Let’s face it…
Yes, water is good for you and you should drink plenty of it.
But if you’re making strides towards eating healthier and transitioning from a lifestyle which includes drinking:
- soda pop
- powdered drink mixes
- fruit juices
- and any other flavored, sugary beverages
You want healthy drinks besides water.
Yeah, a glass of water can certainly hit the spot after a meal or snack. But when you want something sweet and tasty to wash your meal down with, that apple juice or soda you bought “for the kids” begins lookin’ mighty tasty sitting there in the fridge lookin’ all cold, crisp, and refreshing.
*tsk tsk tsk*
What to do, what to do?
Well, there are actually quite a few things you can drink that will satisfy your thirst for something with some ‘flava’ and that’s what I’m going to share with you today.
*NOTE: Before you get on my case for titling this “five healthy drinks…”, yet there are only four listed, it’s not my fault. The company that makes the fifth drink decided to discontinue the item, so I had to scrap it.
Four Healthy Drinks Other Than Water
Now, this list isn’t exhaustive. But these are things I have drank or currently drink, along with drinking water.
1. Infused water
These seem to be all the rage these days – infusing water with various fruit such as strawberries, orange slices, lemon slices, grapefruit slices, cucumbers, and even mint leaves, etc. and sipping on them.
Basically, you are simply slicing up fruit and adding it to a large pitcher or jar of (filtered) water; allowing it to sit for at least 2 hours and then drinking it whenever you’re thirsty.
They even have nifty water infusers available if you prefer your water with the FLAVOR of the fruit, but without all the particles etc from the fruit.
One of my personal favorites is water infused with cucumber & lemon slices and strawberries. Mmmm… very refreshing and delicious!
And not only is infused water a refreshing drink, but some recipes out there are also touted as being able to aid in slimming the tummy in one way or another.
But slimming or not, the added fruit can take the “blah” out of drinking water.
2. Lemonade
I LOVE lemonade! It’s probably one of my favorite beverages – tart with just the right amount of sweetness… Mmmm.
And it’s so easy to make! Just squeeze a few lemons (no, you don’t need a crap ton of ’em) I generally use about 3, add a (natural) sweetener of choice (I tend to use xylitol* or natural evaporated cane juice sugar) and add some water, a cup at a time and keep tasting it to make sure it doesn’t get too watery for your particular tastes.
You can even puree some strawberries and stir that in for strawberry-lemonade! You can also use blueberries, raspberries, or whatever you like.
And don’t be afraid to try it with limes! Some say limes are too bitter, but they also make a tasty, refreshing beverage when made into limeade!
*A word about xylitol: Xylitol is a sweetener that is said to be good for the teeth, and is a main ingredient in many dentist-recommended toothpastes and chewing gums.
When purchasing xylitol, if you have any aversions to corn, be sure to check what it is made from, as some are made from corn (typically non-GMO).
But some are also made from birch, such as the Xylitol I use. Xylitol can be used cup-for-cup in place of sugar and leaves no unpleasant aftertaste.
3. Master Cleanser Lemonade
Okay, some people (maybe even YOU) may think I’m weird for this, but I absolutely LOVE the Master Cleanser lemonade drink.
If you’re not familiar with The Master Cleanser, it’s a type of “detox/fast/cleanse” where you drink this lemon, water, grade B maple syrup, and cayenne pepper concoction ONLY, for 10 days, and it’s supposed to cleanse and detoxify you and many lose weight as a result.
I don’t endorse doing this solely for the purpose of weight loss, but I have attempted to do this as a cleanse. Ummm… did you catch the word, ATTEMPTED? Yeah, never made it beyond day three. 🙄
But the point is, I developed a fondness for the taste of the lemonade drink in fact, my husband and I BOTH love it!!
I’ve made it by the pitcher-full, adding enough maple syrup for it to actually be sweet and tasty, and enough lemon to make it more tart than the actual recipe for the cleanse calls for.
It can be a might costly to make on a regular basis, as the maple syrup isn’t all that cheap… but if you can find a natural food store in your area that sells it in BULK, you can typically get a previously-used bottle refilled for a fraction of the off-the-shelf price!
4. Herbal Iced Tea
I’m not much of an iced or sweet tea drinker. However, I know a lot of people love it, which is why I decided to include it in the list.
I would deem it safe to say that store-bought brands are probably not the healthiest of choices. I would assume to make it healthy, you’d probably need to make your own, using natural herbal tea and sweeteners other than refined white sugar, such as the ones previously-mentioned for making lemonade.
Don’t view these as water replacements
Think of the aforementioned suggestions as supplements to water, as drinking actual water is very important!
But for those in between times when you just want something a little more, refer back to this list!
