Beverage Pyramid:

A good rule of thumb for beverage consumption

Turn your beverage habit upside down.

The purpose of the beverage pyramid is to help you understand just how many calories “hide” in beverages and to provide a guide to how many calories a day should come from beverages. The average person gets over 20% of their total caloric intake each day from beverages. Research suggests that this number should be closer to 10%. This means that no more than 200 -300 calories for adults consuming a diet of 2000 calories a day should come from beverages.

A good rule of thumb for beverage consumption:

Most of your beverages should come from the top of the pyramid and fewer, if any, from the bottom.
The average person gets over 20% of their total caloric intake each day from beverages. Research suggests that this number should be closer to 10%.
The purpose of the beverage pyramid is to help you understand just how many calories “hide” in beverages and to provide a guide to how many calories a day should come from beverages.
In fact, the average teenager drinks two 12-ounce sodas a day, the equivalent of about 20 teaspoons of sugar.
Americans are consuming too much food but are also taking in too many calories through beverages.
Childhood obesity has increased 370% over the past 30 years.
Two-thirds of American adults are obese or over weight.
Obesity is on the rise.

Click each level of the pyramid to learn more about the role of each beverage.

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Water

So how much water is needed per day?
0 calories. At least 6 cups a day.

Water comes from lots of sources, including other beverages and fruit and vegetables. On average, your body needs about 98 ounces of water per day.

The average person who consumes 2200 calories per day, should drink about 16-24 ounces of water and get the rest of other food.
People can live for weeks without food but only days without water.

The body is largely made up of water. Water is essential for the health of every cell in the body, for eliminating toxins, keeping joints lubricated, aiding in digestion and much more.
Chronic mild dehydration can:
- Diminish physical and cognitive performance
- Increase constipation
- Cause moodiness
- Increase the risk of several cancers

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Unsweetened
Coffee / Tea

Antioxidants in coffee and tea may protect the body from the damaging effects of free radicals.

Be careful, that Caramel Frappachino Grande can have upward of 380 calories.

So how much coffee/tea per day?
Coffee: up to 4 cups, 0 calories
Tea: up to 8 cups, 0 calories

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Milk / Soy

Milk is a great source of vitamin D and is essential for development in children. But consider skim milk for kids and adults. An 8 oz glass only has 80 calories.

So how much lowfat milk/soy per day?
100 calories per cup
Up to 2 per day

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Diet Drinks

While these beverages don’t directly contribute to obesity, many of them contain caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sodium and other chemicals.

So how many diet drinks per day?
0 calories per cup
Up to 4 cups per day

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100% Juice / Sports

Juices provide some vitamins and nutrients. Sports drinks help hydrate endurance athletes. They contain sodium that is needed for high performance athletes to re-hydrate properly. However the average active person doesn’t need the added sodium.

So how many juice/sports drinks per day?
115 calories per cup
Up to 1 cup
per day

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Soda / Juice Drinks

Americans are drinking more soda than ever before.

A person can consume hundreds of calories a day simply from soda. Water has no sugar. Replace one sugared beverage daily with one bottle of water and cut 3,650 tsp. of sugar a year from your diet – that’s 38 pounds of sugar a year from your diet.

110 calories
Up to 1 cup per day.