Water is arguably at the top of the list of best drinks on the planet.
We are fortunate enough to live on Earth with good sources of water. Healthy eating entails making sure you have enough fluids in your body. But, water isn’t the only choice when you’re thinking of healthy drinks. If you’re creative enough, you’ll find that your pantry or mini-garden at home can provide you with the best concoctions.
There are also stores – physical or online – selling healthy drinks that can quench your thirst. You have to be careful not to easily give in to may sweets, sugars, or carbonated beverages.
Cognitive Health and Wellness Institute promotes starting every morning by drinking 8-16 ounces of water. You can even add freshly squeezed lemon and a pinch of salt for your hydration.
Read on to find out about the best drinks out there that are also nutritious.
List of healthy drinks
It can be boring just drinking water all the time, right? Don’t worry; here’s a list of the best drinks that are good for your health.
Black Coffee
With the continuously booming industry of specialty coffee shops like Starbucks, coffee remains famous worldwide. It’s normal to see people from all walks of life with a cup of coffee in hand.
Coffee with no sugar or cream is a good and healthy drink alternative for your daily fluid intake. Additionally, it provides an energy boost to pump you, whether at the start or for the rest of your day.
Coffee has antioxidants and helps with weight loss. It is also beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke and other health conditions such as cancer.
Tea
Tea is one of the best drinks available that’s also gaining popularity worldwide. Like coffee, it has antioxidants that aid in cell protection and blood clotting prevention.
It mitigates heart diseases and helps keep your smile bright and happy. Tea has less caffeine, but it can increase focus like coffee. It has anti-inflammatory benefits, which are vital for gut health.
Low Fat Milk
Milk is a healthy drink because it’s a good source of nutrients essential for bone and muscle repair. It improves your complexion and prevents skin cancer, too.
What’s excellent about low-fat milk is that you can even put it in cereal for your breakfast. You can drink milk on its own or prepare a healthy pancake batter soaked in milk.
If you are lactose intolerant, however, have dairy-free milk instead. Also, as a general rule, drink in moderation to avoid an upset stomach.
Chocolate drink
Don’t we all love some hot chocolate? One of the best drinks every child enjoys is a cup of chocolate. It’s a nice, good treat even for adults.
Chocolate bars are already great on their own. But have it as a healthy drink to enjoy double the benefits of lowering blood levels and reducing inflammation. Chocolate drink is also an excellent source of protein and aids in blood circulation.
A study at John Hopkins University showed that drinking a bitter cocoa drink can help protect brain damage from stroke. It is suitable for the brain and can even help avoid depression.
Pomegranate juice
Cognitive Health and Wellness Institute lists pomegranate juice as one of the top ten juice drinks on this site. This healthy drink may be on the heavier calorie side, but this is undoubtedly rich in nutrients!
It is fully loaded with antioxidants, high in fiber, vitamins, and potassium. With its anti-inflammatory benefits, you can be protected from cellular damage and have a boost in your immune system.
Kale Juice
Like many of the best drinks on this list, kale juice is also high in antioxidants. What do antioxidants do to your body? They generally help reduce the risk of heart diseases and cancer conditions. Having a high antioxidant diet can help mitigate cellular damage caused by oxidation.
Healthy drinks rich in antioxidants, like kale juice, can strengthen you by reducing the risks of bad cholesterol and improving your metabolism. Kale juice is great to be paired with almost any meal so you can reach your fitness goals.
Beet Juice
Beets are rich in folic acid, nitrates, and magnesium. All these are essential in reducing blood pressure. Your body turns nitrates into nitric oxide, which is responsible for blood flow.
This juice is one of the best drinks to have before any strenuous activity or a high-intensity workout. Why? Beet juice helps increase stamina and can pump you up with the energy you need.
Orange Juice
Truth be told, it’s still so much better to eat the orange fruit. But, if you’re switching up your meals and want some variety in the food you eat, squeeze an orange. Juice it. Add the slices as a natural flavoring to your water. Or, drink the pulp and juice combined.
Orange juice is a refreshingly healthy drink you can experiment with. You can put the juice in the freezer or make ice cubes out of them to flavor your favorite beverages. Mix with another fruit rich in other vitamins and nutrients, and you have a supercharged drink.
Cranberry Juice
Here’s another antioxidant-rich drink that’s great for your optimal health. The tangy flavor helps aid urinary tract illnesses. This juice helps prevent different types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Note, however, that this is one of the best drinks you should be careful about when purchasing from stores. So, check the label and nutritional facts to check there are no added sugars and sweeteners.
Coconut Water
Coconuts are prevalent in tropical countries. People who live near the equator especially enjoy the benefits of coconut water because there are so many coconut trees in their region. You can break its hust and obtain the coconut water directly from it. That’s how fresh this drink can be!
If you’re out on a beach and can find coconut trees, you can ask the locals to get you a few coconuts so you can stay hydrated. It is primarily one of the best drinks during summer. Coconut water is rich in potassium that regulates your blood pressure and improves your heart health.
Healthy drinks besides water for weight loss
Staying hydrated helps your brain function better. When you are dehydrated, it can affect your memory, coordination, and processing of information. Many of the best drinks in the list above are also great for weight loss. Some of them are green tea, coffee, ginger tea, kombucha, and vegetable juice.
Besides the drinks in this list, other drinks for weight loss are apple cider vinegar, high protein drinks, and kefir. If it’s the first time you’ve heard kefir, it is one of the healthy choices out now in the market. It is rich in probiotics and nutrients vital for gut health and digestion.
Kefir drink is especially popular for health and wellness enthusiasts. It is a fermented drink often mistaken as cereal grains. However, it’s actually colonies of yeast, just like grains, and lactic acid bacteria that look like cauliflower. It is a probiotic even considered more powerful than yogurt.
Healthy drinks aid in both hydration and digestion. As you begin to use fat or fuel, your fluid needs increase because your body doesn’t hold on to as much water. Hence, to avoid dehydration, it is imperative that you drink water throughout the day. It’s a plus that when you consume any of these best drinks in the list, it even helps in losing weight.
Is water the healthiest drink
You should carefully consider and plan your fluid intake goals. The best drinks from the list in this article are only some of the recommended ones when you want variety in your diet. However, every person’s water needs are different.
The factors that affect your body’s need for fluids are your physical activity and geography. Sometimes, where you live and how active your lifestyle is can determine how much water you need every day.
Since an adult’s body is mainly water, roughly 50-70% of your weight, every person needs water to survive. Water’s benefits range from protecting sensitive tissues in your body to keeping your temperature regular. It aids in lubricating and cushioning joints and gets rid of wastes through sweat, urine, and bowel movement.
Ultimately, water is your friend. You can quickly lose energy and get tired if you don’t have enough water for the day to function well. The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends around 3.7 liters of fluids for men each day. On the other hand, women need at least 2.7 liters of fluids a day.
Cognitive Health and Wellness Institute wants you to enjoy a quality life with the length of life. That said, we hope you consider changing your habits in the drinks that you consume, if you haven’t yet, and start drinking healthy now.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-drinks-and-your-health
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/healthy-drinks-you-should-be-drinking/
https://www.premierhealthexpress.com/post/the-10-healthier-beverages-besides-water
https://www.everydayhealth.com/photogallery/soda-alternatives.aspx
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/