Reader’s Requests: What to sip?

Hi guys! How’s your day been? Hopefully lovely 😀

I got a reader’s request that I thought would be an awesome topic for this week: DRINKS!

From Ashley:

Maybe a reader request post topic could be about ‘Drinks’. What are some good healthy drinks to drink besides water. Also, what some drinks really mean when it says low/no calorie. We probably think they are healthy but in reality they aren’t. I love Hansen’s: they contain no artificial colors or flavors, no sodium, no caffeine, and no preservatives, and are gluten and dairy free. But am I missing something? Is this good for me? I get a little weird when I see these sorts of drinks. Not really sure if it something I could be drinking. So maybe you could post some suggestions of drinks out there that are okay to drink.

Here’s the lowdown on food labeling, from this website:

• Saturated Fat–
  *Saturated fat free: Less than 1/2 gram saturated fat in a serving; levels of trans fatty acids must be not more than 1 percent of total fat.
  **Low saturated fat: 1 gram saturated fat or less in a serving and 15 percent or less of calories from saturated fat. For a meal or main dish (like a frozen dinner): 1 gram saturated fat or less in 100 grams of food and less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat.

• Cholesterol–
  *Cholesterol free: Less than 2 milligrams (mg) cholesterol in a serving; saturated fat content must be 2 grams or less in a serving.
  **Low cholesterol: 20 mg cholesterol or less in a serving; saturated fat content must be 2 grams or less in a serving. For a meal or main dish: 20 mg cholesterol or less in 100 grams of food, with saturated fat content less than 2 grams in 100 grams of food.

• Fat–
  *Fat free: Less than 1/2 gram fat in a serving.
  **Low fat: 3 grams total fat or less in a serving. For a meal or main dish: 3 grams total fat or less in 100 grams of food and not more than 30 percent calories from fat.
  Percent fat free–A food with this claim must also meet the low fat claim.

• Calories–
  *Calorie free: Less than 5 calories in a serving.
  **Low calorie: 40 calories or less in a serving.

• Sodium–
  *Sodium free: Less than 5 mg sodium in a serving.
  **Low sodium: 140 mg sodium or less in a serving. For a meal or main dish: 140 mg sodium or less in 100 grams of food.
  Very low sodium: 35 mg sodium or less in a serving.

*Words that mean the same thing as free: "no," "zero," "without," "trivial source of," "negligible source of," and "dietary insignificant source of."

Marketers can get tricky with their wording and make things sound way healthier than they are. The best bet is to check the ingredient list and see what’s really in the stuff you’re about to choose. Drinks can be especially confusing- some drinks have 2-3 servings per bottle –it’s easy to guzzle the whole thing!- or be labeled with 100% juice, when it’s really loaded with sugar.

As far as drinks go, when I first start training new clients, I tell them water, unsweetened tea and coffee only. This is only for simplicity purposes and because this way they’ll be eating calories instead of drinking them. After I’ve been working with them for a little while, we add in healthy drinks that provide nutrients and other benefits… and taste amazing 😀 Variety is the spice of life, ya know?

Note- These aren’t the only healthy drinks out there! Just some of my faves 😀

Water

Water is seriously the wonder drink. Water transports nutrient and oxygen, enables our body to detoxify, promotes clear skin, regulates body temperature, protects our joints and organs, and boosts metabolism. Even though it’s super refreshing, water tastes kind of boring, so here are some ways to spice it up 🙂

-Add fresh berries and a little Stevia, for a sweet fruit-infused drink

-Slices of cucumber, lemon and fresh mint

–Orange slices and basil

-Raspberries and lime

Coconut Water

An excellent source of electrolytes after a long or intense workout sesh, and is low in calories (60 per serving). One container has more potassium than a banana and I love the refreshing taste! Check out O.N.E and Zico brands.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juice

An easy way to get a high dose of nutrients. Go for freshly-made or try Odwalla and POM. My favorite juice bar picks: apple, beet, carrot and ginger; wheatgrass, apple juice and ginger; and spinach, green apple, lemon and parsley

Kombucha

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight with kombucha. After I got used to the tangy, bubbly taste, I couldn’t get enough – my wallet held me back, though, since it was $4.99 a pop here in Valdizzy. Kombucha has been made for centuries –my great-grandmother used to have a batch going all the time!- and is a great source of probiotics. Lately, there’s been a lot of hubbub about the alcohol content of kombucha, causing it to be removed from Whole Paycheck shelves. No wonder it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside…. So until they bring kombucha back, I may consider making my own like we did at school.

Smoooooothies!

Ya’ll know I LOVE my smoothies. There are so many combinations out there (check out Show Me Your Smoothie for ideas!), but my all-time faves are the chocolate cherry bomb,

and the “monkey” smoothie (1 banana, 1 C almond milk, 1 scoop Sun Warrior, 1 T raw cacao powder, Stevia, cinnamon, 1 T almond butter and cacao nibs).

Check out *this post* for tips on making the perfect smoothie.

Tea!

All flavors, all types, it’s all good. Add a little milk of choice and some sweetener if you desire.

Vino

I’m a big-time fan of vino. It makes every meal a thousand times more special and delicious, and red wine provides cancer-protective antioxidants. Try to keep it 1-2 glasses, since one glass has about 100 calories. To make it stretch further: Add 1/2 glass vino to 1/2 glass seltzer for a wine spritzer. Half the calories, just as fun 🙂

Zevia

Source

One of the things I tell clients (friends and family) that they probably *should* do is quit soda. I’m not one to preach about healthy eating/drinking –what other people do is none of my biznazz- but for soda I’ll make an exception. It causes bloat, contains chemicals, syrups and junk, and the diet versions contain aspartame. I used to be totally addicted to Diet Coke back in the day, and even though it took a while to get soda out of my life, I don’t miss it too much now. When I really, REALLY crave a soda, I reach for Zevia. They’re made with Stevia instead of aspartame and taste incredible.

So that’s all I’ve got!

What’s your favorite healthier drink??

Hope you enjoyed this reader’s request and I’ll see ya in the morning!

xoxo,

Gina