We all know sugary and fizzy drinks can wreak havoc on our health, and they are found everywhere. From TV commercials promoting diet soda to the enticing menu presented to us at our favorite restaurant, artificially sweetened drinks lie everywhere. The good news is there are healthy drinks out there, even if healthy beverage options may seem limited.
Thankfully, there are many more healthy drinks for you to choose from than you might think — so you won’t go astray from your health goals. These beverages can not only do your health great favors but can spice up your palette so you won’t grow bored and throw in the towel to living a healthier lifestyle.
So what are the top 10 healthy drinks around, and what makes them so healthy? I’m glad you asked.
Top 10 Healthy Drinks
- Dark raw hot chocolate
- Lemon water
- Cranberry juice
- Green tea
- Dandelion tea
- Stinging nettle leaf tea
- Turmeric tea
- Red raspberry leaf tea
- Watermelon juice
- Parsley juice
1. Dark Raw Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate, a popular and cozy drink enjoyed during the cold season, can actually do wonders for your health — if you chose the right chocolate, of course. Dark chocolate contains tryptophan, which is an amino acid precursor to serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for having a positive mood and feeling happy. Reduction in blood pressure, cholesterol and improved insulin sensitivity all have been associated with this tasty delight.
2. Lemon Water
Lemons offer more than pleasant smells and sour flavor. The bright yellow fruit comes with potential uses from cleaning and scenting your house to improving your health. Add flavor to your water, help skin conditions, improve hair or add years to our life by utilizing the benefits of lemons. Of course, lemons are known for having high amounts of vitamin C, with a single lemon offering you approximately 51 percent to meet your daily vitamin C needs.
3. Cranberry Juice
Most people think of cranberries as a delicious addition to holiday celebrations in the form of cranberry juice, sauces, stuffing, and decorations. Cranberries are rich in health-promoting materials that are essential for all-around wellness. They’re known to store constituents that protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease, and that’s not even half of what cranberries are capable of. They can improve oxidative stress, inflammation, and urinary antibacterial adhesion activity to prevent urinary tract infection.
4. Green Tea
Tea is the second most widely enjoyed beverage in the world behind only water. Green tea made from unfermented leaves reportedly contains the highest content of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols, making it one of the top healthy drinks around. Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals, which are cell-damaging compounds that damage DNA and even cause cell death. Research points that free radicals contribute to the aging process, as well as the development of a number of medical conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.
5. Dandelion Tea
Dandelion tea is near the top of the list of healthy drinks due in part to its place among the best detox drinks as well.
Dandelions are everywhere, visibly present throughout most of the year. They make the ground healthy by restoring its mineral health to the depleted soil. Dandelion leaf is used for arthritis, gout, gastric headaches, edema, and skin ailments — plus it’s excellent for detoxification due to its action on the liver. The whole plant, especially the roots, is roasted and can be used as a coffee substitute. The high inulin content, especially during the fall season, makes dandelion root a good food source for beneficial gut bacteria.
6. Stinging Nettle Leaf Tea
If you’ve ever gone outside to gather stinging nettle leaves by mistake with your bare hands, you know it feels like you’re being attacked by a group of angry bees. Ouch! Despite it being painful to the touch, this underestimated plant is a powerhouse of benefits.
Stinging nettle is beneficial as a liver tonic and rejuvenator. It has supportive effects on circulation, the immune system, urinary tract, nervous system, respiratory tract, digestive tract, and endocrine system. Its high magnesium content may be the reason for nettle tea’s ability to reduce leg and menstrual cramps.
7. Turmeric Tea
Turmeric has been rising quickly in popularity worldwide, especially the golden milk drink. Curcumin is one of the main active constituents in turmeric that gives it its benefits. It is commonly combined with bromelain or black pepper for increased absorption and anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric has been long used in the Chinese and Indian medicine as an anticancer agent, protecting against a wide variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, toothaches, rheumatoid arthritis, sprains, and wounds.
8. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Red raspberry leaf tea has a long history in women’s health, particularly during pregnancy and labor to help prevent postpartum hemorrhage. Due to its drying effects of tannins, the leaves are used as a mouthwash in tonsillitis, diarrhea, skin conditions, abrasions, and urinary tract infections. Red raspberry leaf is high in nutrients, including B vitamins, calcium, and iron, which can help ward off all sorts of conditions.
9. Watermelon Juice
Watermelon is a natural source of most powerful antioxidants. Perhaps no other fruit is as crunchy, thirst-quenching and hydrating than watermelon. It provides a good serving of vitamin C and vitamin A, particularly through its concentration of beta-carotene. The beautiful red color is a source of a potent carotene antioxidant known as lycopene, which may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Surprisingly, watermelon contains a higher concentration of lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable is known.
10. Parsley Juice
Parsley is a fairly small Mediterranean herb that leaves a nice presentation on your plate. Drinking parsley juice can decrease the risk of cancers, such as breast, prostate and skin cancer. The high amount of flavonoids, known as apigenin, makes it a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory herb. Folate in parsley encourages cardiovascular health by reducing pro-inflammatory homocysteine, and parsley offers protection from an extensive selection of disorders, including asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer and more.