Healthy beverages contribute to optimal health by providing vital hydration, essential vitamins and nutrients, and aiding proper digestion. When selecting beverages to support health, choose water over sodas, fruit drinks or energy beverages that may contain higher calorie counts but fewer essential vitamins.
Drinks such as milk, seltzer water, tea or coffee with fruit juice mixed in are great ways to meet daily fluid requirements. Add fresh fruits like strawberries or cucumber slices for flavor and variety!
Water
Water is the healthiest choice when it comes to satisfying thirst, maintaining hydration levels and flushing away waste products from your body. Water also offers an effective alternative to sugary beverages which contain excess calories that lead to weight gain as well as being linked with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, dental caries and poor nutrient consumption.
Many carbonated drinks and flavored waters contain added sugars, artificial sweeteners, phosphoric acid, synthetic food dyes and other unhealthy ingredients like phosphoric acid. When selecting beverage options for health purposes, seek natural fruit flavors with less than 100 mg sodium content per glass bottled water. Also try tart cherry juice which contains phenolic compounds to regulate sleep cycles, or unsulfured blackstrap molasses which provides 70 percent of your daily iron needs.
Tea
Tea, whether green, black, or herbal varieties, can be an incredibly nutritious beverage. Not only is it low in calories but unsweetened varieties can provide key antioxidant benefits.
Leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant are used to produce various varieties of tea. Each variety offers polyphenols, caffeine and minerals for maximum health benefits.
Green tea’s polyphenols, specifically epigallocatechin-3 gallate, have been demonstrated to prevent cancer and improve skin health. Furthermore, tea may reduce prostate cancer risks and lower blood pressure.
Vitamin C is another key nutrient found in tea. As an antioxidant, it can protect DNA from oxidative damage and accelerate wound healing by helping form collagen – another key component for immune health. Unfortunately, many don’t consume enough of this vitamin through their diet; drinking tea along with foods containing Vitamin C is one way to ensure adequate intake.
Mint
Mint is an antispasmodic that helps soothe muscle pain. Additionally, its anti-inflammatory and vitamin properties help relieve cold symptoms, ease breastfeeding pain, soothe indigestion and provide relief against cold symptoms. Add mint leaves to tea, lemonade or water for an herbal beverage; fresh versions can be found in supermarket produce sections while dried versions can be found in spice sections.
Fruit-infused waters remain at the top of the health drink category and more exotic fruits like quince, goji berry and guanabana are appearing in juices and flavored water brands. Be mindful when purchasing juice products containing added sugars; check nutritional labels carefully; also be wary of smoothie & juice recipes which contain large quantities of fruits & vegetables as these may contain more calories than expected.
Lemon
Lemons (Citrus limon) are beloved citrus fruits that are loved worldwide for their complex yet subtle sour flavors. Common uses of this oval-shaped citrus fruit include garnishing dishes or mixing it with water and sugar to make refreshing drinks like lemonade. Furthermore, their juice contains powerful plant compounds with health benefits.
Lemons can help improve digestion, boost immune health and facilitate weight loss by stimulating metabolism. Furthermore, their soluble fiber contributes to improving gut health as it slows the breakdown of starches and sugars to decrease blood glucose levels.
Individuals prone to kidney stones could benefit from making lemon water part of their regular beverages routine, as citrate can help prevent further stones.
Blackstrap Molasses
Blackstrap molasses is the product of boiling sugar three times to remove crystals and have less sweetness than light or dark molasses, yet contain vital minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.
Molasses contains iron to fight anemia, which can lead to fatigue and weakness. A tablespoon of molasses provides 20% of your daily recommended dosage.
Blackstrap molasses is an effective remedy to relieve menstrual cramps by providing magnesium and calcium, both of which work to stop blood clotting. Furthermore, it stimulates digestion while easing constipation with its natural stool softener qualities.
Vitamin B6 content helps elevate serotonin levels and relieve both stress and depression, as well as providing effective arthritis treatment – decreasing inflammation while strengthening bone strength. Furthermore, its use for skin disorders or hair loss treatment makes this supplement especially valuable.
