Water is the healthiest and safest way for a person to keep hydrated. However, only some people are fans of healthy drinks like water because it has no taste, nothing at all!
The worst thing is the obsession everyone has with soda these days makes water taste even more tasteless. So, how can one limit calories, sugar, and water to keep hydrated and have a healthy beverage?
You can enjoy many low-calorie healthy drinks instead of water to get that extra kick.
If you drink calories, precisely sugar calories, Your thirst will not be satisfied and add to your calories. This blog covers the best healthy drinks besides water, drinks you should avoid, and tips on keeping beverages healthy.
7 Best Healthy Drinks Besides Water
Seltzer Water
Do you want to have fizz without the added calories?
A great alternative to water and those who crave fizz but do not want the overwhelming sugars in such beverages should go for seltzer water. Pour plain or natural flavors over ice for a refreshing, fizzy, and healthy drink. You could add fruits or vegetable slices to give the seltzer an extra zing. You can add fresh lemon, melon, cucumber, orange, fresh mint or lavender, or lime slice and see the difference in boosting the flavor.
Moreover, add a quarter cup of 100% juice (around 25 calories) in a large seltzer water glass to get yourself a fizzy flavored drink with few calories. Do you want savory? Add vegetable juice!
Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
Sparkling natural mineral water is sourced from underground springs or wells, where it naturally comes into contact with mineral deposits deep within the Earth. This contact imparts a distinct mineral composition and effervescence to the water, setting it apart from artificially carbonated waters.
Are you looking for a more natural beverage?
You can use plain sparkling mineral water for a light and refreshing option. Yes, sparkling mineral water has carbonation in it. However, it comes from salts and sulfur that occur naturally in natural water springs or well-water bases.
However, consider the calories when buying bottled mineral waters with added juice or sugar. The calories can add up. Therefore, add your flavors by using fresh vegetables and fruits to mineral water with ice and enjoy.
Warm or Iced Tea
Warm or iced tea is another excellent water alternative that is soothing, refreshing, and hydrating. Why not make yourself tea instead of paying for expensive bottled tea?
A hot or iced tea, black or green, is calorie-free, an excellent antioxidant, and an energy booster. People wanting a mild caffeine buzz should have green tea. However, people who wish to have no caffeine should try herbal and decaffeinated teas. Generally, herbal teas have a naturally sweet or savory flavor without added sugars. You could also try the different tea blends like mint, ginger, or spicy herbs.
It is a suitable alternative for people craving something sweet after a meal when avoiding anything sweet with high calories.
Hot or Iced Coffee
Another beverage like tea that is calorie-free and high in antioxidants is coffee. However, coffee does have a higher caffeine content than tea.
People who do not like black coffee and wish to add a bit of flavor can add skim milk, unsweetened almond milk, or light or unsweetened rice milk. Nonetheless, when you get coffee from a coffee house or a restaurant, you enjoy the strong coffee flavor without any additions. You can cut the calories in half by bringing the smallest size, not the 16-oz, but the 8-oz ones, and go skinny; you can add milk or creamer. Furthermore, save 70 calories more by not adding the ‘whip cream.’
Low-Calorie Alcoholic Drinks
Do you want to enjoy alcohol without getting dehydrated or consuming high calories? Alcohol has seven calories per gram!
You can always go for the lower-calorie alcohol to help you hit the spot when craving something cold and alcoholic. A mixed drink created with calorie-free mixers, like a club soda with one shot of alcohol, has fewer calories than those that use high-calorie and sugary mixers with many alcohol shots.
Sparkling spiked water only has around 90-100 calories per 12 oz and is exceptionally refreshing. An inexpensive alternative would be to spike a sparkling water or club soda yourself, like adding white wine to club soda or seltzer water.
However, ensure you take the same amount of water as the alcohol to prevent dehydration on a hot summer day.
Coconut Water
Unsweetened coconut water is a natural source of vitamins and minerals with low sugar.
Coconut water has electrolytes that can be great during long and harsh exercise. It is a great sports drink alternative, causing less nausea and upsetting stomachs. However, you should not confuse coconut water with coconut milk. Yes, they are two different things.
Coconut water is excellent for getting hydrated, and coconut milk is used for cooking. Coconut water is the water within the coconut, and coconut milk is created from the meaty coconut flesh.
Kombucha
Have you ever tried kombucha? It is an excellent water alternative for someone craving carbonation without consuming sugar. Kombucha is a fermented tea with many health benefits because of the fermentation process. It produces probiotics, which are gut-friendly bacteria. It does have a mildly acidic flavor, but not like apple cider.
Health Benefits
Sparkling natural mineral water offers potential health benefits:
- Hydration: Just like regular water, it’s an excellent choice for staying hydrated, especially for those who find plain water less appealing.
- Minerals: It provides essential minerals, including calcium and magnesium, which are vital for bone health, muscle function, and overall well-being.
- Digestion: The natural carbonation can aid digestion by promoting burping, which may relieve discomfort from gas and bloating.
- Weight Management: Some people find that the effervescence can help control appetite, making it a healthier alternative to sugary sodas.
- Reduced Sugar Intake: Choosing sparkling mineral water over sugary drinks can reduce overall sugar consumption and promote better dietary choices.
5 Drinks To Avoid
It would be best if you avoided some drinks when you’re looking to become healthy and want to cut down on calories. Following are the 5 top drinks to avoid.
Fancy Coffee Drinks
The fancy coffees you get at cafes and restaurants have great flavor. However, do you know it has around 800 calories and a third of the maximum intake recommended for saturated fat that clogs arteries? That is one of the reasons one gets addicted to them.
Moreover, as it has 170 grams of sugar, you don’t get a caffeine buzz; you get a sugar shock.
Flavored Waters & Sports Drinks
Yes, you can get the extra vitamins from flavored and infused water. However, they have a lot of sugar and preservatives added. Moreover, sports drinks have artificial sweeteners and unhealthy additives, making them less healthy than they claim.
Soda- Diet & Regular
The ongoing debate regarding regular soda is long. However, in the short version, regular soda is unhealthy as it has high sugar and artificial additives. Now, many think diet sodas have low and zero calories, which is true, but it has a lot of preservatives, which can be unhealthy. Nonetheless, whether it’s regular or diet soda, both are unhealthy, and you should stay away from them.
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are taken by many to get a short-term energy burst. However, they make your body crash and leave various harmful effects for a long time. Why? Most energy drinks have a high amount of sugar, caffeine, artificial coloring, and preservatives.
Packaged Fruit Drinks or Smoothies
Suppose you are getting freshly squeezed fruit juices that are great. However, packages of fruit drinks or smoothies have high sugar and additives amounts. Every pack can have around 700 calories. Go for the freshly squeezed and not packaged.
Check Calories and Sugar in Beverage Labels to Avoid Getting Duped
Do not get tricked by bottled or canned beverages claiming to be healthy! It is a clever marketing scheme, as companies realize people seek healthy alternatives. So, they have started using words like natural, juice, vitamins, fruits, vegetables, and coconut to market their beverage as super, super healthy.
Always look at the serving size and servings per container, as some will get shocked to learn how one bottle they would normally drink in one sitting has 2-3 servings. Moreover, always check its ingredients, which are listed according to their amount. In the beginning, the ingredients are more and far down are less in the product.
So, do not get duped into thinking you are purchasing a healthy, low-calorie drink when, in fact, you are not. What water alternative would you like to try or prefer? Do you live a drink that you found out claimed to be healthy when, in fact, it wasn’t? Let us know below of your favorites.
