Beverage choices - Other than water or fruit juice
Beverage choices - Other than water or
fruit juice
Try NOT to drink sweetened drinks
Many ready-to-drink beverages contain obscene amounts of sweeteners
Sugar sweetened drinks contain an average of 10 teaspoons
of sugar in a 12oz. can . E.g.
Coco-cola®, Pepsi®, Nestle iced tea®, Schweppes®ginger ale. Even worse, some are
sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a cheap substitute for sugar, which
is causing major health problems by increasing fructose intake.
Excess Fructose / HIgh Fructose
Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Some artificial sweeteners have been shown to have serious health
consequences:
Aspartame -"Neurotoxin"
Sucralose -"Organochlorine"
Agave Nectar
Better sweetener choices
First - prefer the
natural sweeteners or the natural
non-nutritive sweeteners, such as
luo han gho ,
stevia and the sugar
alcohols (Eg. Erythtritol ,
xylitol ) all in moderation.
Second
- If you must use an artificial sweetener, then saccharin is a better choice to
aspartame (yellow packet) or
sucralose (pink packet)
- Saccharin does not completely digest in the human body and its by-products are
therefore less harmful than aspartame or sucralose.
Water with lemon and mint in jugCC0
Diuretics
Coffee, tea, chocolate, beer and wine have a diuretic
effect. Meaning they dehydrate the body. To compensate,
drink a glass of water for each diuretic drink .
Caffeinated beverages
Cup of coffeeCC0
The following beverages contain caffeine:
coffee, tea, cocoa, most sodas, but not usually beer or
wine
E.g. An 8oz cup contains: instant coffee (65-100mg), drip coffee (115-175mg),
brewed coffee (~80-135mg), brewed tea (~40-60mg), hot cocoa (~15mg). Most of the
well known 12oz sodas contain caffeine in the 35-70mg range, except for an 8.2 oz
Red Bull, which contains 80mg.
It is generally suggested that you
drink a total of no more than 2-3 caffeinated drinks per day
Caffeine has a stimulatory effect.
This is primarily credited to its inhibition of the chemical adenosine
in the CNS by binding to adenosine receptors. A reduction in adenosine activity
leads to increased release of the neurotransmitter stress hormones DOPAMINE and
ADRENALINE, which increase alertness and motivation.
Caffeine -The Jitter
Drug
Tea
E.g. Green, Black, Herbal (E.g. Hibiscus, Tulsi), Matcha
(excellent source of antioxidant EGCG)
Hibiscus Tea. For thousands of years, Egyptians
have drunk this red tea made from the hibiscus calyces as an enjoyable beverage.
Hibiscus teas were traditionally used to keep cool, to promote cardiac and nervous
system health, as an aid for occasional nervous restlessness /difficulty sleeping
(in Iran).
Hibiscus FlowersCC0
This tea is made from the hibiscus flower of which there are over
200 species. The hibiscus plant itself is a shrubby tropical plant that produces
flowers with reddish-purple centers. After the petals fall from the flower,
the remaining deep red calyces (cup-like structures formed by the sepals) grow into
seed-containing pods that resemble flower buds. It's these red calyces that are
used to make hibiscus tea
Cup of hot chocolateCC0
Hot Chocolate
Dark chocolate
contains antioxidant / anti-inflammatory
polyphenols
"Grocery-store" hot chocolate usually contains MSG
Buy raw cacao and make your own hot chocolate.
This way you can use less sugar than in bought versions.
"Alchofrolic" Drinks
Glass of beerCC0
WIne bottlesCC0
Beer. Prefer higher antioxidant dark
ales, stout
Wine. Fermentation process
significantly multiplies antioxidant levels, alcohol helps their absorption. Contrary
to popular belief, both red and white wines have equal antioxidant effectiveness,
reaching a plateau after about 2 glasses (white wine contains less, but smaller
more easily absorbed antioxidants.
Troup et al, Free Radical scavenging abilities of
beverages
