Six Drinks That Are Up There with Water
Whenever people talk about healthy habits, one of the recommendations is always to drink more water. As detailed in research published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, water is essential for life, and drinking it plays an important role in your health. But, apart from water, are there other healthy beverages? Of course, there are!
Six drinks that are as healthy as water
The Mayo Clinic points out that the recommended daily amount of water can vary according to certain factors. Thus, the requirements are not the same for men and women, sedentary people, or people who do sports.
In any case, in general terms, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake would be of approximately:
- 15.5 c. of fluids for men
- 11.5 c. of fluids per day for women
These figures cover liquids from water, other beverages, and food. In addition, it’s estimated that 20% of total fluid intake comes from food and other beverages. So, is it possible to replace water? Not exactly. However, you can try other healthy beverages to help meet your fluid intake requirements.
1. Beet juice
Beet juice is a popular drink because of its high content of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant compounds. In fact, it’s a popular drink among athletes, as it can help improve physical endurance, according to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
The preparation of the product is identical to that of any other juice. It’s worth mentioning that, despite the strong color of beets, there’s no difficulty in cleaning the blender and tools after preparation.
2. Coconut water
It’s made up of mostly water. However, it has a slightly sweet taste that’s pleasant to the palate. In addition, by providing carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, its benefits to your body are never-ending.
As a study published in the Proceedings of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences points out, it even concentrates antioxidants that help inhibit the negative effects of free radicals in the body.
Read about these Five Wonderful Benefits of Lemon Juice for Our Body
3. Aloe vera water
One of the healthy beverages you can drink to complement your daily water intake is aloe vera juice. According to information reported in the medical journal Pharmacognosy Reviews, aloe vera has a therapeutic role in health management through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Specifically, and according to the same report, the plant’s a source of several biologically active components, including vitamins, minerals, saccharides, amino acids, anthraquinones, enzymes, lignins, saponins, and salicylic acids. Take it sparingly, as it may have a slight laxative effect.
4. Tea
After water, tea is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink. However, you must be cautious with certain herbs, in most cases drinking them is safe.
Research shows that tea contains bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols, which exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activity.
Read about Five Slimming Vegetable Juices You Should Try
5. Hot water with lemon
According to a publication in Food Science & Nutrition, citrus juices such as lemon juice have beneficial effects on your health. Due to their contribution of phytochemicals and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, they help prevent and treat diseases.
Therefore, a healthy and different way to consume water is by adding a little lemon juice. The taste is quite pleasant and undoubtedly provides important benefits.
6. Pineapple water
Because of its high bromelain content, pineapple is attributed to important health properties. As detailed in a review published in Biotechnology Research International, bromelain has exhibited anti-edematous, anti-thrombotic, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Because of this, people consider pineapple water as a healthy drink to hydrate your body and promote wellness. It can be made by boiling the fruit in water, or its peels. It’s delicious!
So, you should be aware of how important it is to drink water every day. However, if you get bored of drinking plain water, you can prepare other healthy drinks that also provide health benefits. Enjoy!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- WHO, W. H. O. (2011). Guidelines for drinking-water quality. WHO. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1462-0758(00)00006-6
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- Cermak, N. M., Gibala, M. J., & Van Loon, L. J. C. (2012). Nitrate supplementation’s improvement of 10-km time-trial performance in trained cyclists. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.22.1.64
- Santos, J. L. A., Bispo, V. S., Filho, A. B. C., Pinto, I. F. D., Dantas, L. S., Vasconcelos, D. F., … Matos, H. R. (2013). Evaluation of chemical constituents and antioxidant activity of coconut water (Cocus nucifera L.) and caffeic acid in cell culture. Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-37652013105312
- Oikeh EI, Omoregie ES, Oviasogie FE, Oriakhi K. Phytochemical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities of different citrus juice concentrates. Food Sci Nutr. 2015;4(1):103–109. Published 2015 Jul 30. doi:10.1002/fsn3.268
- Surjushe, A., Vasani, R., & Saple, D. (2008). Aloe vera: A short review. Indian Journal of Dermatology. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5154.44785
- Rahmani AH, Aldebasi YH, Srikar S, Khan AA, Aly SM. Aloe vera: Potential candidate in health management via modulation of biological activities. Pharmacogn Rev. 2015;9(18):120–126. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.162118