Popular health beverages tend to contain plenty of added sugars and saturated fats that clog arteries. Coffee beverages, for instance, typically provide little more than caffeine hits and heart disease-inducing saturated fats.
Cranberries, one of the most beloved beverages, contain health-promoting materials that help prevent scurvy. Kefir, a fermented milk drink with higher probiotic counts than yogurt, may even aid digestive health by improving gastrointestinal function.
Freshly Squeezed Orange or Lemon Juice
Fresh orange juice offers many health benefits and boosts immunity, including replenishing electrolytes in the body and improving skin health. Furthermore, drinking it helps with weight loss while supporting digestive and liver health.
Folate, potassium and phytochemicals found in spinach provide essential components that help combat chronic inflammation in the body – which has been identified as one of the key risk factors associated with heart disease and other chronic illnesses.
Avoid commercial orange juice whenever possible as it can often be pasteurized, eliminating beneficial enzymes and adding extra sugars to it. Instead, squeeze your own fresh orange juice or make lemonade at home!
Homemade Smoothies
Fruit smoothies made with multiple ingredients are an increasingly popular choice for meals or snacks, and can easily fit any diet. A smoothie featuring green leafy vegetables may even detoxify the body while providing essential nutrition.
the right ratio of greens, frozen fruits, liquid and thickener is crucial to creating a delicious smoothie. A standard formula suggests this should be 1:1:1:1, which refers to equal parts greens, fruit, liquid and thickener.
Sweeteners of different types may be added for flavor enhancement and protein boost. Nut or seed butters provide essential protein and healthy fats. Chia seeds, flax seeds and ground spices such as cinnamon are also delicious additions that add an extra boost in taste.
Green Tea
Green tea is an exceptional drink that can serve as an effective replacement to coffee or sugary soft drinks, thanks to its lower acidic levels and abundant polyphenol antioxidants that can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, enhance metabolism, boost metabolism, and provide numerous other health benefits.
Studies suggest that green tea’s polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), may aid brain health by decreasing anxiety levels and improving memory and cognition. Further clinical studies are necessary on this matter. People with sensitive stomachs should avoid drinking too much green tea; several cups daily is probably enough. Anymore could cause nausea.
Mint
Mint is an adaptable ingredient that can be added to a range of beverages from cocktails to tea, as well as providing health benefits that range from aiding digestion and weight loss to increasing metabolism and providing natural antioxidants.
Rich in menthol, which acts as a decongestant and helps break up phlegm and mucus build-up, ginger tea also makes an effective skin cleanser, toner, and astringent.
Blackstrap molasses drink is another healthy choice, offering low levels of sugar while providing calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. Plus it’s known to soothe digestive issues while relieving stress!
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is an essential natural health drink to support overall body wellness. Drinking it helps reduce inflammation, increase hydration levels and detoxify the body.
Tropical succulent plants are best-known for soothing sunburned skin, but their nutrients offer much more. They contain 19 essential and non-essential amino acids, sterols that reduce inflammation, salicylic acid for pain relief, two different types of sugars beneficial to digestive system health, as well as 19 essential and non-essential amino acids that support good health overall.
If you want to start drinking aloe vera, look for one with organically-grown leaves – that way you know you are getting only top quality aloe vera!
Holy Basil
Holy basil contains compounds like rosmarinic acid, linalool and eugenol that can help lower cancer risks by restricting tumor growth. Furthermore, holy basil aids wound healing processes while decreasing recurrence rates.
Research indicates that holy basil can help promote stable blood sugar levels by decreasing insulin resistance that contributes to hormonal imbalance in both men and women. Furthermore, holy basil reduces stress which interferes with hormone regulation as well as supporting healthy adrenal function.
Holy basil can be found in various supplements, such as New Chapter’s Holy Basil Force, which combines supercritical and hydroethanolic extracts for maximum phytochemical potency. You may also take it in tea form as Tulsi tea.