Cough Drop Warning

I was at CVS yesterday looking for a bag of cough drops and I was pretty amazed by the colorful collection of cough drops. I doubt many people even think about reading the ingredients or nutrition facts on cough drops...typically you wouldn't think of them as "food," but as medicine. After all, medicine's supposed to be good for your health, right? Do me a favor, the next time you're looking for cough drops check the label. It's amazing how much crap they pack into a small, seemingly healthy cough drop. Each drop is about 15 calories, all of which are derived from sugar. If you're sick and popping drop after drop, those calories can quickly pile up. What's worse is that all of the sugar can quickly spike your blood sugar, send insulin spiraling through your body, and ultimately cause the majority to be stored as body fat. Yuck!

I think what surprised me most was that some brands, most notably Halls Breezers (which taste delicious, kinda like candy...I guess that's because they pretty much are), are loaded with artifical colors, artifical sweeteners, and even trans fats!!! I can tolerate minimal artifical colors/sweeteners for the sake of soothing my throat, but trans fats ("partially hydrogenated oils" on nutrition labels) are a huge no-no. I'm not about to sacrifice my heart health and cholesterol levels, it's not worth it in the long run. The next time you're sick choose a healthier option to alleviate the pain...drink a cup of green tea with honey, or look for brands of cough drops that are "natural" or "organic." Those brands, such as Halls Naturals, are made only with natural flavors and no chemicals whatsoever. They even have a drop with real honey in the center. Honey's loaded with disease/cold fighting antioxidants and the fructose content helps minimize any spikes in blood sugar. It's a great, healthy, and tasty way to fight the worst colds.