"Believe it or not, more than 20 percent of our daily calories come from the things that we drink," says Susan Aaronson, M.S., R.D., wellness coordinator for the M-Fit Health Promotion Division at the University of Michigan Health System. "In fact, the World Health Organization recommends that people consume only about 10 percent of their calories from liquids. So those extra calories from liquid beverages are adding to American's obesity epidemic, making it more difficult for people to lose weight."

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, about 136.5 million Americans are overweight. Of these people, about 64 million are obese.

And for the millions of Americans who are trying to lose that extra weight, the solution may not be in what you eat, but what you drink, says Aaronson. To help you make healthier beverage choices “ from soda and sports drinks to fruit juice and milk “ and cut back on calories, Aaronson offers the following tips.

"Energy drinks are not only loaded with calories, but they'll give you a quick high, followed by an extremely-low low afterward," explains Aaronson.

If you are planning an evening of dinner and drinks, remember that you could have the calorie-equivalent to a whole meal in drinks only, before you've eaten anything at all.

The average glass of wine has about 100 calories and a 12 oz. beer contains approximately 150 calories.

According to Aaronson, it's not uncommon for a mixed drink to have about 300 calories and the decadent frozen drinks like daiquiris to have 500 or more calories each. So limiting the number and types of drinks you have before eating will make a major difference for your waistline.

So what is the ideal beverage to quench your thirst? It's the colorless, odorless, and tasteless refresher that makes up over half of our body mass: Water.

"Water is the single most important beverage that we can consume," says Aaronson. "A person could drink only water and be just fine, as long as he supplements his diet with food sources that contain calcium and other nutrients that one may find in other beverages such as milk and juice."

In general, 80 percent of a person's liquid calories should come from water depending on their height, weight, and where they live. That means the average adult should drink between 4 and 6 cups of water a day, which should be supplemented with milk and 100 percent juice to meet total daily liquid requirements.

Another option is flavored water that is fortified with vitamins. But Aaronson says if you're already eating a healthy diet, there's no reason to drink vitamins in the form of water.

The bottom line: "The next time you think about digging into the fridge for a soda, save yourself the money and the calories and reach for the tap instead," says Aaronson.

med.umich