Drinks anyone?

GEETA KHURANA on healthy beverage options

Beverages are an important part of our daily diet. The increased intake of high calorie drinks and beverages is one of the main culprits of obesity amongst our younger generation today. An average can of soft drinks or fruit punch provides about 150 calories. So even if you have one can everyday and not cut calories anywhere else, you end up adding weight at the end of the year.

Here are some healthy beverages to quench your thirst.

Water This unique free gift of God is the best drink that we can consume. The daily cleansing of waste from our body, the flushing out of bowels, purifying of blood, are all dependent on the amount of water we drink. Furthermore, water has the ability to pick up mineral deposits accumulated in cells, joints, artery walls or anywhere else such deposits occur and carry these out. Thus, a chance of gall stones and kidney stones decreases. The best cure for urinary tract infection is also to drink lots of water. The body has no provision to store water, therefore, the amount of water lost or consumed by the body in various body functions must be replaced to maintain health and body efficiency.

To avoid dehydration and reap the benefits of water, it is recommended that a minimum of eight glasses should be consumed every day. In summer, we might need even more. Water helps the body flush out even through the skin.

Dehydrated skin hangs out as dead flaky skin. Drinking more water not only hydrates the skin, but aids in shedding dead cells, making the skin look clearer, glowing, healthy and radiant.

If you do not drink enough water, then your body is forced to take it from other organs like the colon, which then leads to constipation. Therefore, drink enough water to maintain your normal bowel function.

Tea and Coffee After water, tea and coffee are the most popular beverages. Tea is a low-calorie beverage full of flavonoids and antioxidants that are good for our health. Tea also provides some amino acids, primarily theanine which has been shown to enhance the body’s ability to resist infections. Up to 2-3 cups of tea or coffee a day is fine. But the addition of cream, full cream milk and lots of sugar can turn a health drink into a not-so-healthy beverage. Add low fat milk and just 1 tsp of sugar or have plain black tea to have the best advantage.

Green Tea There are 3 main varieties of tea - green, black and oolong. The difference between the teas is in their processing. Green tea is made from unfermented leaves whereas the leaves of oolong tea are partially fermented, and black tea is fully fermented. The more the leaves are fermented, the lower the polyphenol content and higher the caffeine content. The secret of green tea lies in the fact that it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Polyphenols are chemicals with antioxidant properties and EGCG is a very powerful antioxidant. Besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissues. Therefore, green tea has the highest polyphenol content while black tea has roughly two to three times the caffeine content of green tea. EGCG is considered to be at least 100 times more effective than Vitamin C and at least 25 times more effective than Vitamin E.

Milk Next to water, tea and coffee, low fat or skimmed milk is also an excellent beverage especially for children, and older people. Milk is one of the best sources of calcium and protein. Soy milk is also a good option especially if you are lactose intolerant. Cocoa powder added to milk also adds to the health benefits as cocoa also has flavonoids and anti oxidants. These are good for the heart and also anti cancerous.

Lassi Plain lassi is also a very refreshing drink in summer. Made from yoghurt, it has all the goodness of yoghurt but fewer calories. If you want to cut down the calories then go in for ‘namkeen lassi’ flavoured with roasted cumin seeds and coriander. Mango lassi is also very popular but go slow on adding extra sugar if you want to have a health drink.

Fruit Juice Whole fruits are really the better option as compared to juice but if you have to have juice, go in for 100% fruit juice since most juice is a concentrated source of sugar and also devoid of any fibre. You can also make your drink at home with water and just 2 ounces of juice added to it. Add some lemon juice or herbs to make it taste better. Cranberry juice in particular has been known to fight urinary tract infections and is a good source of anti oxidants. But try to have pure cranberry juice instead of having a cranberry fruit drink as the drink has more sugars in it. If you find pure cranberry juice to be too sour, add in some water.

Soft Drinks Diet soft drinks are a better choice than sugar sweetened soft drinks, as sugar sweetened soft drinks just provide empty calories and no nutrition whatsoever. Soft drinks, fruit punches, cordials are also linked to dental decay, and type 2 diabetes. But any soft drinks, whether diet or otherwise, are high in caffeine and therefore should be avoided as much as possible. Nimbu pani (home-made lemon juice) is a much better alternative than carbonated beverages. Full of vitamin C, it is a very refreshing low calorie drink.

Sports Drinks These are mainly used by endurance athletes who need to replace electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride and thus should be used sparingly by others as these are very high in calories, sodium and sugars. Thus these may also contribute to obesity and tooth decay. These also contain caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone which occur naturally in the body, but the fact that they are present in much higher doses in energy drinks may be cause for concern. Research shows that children and young people who consume a large number of energy drinks may suffer sleep problems, bedwetting, and anxiety.

Coconut Water Coconut water is another nourishing drink low in calories and sugar. It is full of electrolytes and potassium and is more nutritious than orange juice, as it contains less calories. It is a very refreshing isotonic drink.

“But mum, why can’t I?”