1. Cola drinks

The damage (12 ounces) 150 calories, 0 g fat (10 teaspoons of sugar!) We take a hard line with soft drinks -- and cola is the worst offender. Full of sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners and not much else, soft drinks pack 150 empty calories and have been pegged by research studies as being associated with both adult and childhood obesity, Cola drinks have the added detriment of a caffeine jolt that many of us just don't need. And it's easy to supersize yourself if you regularly consume the 42-ounce, 410-calorie versions served at fast-food restaurants and convenience stores.

"I recommend that patients stay away from sugar-sweetened beverages because these drinks may be replacing more healthful foods in the diet," says Cara Ebbeling, Ph.D., research associate at Children's Hospital in Boston. "In addition, there is evidence that when we take in calories in liquid form, the body doesn't fully compensate by reducing calories from other foods." In other words, your body doesn't register that you've just consumed a bunch of calories, because you don't feel full. This may lead to overeating.

Finally, sipping cola and other soft drinks bathes your teeth in cavity-promoting sugars -- whose effects continue up to 40 minutes after your last sip.

Healthy alternative Fruit spritzers (12 ounces): 0-15 calories, 0 g fat Sugar-sweetened beverages are easy to replace. Add a spritz of your favorite juice to flavored seltzer water or diet tonic water. Another idea: Add a few drops of vanilla extract to plain seltzer (steer clear of club soda, which contains sodium). Or enjoy a can of your favorite flavor of diet soda or sugar-free iced tea or coffee. You save 135-150 calories, 0 grams fat