Almost 60 to 70 percent of your body is made up of water. It is required for almost all your biological functions due to which it is essential to stay hydrated throughout the day. But when you think of your favorite drink like soda, coffee, or even alcohol to hydrate yourself, you may have heard how bad it is for you. So you may settle for other types of drinks like bottled fruit and vegetable juices, which are easy to buy and cheap at the same time. You may think that they are good for you, but they are not. When you squeeze out the juice from a fruit, you are leaving behind all its nutrients and are getting mostly the sugar. Even if the label on the juice bottle says 100 percent fruit, it contains a lot more sugar than you are supposed to consume through a drink on a regular basis. Since all types of fluids that enter your body do not have the same effect, you need to replace unhealthy drinks, even if you are addicted to them, with healthier ones. Though drinking plain water is the best way to stay hydrated, here are some healthy and tasty drinks you can try.
1. Infused Water
If plain water sounds too boring, then you can add some flavor to it to make it more appealing. And you don’t have to go out and buy flavored water all the time. You can simply add your favorite fruit to plain water and let it soak for some time. You can use any fruit you want to like lemon, strawberries, oranges, watermelon, or pineapples. Just cut them up into medium-sized pieces, add them to a large pitcher of water, and let them soak for an hour or 2. You can add some ice to it and enjoy it whenever you feel like.
2. Sparkling Water
If you don’t like drinking a lot of water and you constantly crave carbonated water, then sparkling water is for you. It is just plain, filtered water which gets its fizz from a little pressure and carbon dioxide. It is as hydrating as regular water and does not harm you like sodas do.
3. Iced Tea
Unsweetened iced tea is extremely refreshing and healthy. But you have to stay away from ready-made, bottled ones. They may appear healthy but they are not. They contain much more than just tea, like preservatives and sugar. Instead, you should make your own tea at home. You will know exactly what goes in it and you be able to ensure it tastes exactly the way you want it.
Method:
Take a large pitcher of water, about 8 glasses.
Add 6 tablespoons or 10 tea bags into the pitcher.
Cover it and let it chill in the refrigerator for about 15 hours.
You can keep it for longer, depending on how strong you want it to be.
Strain the tea leaves or remove the tea bags and enjoy.
You can add honey if you want but not sugar.
4. Lemonade
There is nothing more refreshing than a chilled glass of lemonade on a hot, summer day. Though you add some sugar to lemonade, as it wouldn’t be so many people’s favorite if it wasn’t sweet, it is still much healthier than a can of soda. If you are really conscious about how healthy your drinks are, you can replace sugar with honey. You can even add some strawberries to make the drink even more delicious.
Method:
Cut 8 large strawberries into halves.
Blend them with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a cup of water.
Add the mixture to a large pitcher of water.
Add 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of lemon juice.
Stir it until all the sugar dissolves.
Add ice to it and enjoy.
5. Iced Coffee
Each time you crave coffee, you may head straight to the nearest coffee shop to grab yourself a cup or pick up bottled coffee from the grocery store. But you should make some yourself as you will be able to control what you put in it.
Method:
Fill a tall glass 2/3 of the way with ice.
Add a tablespoon of cream or milk and 1/2 a tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Pour 8 ounces of coffee into it and stir until you get the desired consistency.
Enjoy it whenever you feel like.
