What we drink has the same effect on health as what we eat. Throw away soft drinks bottles. They do not help a healthy lifestyle. There are many useful and affordable alternatives.
Having studied the recommendations of nutritionists and various Institutes of Health, we offer you the top 10 most useful drinks for health, weight loss and good mood.
10. Water
The first thing you thought about water when you read the title of this article? Even if not, you should know: water is one of the most healthy for the world drinks ranking. It does not contain calories, is important for digestion, and is necessary for the absorption of vitamins B and C. In addition, water helps in the detoxification of the body and is a very important component of the blood.
Scientists do not have a single assessment of how much water an average person needs every day. Instead, the American Institute of Medicine established a sufficient daily intake of 15 cups for men and 11 cups for women. Please note that this is not a strict requirement, but a recommendation.
Most people have about 80% of this water volume in drinks; the rest is for food.
9. Pomegranate juice
This delicious drink is obtained from pomegranate fruits rich in sugars, fiber, tannins, various minerals and vitamin C. Pomegranate juice is recommended for people with anemia, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. This drink is a powerful antioxidant, like red wine and green tea.
A study published in Clinical Nutrition examined the consumption of pomegranate juice in patients with carotid stenosis. This is called the narrowing of any of the two key arteries located in the front of the neck, through which blood from the heart enters the brain.
- Participants who consumed pomegranate juice lowered their blood pressure by more than 12 percent and had a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaques.
- In participants who did not drink juice, the number of atherosclerotic plaques increased by 9 percent.
Before buying juice, make sure that it does not contain sugar.
8. Beetroot juice
This is not the most popular of healthy drinks, but its taste is more than offset by the properties of beetroot juice. It not only lowers blood pressure, but also increases stamina, and also increases blood flow to the brain in adults. Beetroot juice contains a large amount of calcium, iron and magnesium. It’s hard to find beetroot juice in stores, so it’s best to cook it at home.
7. Cranberry juice
It is a prevention of kidney stones, urinary tract infections. It also protects against various types of cancer and heart disease.
Cranberry juice is rich in antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress. It also contains vitamin C and salicylic acid.
Suppose you consume 253 grams or a cup of unsweetened cranberry juice daily. Here is what it contains:
- 116.4 calories
- 5.1 mg sodium;
- 30.9 g of carbohydrates;
- 8 g of potassium;
- natural “set” of vitamins (C, B, PP and K);
- 3 g of fiber;
- 1 gram of protein;
- a large number of minerals (magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, etc.).
A drink is more beneficial if it is not sweetened or is pure cranberry juice without the addition of other drinks.
6. Ginger tea
Ginger is a natural remedy for many stomach problems. It not only effectively prevents indigestion, but also provides relief from motion sickness, indigestion, and nausea associated with pregnancy. To make ginger tea tastier and healthier, you can add a few drops of honey to it.
5. Hot Chocolate
To the delight of the sweet tooth, we included delicious hot chocolate in the list of the most healthy drinks in the world. One of the best ways to deal with muscle cramps is to have a cup of hot chocolate. And all because it has a very high magnesium content - 282 mg per 100 grams of drink.
Hot chocolate is one of the home remedies for treating colds. To do this, add cinnamon and a small pinch of red pepper, as well as honey to taste.
In addition, hot chocolate is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, as well as potassium, phosphorus and calcium. And from the cup of this invigorating drink, living for a while becomes more fun, due to the fact that cocoa beans contain phenylethylamine. In the brain, it affects emotions and mood, and also increases mental focus.
4. Water with lemon juice
Drinking a glass of lemon water on an empty stomach in the morning is very beneficial for your body. This not only helps digestion, but also cleanses the liver.
Nutritionists recommend adding at least half a lemon (chopped, peeled) to 250-300 ml of water.
It is best to add lemon to warm water. Although vitamin C is not thermostable - that is, it can break down when a certain temperature is reached - even the boiling point is not high enough to negate the benefits of lemon. However, warm water is ideal as it is easier to drink in large quantities.
However, people who have problems with their teeth should not drink lemon juice because their regular consumption can thin the tooth enamel. It is also worth giving up this drink to those who have a lot of iron in their blood, since lemon can increase the body's ability to absorb iron.
3. Hibiscus tea
In 2010, the Nutrition Journal published an extensive study on the total antioxidant content of more than 3,100 foods, drinks, spices, herbs, and supplements used around the world. This study included 283 drinks. Of all the drinks included, hibiscus tea was found to contain the most antioxidants.
One of the unusual ways to make this ruby herbal tea even healthier and tastier is to make a variation of a classic Mexican drink called Agua Fresca. It is traditionally made with watermelon, lime and sugar.
Flavonoids in watermelon have anti-inflammatory effects and reduce muscle soreness after training. Watermelon is also rich in citrulline, which is metabolized to arginine, an essential amino acid. Consumption of citrulline helps improve symptoms of erectile dysfunction in men.
2. Orange juice
This drink contains vitamin C and quercetin, a flavonoid that inhibits the production of histamine and serotonin (the two main substances that cause allergy symptoms), and also eliminates swelling and itching.
However, orange juice alone is not a universal remedy for seasonal allergies. It is only an addition to the drugs prescribed by an allergist.
1. Green tea
This is perhaps the most healthy hot drink in the world. Green tea speeds up metabolism, protects the skin from damage by ultraviolet light, reduces inflammation and maintains healthy teeth and gums. According to a Japanese study, drinking two cups of green tea per day reduces the risk of age-related cognitive decline by 50 percent.
And in green tea without sugar there are practically no calories (no more than 5 in 100 ml of drink). Other things being equal, if you drink 1-2 cups of green tea daily instead of one can of soda for a year, then save your body more than 50,000 calories, which could be deposited in the form of fat.
The biggest advantage of green tea is its high content of catechins, antioxidants, which can help prevent the harmful effects of oxidation on the cells of your body, which is the cause of many types of cancer. They can also help fight inflammation - a condition closely associated with heart disease and diabetes - and improve immune function, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say.
