50 Unhealthiest Bottled Drinks to Leave on Grocery Shelves
When you need to quench your thirst, not just any drink will do. Even though some drinks from the store, like teas, juices, and smoothies, may sound refreshing and healthy, don't be fooled. They are often loaded with sugars and preservatives and don't really have any nutritional value to offer, despite what the marketing may claim. In fact, some unhealthy drinks contain two or three times the amount of sugar you should consume in an entire day!
The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to 25 grams daily for women and 36 grams daily for men. Trying to follow these guidelines is important for your health, as excess sugar consumption has been linked to increased blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, and liver disease. Unfortunately, many of the popular bottled drinks you're used to sipping on a squelching hot day contain far more sugar than this daily limit.
To help you learn more about some of the bottled beverages to steer clear of, we gathered 50 of the unhealthiest drinks currently on the market. Read on, then check out the 100 Unhealthiest Foods on the Planet.
Welch's Grape Juice
Karen Graham, RD, CDE, says that bottled fruit juices are one of the worst beverages for individuals trying to lose weight, noting that the word 'unsweetened' throws people off. "Beware, 'unsweetened' means no sugar added but it does not mean sugar-free," Graham says. "When fruit is blended up or squeezed out of a fruit, what you are left with is the fruit sugar but virtually none of the good whole fiber."
Grape juice is a lunchbox staple, and although it does have some fiber and even a bit of protein, Welch's iconic grape juice is loaded with sugars. There are no added sugars, which is an upside, but even so, 36 grams of sugar in just 8 ounces is definitely excessive. Enjoy as a treat, or even mix a smaller amount of grape juice with plain or sparkling water.
Minute Maid Lemonade
Is there anything more refreshing than lemonade on a hot summer day? Well, yes, there is—water! And you should definitely opt for water over Minute Maid Lemonade, as one serving of this is loaded with 27 grams of added sugars. If you want lemonade, make your own to control the amount of sugar in it.
Mountain Dew
Obviously, Mountain Dew isn't touted as a healthy beverage, but we'd recommend steering clear of it even for a treat. There are plenty of other sweet beverages to enjoy that don't have almost 65 grams of sugar per bottle—one bottle of Mountain Dew has twice the daily recommended amount of sugar!
Red Bull
It's no secret that Red Bull isn't great for your health. With 27 grams of sugar, it will leave you crashing not long after drinking it. According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), the most concerning issue is the amount of caffeine, which "can cause palpitations, hypertension, dieresis, central nervous system stimulation, nausea, vomiting, marked hypocalcemia, metabolic acidosis, convulsions, and, in rare cases, even death."
Gatorade Lemon-Lime
Vanessa Rissetto MS, RD, CDN, co-founder of Culina Health, says that although Gatorade serves a purpose for hydration, it also has a fair amount of sugar. And for athletes, more sugar equals more cramping. "[I often] hear of marathon runners who say they have a lot of GI distress when they start running, and it's exacerbated when they drink [Gatorade]," she says. Rissetto adds that the zero-calorie versions aren't ideal either because they contain artificial sweeteners.
More sugar than an energy drink? No, thank you! Marketed as a sports drink, Gatorade has 34 grams of sugar in a bottle. Cut the portion way down, or rehydrate with water and refuel with whole fruits and vegetables.
Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino
Sure, you can save some time in the morning by grabbing a bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino from the fridge, but a 9.5-ounce beverage contains a lot of calories, fat, and sugar. You'll be thankful to spend a few extra minutes making your own coffee.
Pure Leaf Sweet Tea
We were pretty shocked to find that Pure Leaf's Sweet Tea, a staple often bought at the cooler near the checkout at the grocery store, has more sugar than drinks like Frappuccinos and Red Bull. Yikes.
Bolthouse Farms Mocha Cappuccino
We know a deliciously sweet bottle of coffee like this Bolthouse Farms Mocha Cappuccino sounds delicious, but starting your day off with 52 grams of sugar—twice the amount you should consume in an entire day—simply isn't worth it.
Bolthouse Farms Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Bolthouse Farms' Strawberry Banana Smoothie, which sounds like it would be a relatively healthy choice, has way more sugar than you should consume in a day. If you really want a smoothie, make your own (and sneak in some veggies for extra credit!).
Coca-Cola Classic
Coca-Cola is definitely not a healthy drink, but maybe once in a while, it doesn't seem so bad, right? Well, we suggest resisting the temptation that can come with having Coke in your fridge, as you're consuming 65 grams of sugar in just one 20-ounce bottle. Opt for flavored sparkling water instead.
Pepsi
Similarly to Coca-Cola, Pepsi is loaded with sugar—in fact, it has even more than Coca-Cola. Hard pass!
Naked Juice Green Machine
Oh, these bottled smoothies. They always sound refreshing and even good for you, but they are super sneaky. This popular bottled green smoothie looks healthy, but its 53 grams of sugar say otherwise. And while this one does offer 4 grams of protein, that's not enough of a reason to consume all that sugar in one serving.
Vitaminwater Power-C Dragonfruit
"Vitaminwater [is] usually perceived as healthy, but [it] can contain as much sugar as a soda," says Kelsey Rosenbaum, MS, RD, LDN, regional dietitian for Sodexo.
Vitaminwater Power-C contains 23 grams of added sugar, which is equivalent to seven teaspoons of sugar. Rosenbaum notes that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugar to no more than 12 teaspoons per day.
Vitaminwater is another deceptive beverage. It sounds like you would be sipping on water that is packed with vitamins, but it's actually just full of sugar. Add fresh fruit to a glass of water instead.
Snapple Peach Tea
Snapple Peach Tea has been a popular drink for years, and we don't dispute that it's delicious—after all, how can you not love the taste of a drink when it has 40 grams of sugar added to it?! Sadly, this is another overly sweet beverage best left on the shelf.
Barq's Root Beer
A root beer float on a hot summer day? Yum! So if you do want root beer like this bottle from Barq's, opt for a small amount as a special treat, because this pop is heavy-handed with the sugar, and if you're adding ice cream to it for a classic root beer float, beware that the sugar is just going to skyrocket.
Hubert's Pomegranate Limeade
This Blackberry Limeade from Hubert's has a small serving size of only 8 ounces, and yet there is an entire day's worth of sugar contained therein. Once again, it's just not worth it.
Arizona Southern Style Arnold Palmer
Though it comes in a 22-ounce can, a serving of this tea-lemonade mixture is just 12-ounces, and still contains a whopping 34 grams of sugar. And let's be honest, if you open a can, you're probably not going to just drink half, which means you're getting 63 grams in one sitting.
A&W Cream Soda
Like root beer, cream soda was practically made to become an ice cream float. However, due to the high sugar content, 76 grams of sugar should also be reserved for an occasional treat.
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
Fruit juice is good for you, right? Unfortunately, fruit juice like this Ocean Spray Cranberry is high in sugars, albeit natural sugars. However, compared to whole fruits, they lack fiber, and some of the vitamins are lost when whole fruits are juiced.
V8 Vegetable Juice
Finally, a drink that's not high in sugar! …But not so fast. Unfortunately, this vegetable juice is high in sodium. The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium content to 1,500 milligrams daily, and this drink has more than half of that per 12-ounce bottle.
V8 Splash Tropical Blend
Meanwhile, V8 also has several popular fruit beverages, like the V8 Splash. It is low in sodium, unlike the brand's vegetable juice, but it packs in the sugar, especially with high-fructose corn syrup being the third ingredient on the list. That said, this one is definitely not as sugary as many of the other drinks on our list, and if you simply must have it, just be sure to watch your serving sizes.
Sunny Delight Original
Don't confuse Sunny Delight with orange juice. While whole oranges are better than orange juice, fresh-squeezed OJ is much healthier than Sunny Delight. Sunny Delight is technically a "tangy orange drink." On 100% orange juice labels, you'll typically see ingredients like orange juice concentrate and ascorbic acid. However, the first two ingredients of Sunny Delight are water and high fructose corn syrup. If you want orange juice, drink the real deal.
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Yoo-hoo has been popular for decades—eight generations, according to the brand's website—but this drink has far too much sugar for anyone to consume in one day except as an occasional treat. The top two ingredients? Water and high fructose corn syrup. This is absolutely not a healthier version of chocolate milk.
Big Red
Big Red is a delicious red cream soda, but at what cost? A bottle has over 70 grams of sugar! We'll pass, thank you.
Jarrito's Mandarin Soda
This fruit-flavored soda from Jarritos is refreshing, sure, but with 36 grams of sugar in one 12.5-ounce bottle, it is best reserved for special occasions.
Martinelli's Apple Juice
Graham says that with fruit juice, it's easy to overdrink both your carbohydrates and calories—not to mention the sugar content. "You might be surprised to learn that unsweetened apple juice has even more sugar than regular Coke or Pepsi," says Graham.
Apple juice can sometimes be a healthy drink option, but this brand's juice is packed with sugar. Find a lower-sugar option if you want to enjoy this refreshing beverage.
Jose Cuervo Classic Lime Margarita Mix
Alcoholic beverages aren't healthy by nature, but you can certainly enjoy drinking in moderation. Still, if you want a margarita, you are better off making it from scratch. This margarita mix has a lot of added sugar that you can bypass by going the DIY route.
IZZE Sparkling Peach
Just one 8.4-ounce serving of this sparkling peach juice has 14 grams of added sugar, nearly an entire day's limit! Mix sparkling water with fresh fruit if you want a similar flavor profile with less sugar.
Evolution Fresh Defense Up
This Evolution Fresh Cold-Pressed Juice sounds healthy enough—until you check the nutrition label. The amount of sugar is pretty high; just enjoy whole fruits for the nutritional benefits and delicious flavor.
Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Drinking ginger ale is often touted as a way to calm nausea, but don't go reaching for it the next time you feel ill. Ginger may offer some nutritional benefits, but you're not getting much actual ginger in a can of soda. This Canada Dry Ginger Ale has a whopping 50 grams of sugar per 20-ounce bottle, so the cons outweigh the pros by a mile. (It's worth noting that a serving is only 12 ounces, which drops the sugar content down to 33 grams. Still, not great!)
Simply Limeade
Limeade can be a light, refreshing drink, but instead of gulping down 28 grams of sugar in a mere 8 ounces, enjoy a tall, ice-cold glass of water with slices of lemons and limes to cool down and hydrate. A simple swap!
PUR Cold-Pressed Lemonade
You may feel inclined to reach for this Turmeric Cold Pressed Lemonade from PUR because it's marketed as having "therapeutic powers." And yes, turmeric can have anti-inflammatory benefits, but drinking more than a day's worth of added sugar in one bottle can quickly negate these benefits.
Starbucks DoubleShot Energy Mocha
While it doesn't have quite as much sugar as the bottled Frappuccinos, Starbucks' DoubleShot Energy Drinks still aren't doing you any favors.
Calypso Ocean Blue Lemonade
You can probably assume that an electric-blue lemonade isn't the healthiest drink option, and you'd be right. This lemonade has almost twice as much as a day's worth of sugar in a 16-ounce serving.
Lipton Citrus Green Tea
Although green tea can certainly be a good-for-you beverage and a great afternoon pick-me-up, this Lipton Citrus Green Tea has a lot of sugar to make it sweeter. Enjoy a pitcher of homemade green tea with plenty of fresh citrus slices for a more nutritious version of this drink.
International Delight Caramel Macchiato Iced Coffee
Anything with caramel is going to have higher sugar content, and this caramel macchiato-flavored iced coffee is no exception. Instead, opt for regular iced coffee and add a touch of your preferred milk if you don't like it black.
Gold Peak Georgia Peach Tea
A bottle of this sweetened, peach-flavored tea has far more grams of sugar than one should consume in a day. This is another great opportunity to make your own version at home!
Dr Pepper Cherry
Like other sodas, you're not doing your health any favors when you drink Dr Pepper Cherry. This has even more sugar than regular Dr Pepper.
Langers Mango Nectar
Don't be fooled into thinking that this Langers Mango Nectar juice is remotely good for you. Each 8-ounce serving contains 33 grams of sugar (23 of which are added sugars). That's already close to a day's worth of sugar—and that's just half the bottle!
Tazo Classic Chai Tea Latte Concentrate
You can easily make a delicious, creamy chai tea latte with less sugar than this premade, shelf-stable version from Tazo.
Vita Coco Pineapple Flavored Coconut Water
Plain coconut water has health benefits because it's full of electrolytes, which keep your body hydrated throughout the day. However, stay away from flavored versions like this pineapple option from Vita Coco because it's packed with sugar. One container of this has more grams of sugar than you should consume in an entire day. (Are you noticing a pattern?)
Powerade Orange
Like Gatorade, Rissetto says that Powerade is good for hydration. However, she recommends leaving it on the grocery store shelf for the same reason as Gatorade—it contains a lot of sugar, which is unhealthy and can cause GI problems for athletes. Plus, all 21 grams here come from added sugars.
Brisk Lemon Iced Tea
Brisk Iced Tea may be a refreshing choice on a hot summer day, but one bottle of this tea packs in 17 grams of added sugar. Even though it's marketed as a "tea," there's hardly any tea in sight. The first three ingredients are water, high fructose corn syrup, and citric acid, followed by a "tea powder." You're much better off making your own iced tea at home and adding a little bit of sweetener.
Monster Energy Drink
In addition to the staggering amount of sugar in each can, the volume of caffeine in a Monster Energy Drink is also incredibly high. In fact, with 160 milligrams of caffeine per can, this drink contains more caffeine than Red Bull, which is no easy feat!
Nestea Lemon Iced Tea
Nestea Lemon Iced Tea is far from a healthy choice, with 43 grams of added sugar in each bottle. This one isn't for people who actually want to sip on tea, as it's mostly water and high-fructose corn syrup.
Hi-C Flashin' Fruit Punch
Like Sunny Delight, Hi-C is another juice blend with very little fruit juice. After water, the top ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, an artificial sugar that has been linked to health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.
Nesquik Chocolate Milk
A mere eight ounces of Nesquik Chocolate Milk contains 21 grams of sugar—nearly the entire recommended daily amount, and in a 14-ounce bottle, you'll get almost 40 grams of sugar. If you love chocolate, find your favorite brand of dark chocolate and keep it on hand for when you're craving a sweet treat.
R.W. Knudsen Family Crisp Apple
A popular fall treat is donuts and apple cider. Unfortunately, this R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Apple Cider contains at least 24 grams of sugar, accounting for the recommended daily amount. Get your fix with a few sips, then switch to something else.
Crush Pineapple
There's nothing good about this bottle of soda. Crush Pineapple has one of the highest amounts of added sugar you can find in a soda, with a whopping 85 grams per bottle.
Smartwater Alkaline and pH-balanced Drinks
Although Smartwater's Alkaline and pH-balanced beverages don't qualify as unhealthy drinks, Rosenbaum recommends saving your money and leaving them on the shelf because they don't provide any health benefits.
"In general, the body maintains a stable pH through the process of homeostasis," Rosenbaum says. "Eating a balanced diet will not only support homeostasis but many other functions of the body. [There's] no need to buy specific water to maintain the body's pH."
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- Source: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much
- Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar
- Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00134/
- Source: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf
- Source: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/how-much-sodium-should-i-eat-per-day
