benefits of actual ginger translate to ginger beer. But even if they do, check the nutrition label because some of them can contain up to 35g of sugar per serving. And that’s a lot.

Just the idea of eggnog brings up holiday images of sitting in the living room with our families, a Christmas tree in the corner and a fire in the fireplace. And while many of our diets and healthy choices go out the window for the holiday season, eggnog is one choice you might still want to avoid - or at least choose in moderation. If we’re just talking calories, then with all that egg, cream, milk and sugar, you’re looking at upward of 350-400 calories and close to 20 grams of fat per cup, for most premade eggnogs. And if you thought choosing the “low fat” version was better, be warned that while the fat content is lower, the amount of sugar is almost the same.

It’s true that the electrolytes, sugars, and sodium in these drinks do provide strong re-hydration and replenishment after a really hard, sweat-inducing workout. But - be honest here - how many of us are downing a Gatorade after training for the Olympic trials, and how many of us are drinking it at lunch with our ham and cheese sandwich and bag of Doritos? And along with the higher-than-you-probably-knew amount of sugar in many of these sports drinks, you might still also find some food dyes and artificial sweeteners in the low/no-sugar versions. Basically, what we’re saying is… drink water!

Assuming you aren’t intolerant to lactose there is definitely some truth to the classic slogan that “Milk. It does a body good.” However, once you go ahead and add in flavors such as chocolate and strawberry, we probably need to change the slogan to a much less appealing, “Milk. It does a body not so good.” Because while the chocolate or strawberry might increase the taste for some folks, it also increases the number of calories and the amount of sugar you’re putting in your body as well. And it could be even more if you use the powdered stuff and like to load in the extra spoonfuls beyond the suggested serving size.

No, we sure aren’t telling you to deny yourself the joys of a delicious gin and tonic every now and then (assuming you are of legal drinking age of course). However, while we would always preach moderation when it comes to alcohol, we are going to do the same when it comes to the tonic water mixer also. You might not have ever checked the nutritional label on a bottle of tonic water, but if you had you would’ve seen quite a bit of sugar on there - often over 30 grams for a 12-ounce serving. (Depending on the number of G&Ts, that can add up quickly). And yes, there are sugar-free options, but those can often have outrageously high sodium numbers.

Protein is an important part of building muscle and bone strength as well as a number of other functions of the body. And it’s true that many of us don’t get enough protein in our daily diet - which makes a protein shake an obvious option. However, before you make that choice you should be aware of a few things. Be diligent about reading the ingredients, because many protein shakes and powders out there are adding in lots of sugar and artificial flavors, which also equal more calories. There have also been heavy metals and BPA found in some powders. So, if you’re going to ingest protein shakes or powders you should - to quote the ancient knight from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” - “choose wisely.”

Don’t be fooled by the name into thinking it’s good for you. Yes, tea - especially green tea - has many health benefits. And yes, bubble tea - also known as boba tea - does begin with a tea base. However, the stuff that comes after the tea is where the delicious problems lie. Starting with the “bubbles” themselves, the tapioca pearls are totally fun and yummy, but they also contain a lot of sugar. The USDA tells us that an 8 ounce basic bubble tea already has about 28 grams of sugar. Then there are the toppings that so many of us get added on, like various jellies or puddings - all of which add more sugar to the drink. So don’t make these a habit.

We could all use an energy boost every now and then, but that being said, energy drinks aren’t the way to do it. Yes, they definitely work and you’ll get a short-term energy lift, but those “wings” as Red Bull likes to call them, don’t last long, and can have negative effects on your health. While a can of Red Bull has a little less caffeine than a cup of coffee, it’s still a good amount, and it comes with 27g of sugar as well. You could go for sugar-free but then you’re just ingesting artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Energy drinks have also been known to cause digestive issues and irregular heart rhythms. Wings aren’t worth that, are they?

Yes, we do like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. However, while the latter just leads to wet clothes, the former can have a much more negative effect on our persons. It can vary based on specific ingredients, but did you know that a classic pina colada can clock in at over 800 calories and 100 grams of sugar? And a strawberry daiquiri can hit over 400 calories and around 70g of the sweet stuff. Sure, if you’re on vacation, treat yourself to a blended tropical drink by the pool. You deserve it. But maybe stop at one or two and try to avoid them when you get back home.

Water is the best and most important liquid we can consume, and vitamins are great - so you’d think that vitamin-enhanced water would be the most ultimate drink of all time. Well, think again. While these drinks do provide added vitamins and minerals, most of the extras they provide are in the form of vitamins B and C which most people get plenty of in their diet anyway. Most of these vitamin water products also throw in quite a bit of sugar as well (almost as much as a can of soda). So instead of vitamin-enhanced waters, just take your vitamins and drink water.

The key word here is “cocktail.” Because there is a big difference between cranberry juice and cranberry juice cocktail. Pure cranberry juice is 100% cranberries and has health benefits that include aiding in the prevention of urinary tract infections. Whereas cranberry juice cocktail balances the tartness of the cranberries with a whole bunch of added sugar, which we know by now is not good for you. Cranberries can be an acquired taste. And if it’s one you haven’t acquired, that’s fine. But don’t try to get your cranberry intake via the cocktails, because the extra sugars outweigh the benefits of the berries.

The thing with smoothies is that the healthiness of them is completely reliant on what’s in them. If you make them yourself and throw in some spinach, chia seeds, some plain low-fat yogurt and a banana, then you’ve got yourself a very healthy drink. However, if you prefer the convenience of picking up a bottled smoothie from your local grocery store, then you probably aren’t getting as much healthiness as you think. You might see that your bottled smoothie has some nice fruit and veggies in it, but look a little closer and you could be drinking up to 400 calories and 75 grams of sugar. Kinda negates the value of the few fruits and veggies they put in there doesn’t it?

There are those that caution against drinking too much fruit juice given the sugar levels. But at least pure fruit juice does provide some vitamins and nutrients (depending on the fruit) and the sugars are naturally occurring from the fruit as well. However, fruit punch isn’t 100% fruit juice. Instead it’s usually a mix of various fruit juices from concentrate and lots of sugar. Fruit might be in the name, but in many of the fruit punches you find on store shelves, the ingredient that comes before the concentrated juices is none-other than the unhealthiness that is high fructose corn syrup.

While Kelis’ “Milkshake” brought all the boys to the yard, an actual milkshake will bring plenty of sugar and saturated fats to your body. Given that milkshakes are made with milk and ice cream and often include extras like whipped cream and other sugary toppings, you probably didn’t think they were the healthiest thing in the world anyway. However, they might be worse for you than you think. The exact numbers will vary, but as an example, the vanilla milkshake from Chic-Fil-A comes in at 580 calories, 23 grams of fat, 390 mg of sodium and 80 grams of sugar. You’d be lucky if you could even make it to the yard after all that.

So you like to start your day with a cup of coffee? Join the club. There’s even evidence suggesting that a moderate amount of coffee per day can actually have positive benefits to one’s health. However, the same cannot be said for all of those fancy, sweetened drinks you might be downing on your way to work instead of a simple black coffee. You know that Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino you pick up at Starbucks every morning or on your lunch break? While it is delicious, it also contains 470 calories, 60 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of fat! To put that in perspective - on a 2,000-calorie/day diet, the FDA recommends no more than 50 grams of added sugar.

The interesting thing about alcohol is that depending on how much you drink it can find itself close to the top of this list or over on a list of healthy drinks. While the idea of moderation is hard to pin down, the current governmental guidelines in the United States puts the acceptable amount at 1-2 drinks per day for men and 1 for women. And these numbers are very important. Because while low to moderate alcohol intake can actually reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular causes, drinking above the recommended levels increases one’s risk of heart attack and stroke.

Go to the kitchen, grab the sugar and a teaspoon. Now take 9 helpings of the sugar. You see all that? That is about how much sugar you’re downing in just one 12 ounce soda - delicious type 2 diabetes in a can. Not to mention the 150 or so calories you’re also taking in, and the fact that there is little nutritional value to any of it. But wait, what about diet sodas? Yes, these do solve the sugar and calories issues, but replace them with artificial sweetener problems in the form of aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame-k, or sucralose.


Which of these drinks would be the easiest for you to give up and which would be the hardest? Let us know in the comments.