Did you know the average person consumes 400 calories in one day just on beverages they drink? It’s possible that if we make smarter beverage choices, we can really slim down faster as well as improve our health. Dehydration can lead to many things, but it slows down your fat burning abilities and decreases mental and physical energy. Here are the smartest beverage choices:
1. Water-Water will always help with hydration without adding excess pounds. Add fresh lemon, lime or orange to bump the flavor up a bit. Drink water often and before meals to curb appetite and cravings.
2. Green Tea-Recent Research regarding green tea’s health benefits have been astonishing. They include: preventing cancer and heart disease, lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing dementia and diabetes and more. Filled with antioxidants, green tea is also said, by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, to stimulate the metabolism and help burn fat.
3. Skim or soy milk-Milk is a great source of Vitamin D and calcium. Milk is high in protein and filled with health benefits including improved bone health, aiding in the immune system as well as helping prevent osteoporosis and respiratory problems.
4. Pomegranate juice-An antioxidant powerhouse, pomegranate juice is said to help the body guard itself against premature aging, heart disease, alzheimer’s, cancer and other diseases.
5. Concord Grape juice-If you choose the juice made from 100 grapes, concord grape juice is filled with antioxidants. It is said to have similar health benefits of red wine such as protection against heart disease and lowering chances of blood clots. I like to mix it in my water.
6. Blueberry Juice-High in fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C, blueberry juice is lower in calories than other juices. It is also said to help reduce aging, diabetes and urinary tract infections.
7. Orange juice-Drinking at least 2 glasses of orange juice a day increases the vitamin C concentration within the body which can protect against inflammation, improve diastolic blood pressure and decrease bad cholesterol.
Awesome list and info! Your site rocks!
Great information Alison. I love that comfortable picture of green tea
Great post! I am going to have to add some of these to my list. I never know what to give my kids, and this really helps!
Just had to comment about choice #2 as a tea expert. Since ALL tea comes from the same plant, ALL tea is good for you! There has been a lot of press & studies on green tea, but all tea has lots of antioxidants in it. If you don’t like green tea, drink the tea you love that way you will enjoy it and drink more of it!
I’m a huge fan of juices and water when given the choice – cranberry is always my first choice.
I’ve been loving a cup of warm skim milk in the evenings (with a dash of vanilla extract). And I love green tea (my husband has joined me in this love since he gave up coffee for lent!).
One tip for cutting calories in those juices; use less juice and cut it sparkling or seltzer water. You get the benefits of the juice, no spike in blood sugar and increase your water intake, too! And it’s delicious.
400 cals a day in beverages alone?! What on earth are people drinking…yowza. I’m a big fan of seltzer water – like a fizzy soda, but totally guilt-free!
I can see how it would be easy to drink 400 calories without even touching soda. two cups of milk, a cup of juice and a small glass of wine would be around 400 calories.
At least, I hope that’s what the average person is drinking to get those calories! 🙂
Laura
I have recently started shopping at a Chinese grocery store for tea. In addition to lots of choices for black and green teas, they have an amazing selection of herbal teas, many of which claim to have medicinal qualities. We have become addicted to loquat leaf tea, which is supposedly good for respiratory ailments.
Great list! Along with my morning cup of decaf (I hope that counts as coffee) I try to drink mostly water. I kicked my diet soda habit last summer and have felt much better since!
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