Drinks for Good Health
By Donna Stark
Living a healthy lifestyle requires a lot of time, commitment, and intention. It can really be hard sometimes to follow through on every aspect, every day. Clean eating, exercising, getting plenty of sleep, taking our vitamins, seeing our doctors … the self-care list goes on and on. So it’s not surprising that we have moments where we slip a bit, or maybe the slip is intentional and we just want to cheat a little. One of the most common “cheats” that we allow ourselves isn’t something that we eat, but rather, what we drink. But we can still satisfy our cravings with a healthy option instead of choosing the opposite.
Let’s Think About What We Drink
In my neighborhood grocery store, there are two full aisles of “not-so-healthy” drinks ... soda, punch, tea, juice, fizzy-fruity drinks, neon-colored kids drinks. So much space is given for so many choices, yet the “healthier’ drinks only receive a small section of space next to the lettuce. Iceberg lettuce, I might add too. Healthy drink options shouldn’t be limited to an area that equates to the same amount of space as a small television set. In fact, there are a lot of healthy drink options. Let’s look at a few.
- Water - Water is a given and pretty much always the best option to choose. It’s what keeps us alive. It is important for digestion, necessary for the absorption of vitamins and nutrients, and vital for detoxifying the body.
- Fresh vegetable juice - This is an easy way to get your recommended amount of vegetables into your diet every day. Vegetable juice is rich in vitamins and minerals and reduces inflammation, cleanses the body, and helps your body stay regular.
- Wheatgrass juice - Wheatgrass juice is good for you because it contains protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. I often see this at juice and smoothie shops as an add-on to their menu that you can either mix with your ordered drink or take it alone.
- Coconut water - This is a great alternative to sports drinks because it has natural electrolytes. It is also high in magnesium.
- Beet juice - The flavor may be an acquired taste for some, but beet juice is great for lowering blood pressure and increasing stamina. It’s the perfect drink to have before a workout!
- Green tea - Unsweetened green tea is loaded with antioxidants and has a plethora of positive health benefits. It speeds up your metabolism, promotes healthy teeth and gums, and reduces inflammation.
- Ginger tea - Ginger is great for your digestive system, helps to alleviate nausea, and contains anti-inflammatory compounds that can help with arthritis.
Of course, this is only a small sampling of what is available to us in the form of healthy drinks, but the point to be made is that you aren’t limited to that small section of drinks just to the right of the lettuce. Many of these options can be found in most supermarkets, you may just have to look a little harder while skipping past those two other aisles of drinks.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Sunset Hills, Mo.