What is the Best Drink for a Healthy and Balanced Diet?

Justina

May 2, 2017

Last updated on May 6th, 2017 at 03:37 pm

Female personal trainer Justina helps her readers with interesting articles regarding personal training and related issues.

Good daily nutrition habits are key to a healthy and beautiful body. Although it is not the only important aspect to consider – choosing drinks is important as well. Here is a list of drinks that you are probably all familiar with and include the majority (if not all) of them in your daily diet. Let’s discuss which of them are worth drinking and which you should eliminate from your diet immediately.

Water

Nothing hydrates your body better than fresh and clear water. Water helps us avoid dehydration, has no calories and is essential for our bodies. No other drink substitutes – not even the healthiest ones – can eliminate the need to drink 8 glasses of plain water daily. If you are highly physically active, you should increase your daily fluid intake, according to NHS.As a female personal trainer, I always advise my clients to infuse their water with a few slices of lemon, fresh berries or a twig of mint, if they find it difficult to form a habit of drinking more water.

Milk

Milk is a great source of calcium, protein, vitamins and minerals. According to NHS, milk is a great drink for kids, older than one-year-old. Despite of its nutritional properties, milk might not be such a good drink choice for adults as it contains lactose which many of people are allergic to. It can cause bloating and other side effects to those who have lactose intolerance, so consume this drink wisely.

Fruit or Vegetable Juice

What can be healthier than a smoothie made from fresh fruit or vegetables or fresh juice? These drinks are full of vitamins and nutrients, although, they have to be consumed in moderation. According to NHS, when you make juices or smoothies from fresh fruit, sugars, naturally found in them, are released. It might harm your teeth as well as increase your daily sugar intake without you even considering it. What is more, fruits and vegetables in their natural state contain fibre which is really good for you in terms of improving your digestion. So if you decide to drink a smoothie in the morning and sip some juice throughout the day, don’t forget that smoothies and juices will account only for 1 portion of fruits and vegetables (of 5 required portions per day).

Tea

Tea is a great drink choice, having relaxing/toning and warming properties. Depending on the choice of tea, you can increase your energy levels or calm down your body and mind. Unsweetened green tea in the morning and daytime or herbal tea in the evening might be a great addition to your daily fluid intake.

Ginger Tea

Ginger root is a powerful antioxidant, containing anti-inflammatory, soothing and digestion improvement properties. According to Bodybuilding.com, ginger is widely used as a spice in Asian and Indian cuisine, but it can also be transformed into warming and nutritious drink, having a lot of beneficial properties for the body. Chop a 2-4 cm piece of ginger root with a food processor, together with a peeled lemon. Add 1 spoon of this mixture to a cup and pour hot water together with some honey (optional).

Diet Drinks

Fitness nutrition product market is loaded with various diet drinks and other supplements in fluid form which offer wide assortment of benefits, such as weight loss, protein supplementation, enriching your diet with vitamins and minerals, etc. Although, these drinks usually contain a bunch of harmful ingredients, such as sweeteners, dyes, etc., which you should be aware of. Read the labels carefully and do not be fooled by nice slogans and promises.

Fizzy Drinks, Juice Drinks and Flavoured Water

These drinks have very low nutritional value and may contain a lot of harmful ingredients. They are usually high in sugar or artificial sweeteners and rich in unnecessary calories. If you can’t avoid them completely, keep the intake of such drinks to an absolute minimum.

Coffee

Coffee is not meant to hydrate your body. On the contrary, drinking too much coffee and not enough water, can lead your organism to dehydration. If you are a coffee drinker, remember to increase your daily water intake by at least 2 glasses a day.

To sum up, it is absolutely obvious, that fluids are essential for our bodies, but choosing the right ones is even more important. Water is what our body is mainly composed of and is required for it to function properly, which is why you should definitely create a habit of drinking 8 glasses of water a day. In addition to this, you can drink several cups of unsweetened tea of your preference. Other drinks, such as fruit and vegetable juices or smoothies, should be consumed in moderation in order to keep your diet healthy, nutritious and balanced.