If you’re trying to lose belly fat, you’re probably putting some extra effort into your workouts. But you shouldn’t underestimate the role your stress hormones can play—and your diet can also have a major impact on those hormones. In fact, many common drinks could be raising your cortisol levels, making it harder for your body to burn fat efficiently. While some of these beverages seem harmless, their sugar and stimulant content can trigger hormonal responses that work against your goals.
Cortisol, often called the body’s “stress hormone,” is released when your body perceives stress—including spikes and crashes in blood sugar. If your cortisol is high for too long, your body may store fat around your abdomen and break down muscle for energy, which means a hormonal imbalance could make belly fat especially difficult to lose. We spoke to Roberto Valledor, MD, Collaborating Physician with Mochi Health, to learn about a few beverages that could contribute to this issue: iced tea, energy drinks, juices, and soda. Learn more about the risks of each below.
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1. Iced Tea
Iced tea might sound like a healthy, refreshing choice—especially when compared to soda—but as it turns out, most store-bought varieties are loaded with sugar that can do some serious damage to your body.
"You might think of iced tea as a healthy option, but many commercial bottled or canned options are not," says Dr. Valledor. "A 23-ounce Arizona Iced Tea contains 23 grams of sugar. Some people consume entire cans without even realizing it."
The good news is that sweet tea is the problem; regular teas can even come with health benefits. "Tea itself is actually healthy. Antioxidants and L-theanine, found in tea, can help stabilize cortisol levels. However, tea that is high in sugar cancels out the healthy aspects."
If you can't go without your iced tea, a good option is to brew unsweetened black or green tea at home and refrigerate it. Perfect!
2. Energy Drinks
The caffeine boost can cost you in sugar and health risks. Dr. Valledor gives a major warning against energy drinks.
"The worst culprit that can be placed into a body going through hormonal shift is energy drinks," he says. "One serving of Red Bull contains 27 grams of sugar and 80 mg of caffeine. A Monster drink contains even more." Yikes!
The double hit of caffeine and sugar is especially rough on the stress response. "The caffeine will directly increase cortisol, and the sugar will increase it even more." On top of that, many energy drinks also include additional stimulants. "Other energy drinks contain other stimulants such as taurine and guarana which will also agitate the nerves."
If you need a bit of energy without the serious consequences, go for a cup of matcha with a bit of honey.
3. Flavored Juices & Smoothies
Juice and smoothies often seem like a healthy option, especially since they're made with fruit. But according to Dr. Valledor, "Even 100% orange juice has 26 grams of sugar per cup, and lacks the fiber that would slow down that sugar digestion the way an actual orange would."
Without fiber, the sugar hits your bloodstream fast. "Because it's missing that fiber, juice spikes your blood sugar nearly as much as soda does." Some bottled smoothies are even more extreme: "Bottles of Naked Juice smoothies can contain more than 50 grams of sugar." Yikes!
Opt for whole fruit instead—or make a smoothie at home with vegetables, protein, and just a small portion of fruit to blunt the blood sugar response.
4. Soda
This one might not be a surprise: soda is one of the fastest ways to spike blood sugar.
"A 12-ounce can of regular soda has around 30 grams of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup," Dr. Valledor explains. "This sugar gets absorbed very quickly and creates a blood sugar spike and crash. This crash is what repeatedly drives up cortisol levels." Over time, those cortisol spikes can lead to belly fat accumulation.
Instead, try sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime juice for flavor without the metabolic stress.
