Healthy Drinks Benefits

It is a well-known fact that water is very important for the proper functioning of the human body. Most people are advised to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water each day, to flush out the toxins and impurities from their bodies, which improves their overall health and wellbeing. In addition to water, there are several other healthy drinks that people can consume on a regular basis in order to meet their daily fluid requirement.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, not all people get an adequate amount of water or other healthy drinks, since it is common for people to reach out for coffee, soda, synthetic juice, diet sodas or other sugary beverages in order to quench their thirst.

Fortunately, there are several healthy drinks other than water that can be used to quench thirst and to improve the overall health.

In fact there is a wide variety of healthy drinks that are suitable for people of all ages, right from toddlers, to the elderly people. In fact there are different varieties of drinks for those who would like to lose weight or gain muscle mass too. There are quite a few healthy drinks recipes that are easily available through online resources or health articles.

Given below is a list of healthy drinks for different people:

Healthy Drinks For Children & Kids

It has been seen that children have a tendency to choose unhealthy beverages like soda and other drinks that are high in sugar, preservatives and calories. Therefore, it is important for parents to restrict their consumption right from an early age. Parents are also usually advised to ensure that children have an adequate intake of healthy drinks. Some of the most highly recommended healthy drinks for kids include:

Water, which could include warm water or cold water, depending on the child’s health as well as the weather.
Milk, like regular milk, soy milk, low fat or skim milk
Homemade milkshakes, prepared with fresh fruits
Fresh fruit juice, such as pear juice, apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, and so on. While there are several varieties of canned and packaged juice available in the markets today, parents should use juice that is made at home, without any sugar or preservatives.
Smoothies, using healthy ingredients like milk, yogurt, and fresh fruits.

What Drinks Are Recommended For Teenagers

In today’s world, most teens are seen reaching out for beverages like diet sodas or regular sodas, and at times even substituting their meals for such drinks. Many teenagers also start consuming beverages like tea or coffee, mainly in an attempt to appear older or mature. Teenage drinking is also one of the biggest concerns in today’s world. Unhealthy eating and drinking habits can have a negative impact on anyone’s health and this could be worse in case of teenagers. Therefore, it is important for parents and teachers to make teenagers aware of the importance of including more healthy drinks in their diet. Some of the most highly recommended healthy drinks for teenagers include:

Water
Milk and milk based beverages like milkshakes, smoothies and buttermilk
Fresh juice made with fruits and vegetables without any sugar or preservatives
Herbal tea
Lemonade

What Should Adults Drink

Like children and teenagers, most adults too have a high propensity of consuming beverages that may not be very good for the health. It is not uncommon for adults to consume higher amounts of tea, coffee, aerated drinks, and alcoholic beverages, as compared to water. One of the reasons for that could be the amount of stress that adults are under and they could turn towards caffeinated or alcoholic beverages in order to deal with some of the stress and anxiety. However, there are many other healthy drinks that are suitable for adults, which will not only help them meet their daily fluid intake, but will also have a positive impact on the health. Given below are some of the most highly recommended healthy drinks for adults:

Water, which could also include flavored water or vitamin water
Fruit juice and vegetable juice made at home without any preservatives or sugar
Fruits smoothies or butter milk
Green tea, mint tea, chamomile tea and other varieties of herbal tea
Red wine
Lemonade
Protein shakes or sports and energy drinks (for those who exercise regularly)

Best Drinks For Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, it is absolutely essential for people to drink a lot of water. In addition to that soda, alcohol, and sugary beverages should be substituted by healthy drinks which are low in calories. These healthy drink options give the body energy, or the boost required to carry out day to day activities. Given below are some of the commonly recommended healthy drinks to lose weight:

Vegetable juice
Fruit smoothies
Fresh fruit juice, without sugar or preservatives
Decaf black coffee
Green tea
Low fat or skim milk
Protein drinks or fiber drinks
Apple cider vinegar

Safe Drinks For Pregnant Women

It is a well-known fact that everything a pregnant woman eats or drinks eventually reaches her baby. Therefore, it is important for pregnant mothers to consume healthy drinks at regular intervals during the day. Some of the most widely recommended healthy drinks for pregnant women include:

Milk and butter milk
Coconut water
Fresh fruit juice
Milkshakes
Vegetable juice

Risks Of Unhealthy Drinks

Drinking large quantities of such unhealthy beverages could lead to several health problems, especially diabetes (or high blood sugar), obesity, loss of bone density and high blood pressure, to name a few. Therefore, it is important for people to restrict their intake of beverages that are regarded as being unhealthy, so that they can consume a higher amount of healthy drinks during the day. There are several people who claim that they drink more soda or juice mainly because they do not like drinking water.

Submitted on October 12, 2011