Healthy Drinks

If you don't like plain water, there are plenty of ways to combine fruits and vegetables into flavorful drinks. So not only will you stay hydrated, you'll get the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals from the foods. The best way to start is either with filtered water or fresh squeezed, or juiced, fruit. Bottled juices are always pasteurized, which destroys many of the nutrients. Plus the pulp is usually not included, which elminates the benefits of consuming fiber. Here are some ideas for creating healthy drinks.

Infusions

The simplist way to add flavor to your water, is to add your favorite tasting fruits and/or vegetables and herbs to a carafe of water and let it sit for awhile. You can also start with a fruit tea as a base. You'll need a carafe that strains the water when you pour it or an infusion pitcher. You often see this in spas or high end lobbies. Think sliced lemon, oranges, cucumber, berries, and melon. You can add herbs and spices like mint, rosemary, and ginger. Remove the ingredients after 24 hours. The remaining refrigerated infused water is good for 3 more days. As you drink , or serve, the infused water, you can add fresh ingredients or garnish to kick the drink up to the next level. You can also add a little sparkling water if you want some fizziness.

Lemonade

You may have heard how beneficial drinking lemon juice with water is first thing in the morning. You can have more of the benefits of lemons by drinking lemonade. Make it yourself so that you can control the amount of sweetness and type of sweetner used. Mix fresh squeezed organic lemon juice with some unpasturized local honey and add it to ice, or room temperature water. Again, you can add some sparkling water if you want the fizz. For more tartness, add lemon wedges to your glass.

Mulled Juices

You may think of mulled hot apple cider only in winter, but you can serve it cold over ice too. And you don't have to start with just apple juice. You can mix any of your favorite juices and spices on the stove top or in a crock pot and let the flavors combine for a few hours. Here is a flavor packed option with no added sugar. Again, making your own juice is the healthiest option because you will get all of the nutrition from the fruit or vegetable juice.

Smoothie

Depending on what you have in a smoothie, they can either be healthy or unhealthy. Stay away from bases that contain lots of sugar. Store bought plant based milks aren't a great option either because of the thickeners and additives used to make it seem more like milk. Coconut water, or filtered water, are good choices. Having a smoothie is a great way to get your vegetables if you're not a fan of eating them on your plate. It's also a great way to use up fruits and vegetables that are a bit pass their prime. You can encorporate nutrients that you might not otherwise eat like chia and flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and help seeds. You can add as much protein as you like by using a high quality protein powder or nuts. Add ice cubes or banana to thicken up a smoothie and your favorite herbs for an added a burst of flavor.

Tea

You can drink teas hot or cold, making it a versatile year round option. Your healthiest choice is to use organic ingredients and filtered water. You can buy prepared teas or make a tea from dried herbs or flowers. It can be as simple as adding some sliced ginger to a cup of boiling water along with some mint or lemon. Green tea is widely recognized as being one of the healthiest drinks you can consume, in spite of the caffeine it naturally contains. Most people don't get jittery by drinking it though. Try some to experience all the antioxidants it offers.

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