Healthy Live Everyday

Health drinks have become a popular trend in achieving a healthy body. However, commercial health drinks that are available in the market today can be expensive than the usual drinks. Since they are specially formulated to contain vitamins and minerals, the manufacturers charge higher for their health drinks.

If you are one of those who are into healthy drinks but do not want to shift into the natural ones, you can try the following alternatives to the commercial drinks out there:

1. Purple grape juices. This type of juice is ideal as a health drink because it is rich in antioxidants, which are good for the heart. Experts say that this is an ideal health drink for all ages because it is not only a good source of anti-oxidants but of vitamin C as well.

2. Cranberry juice. Doctors usually recommend this health drink for those who experience gall bladder problems. But, ordinary people can drink it to protect themselves from having bladder infections that are recurrent. It is also a good source of your daily dose of Vitamin C.

3. Vegetable juices. If you don’t have time to prepare natural veggie juices on your blender, it is best to grab a carton of vegetable juice in the market. Vegetable juices can be considered as a great health drink especially to those who are into salty foods such as chips because it contains natural properties that can wash away too much salt in the body that leads to weight gain.

4. Soy milks. For milkshake lovers, soy milks are the perfect health drink for you. Today, there are so many ready-to-drink soy milks in almost all health stores and grocery stores nearby. Aside from the plain milk flavor, soy milks also come with other variations such as chocolate and other fruit flavors. Chocolate-flavored soy milks are perfect for young and old chocolate lovers because it comes with a natural chocolate taste less the fat and other unhealthy ingredients. Fruit-flavored soy milks are also perfect health drinks because these are rich in protein and calcium and can satisfy the craving of people who are not used to plain drinks.

5. Pomegranate juices. Pomegranate as a fruit is known to bring lots of healthy benefits to people once eaten. If made into a juice, this can be as healthy as eating the fruit itself. When buying pomegranate juices, make sure that these are 100 percent natural and with lesser additives as possible to ensure that you are getting the DHA, and Omega 3 that can help better brain function as well a antioxidants which is great for the cardiovascualr system.

6. Plum or prune juices. The common notion about prune juices is that it is for older people. To shake off that impression, many manufacturers have renamed their products as “plum juice” which is also derived from the same family of the fruit. Plum or prune juices are great health drinks because it can help you veer away from various digestive problems such as constipation because it is loaded with fiber. Other variations include certain herbs such as chamomile or ginger to make it better tasting and healthier.

These are just some of the existing drinks that you can use as an alternative to your commercial health drink. These may not contain all the vitamins and nutrients that you are getting from your current product but rest assured that these will help you achieve your goal of having a healthier body eventually.

A few years ago, there were studies saying that coffee can be associated with cancer. This prompted people to avoid drinking the caffeinated drink. A few years after that study, researches have recounted the research quoting that the research is flawed. Current research have showed that coffee can give the body a lot of benefits.

Harvard researchers are saying that coffee, when drank regularly, can be a cure for diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and colon cancer. It could even improve your mood and treat daily headache problems. It could even be drank to lower risk of cavities.

Research shows that regular coffee drinkers are 80 percent less likely to have Parkinson’s disease. While 2-cups-a-day drinkers can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25 percent and 80 percent in liver cirrhosis risk. It can even slash the risk of gallstones by half. There are even studies showing that people who smoke and drink heavily, have less heart and liver damage because of their coffee intake.

So, what causes these benefits? It is the anti-oxidants, and surprisingly from the caffeine also. Currently, drugs for curing Parkinson’s disease are being developed. These drugs have a derivative of caffeine as their component. Coffee also has chlorogenic acid and tocophenols which are antioxidants. These mineral components can improve insulin sensitivity. When we talk about insulin sensitivity, it is the body’s response to insulin.

There were studies conducted in Europe citing that the trigonelline, the compound which is why coffee smells good and has bitter taste, also has benefits. It can be both antibacterial and anti-adhesive. These prevent the formation of dental cavities.

But can everybody drink coffee?

Unfortunately, not everybody can drink coffee. People with bladder and kidney problems, existing diabetes, gallstones, heart problems, high cholesterol levels, hypoglycemia and generalized panic and /or anxiety attacks should avoid drinking coffee altogether. Avoiding drinking coffee is also advised to pregnant women and those with high risk of osteoporosis.

For pregnant women, if coffee cannot be avoided, then it is recommended just to drink one to two cups a day. Infertility, miscarriages and low birth weight among babies are the primary reason why pregnant women are recommended against drinking coffee.

Excessive caffeine intake can also lead to nervousness, anxiety and rapid heartbeat. The caffeine overstimulates the nervous system, making the adrenal glands work overboard. Osteoporosis patients are also advised against coffee. Coffee reduces the capability of bones to absorb the necessary minerals, making the bones weak and in risk of osteoporosis. But the effects can be reduced if milk is mixed with coffee.

For some people, coffee can also be addictive. People who have stopped drinking coffee experience withdrawal symptoms. They would get headaches, less energy and alertness, difficulty in being focused, get irritated easily and sometimes even get depressed.

Over caffeine consumption can also have an impact on your skin, since it increases the risk of developing stretch marks. Caffeine may also play a role in weight gain. Although, it is mentioned that coffee drinkers may lose weight in the short-term, but in a longer period of time, coffee can lead to weight gain.

Coffee both has good and bad effects. Similar to other beverages and food, once it is taken in big amounts, then it is likely that they may have undesirable effects to your body. Whether coffee can be considered as a health drink, it is up to you to make the choice.

How can Natural Health Drinks Help you Save Some Money?

Since people are more conscious about the overall health than before, more and more products have emerged in the market. Aside from healthy food alternatives, one of the most consumed products that are believed to aid wellness are health drinks.

Experts say that a person’s body is required to consume at least 60 ounces of liquid every day. This amount is ideal for the body—as well as its organs—to function at their best. Although commercial health drinks are specially made to provide the vitamins and minerals that the body needs, drinking these regularly can be hard to achieve since these are expensive. In the market today, a bottle of a commercial health drink can cost you around $10 to $20 depending on the brand and the nutrients it contains.

For those who want to stay healthy by drinking healthy fluids, they don’t need to spend so much on commercial health drinks. The following are just some commercial health drink alternatives that are budget-friendly.

1. Coconut water. In tropical countries, coconut water is the most abundant drink. But if you are living elsewhere, this can be available in plastic bottles or specially made cartons. Coconut water is one of the cheapest alternatives to commercial health drinks because it contains pure properties that can help aid certain diseases, can help lose weight, can rejuvenate the body’s cells while easily replacing lost nutrients when a person sweats.

2. Filtered water. Instead of drinking tap water that may contain harmful contaminants or drinking water from plastic bottles which are proven to contain “Bisphenol-A” or BPA and “polychlorinated biphenyls” or PCBs that are equally harmful to the body, you can buy a good quality carbon-based filter which you can use at home or in your office. Filtered water is proven to be healthy because it contains minerals that the body needs to function well.

For those who are not used to drinking plain filtered water, they can enhance the flavor of the water using crushed herbs such as basil or mint with honey or give it a citrus punch using ripened peels of oranges and lemons which are packed with healthy compounds that do not only detoxify the liver but lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well.

3. Switch to tea. Next to water, tea is known to be the most common beverage that is consumed by people in all places. This is because tea—which can either be black, oolong, white or green—is rich in anti-oxidant that can bring many health benefits to people. Compared to coffee, which is more expensive, tea is cheaper and has lesser caffeine content.

Herbal teas—which are the result of the infusion of certain herbs to teas—can also be good alternatives to sodas, which contain excessive amounts of unhealthy sugar. Experts say that teas are a good alternative to health drinks that have bubbles because unlike these, teas do not contain phosphoric acid that is the major cause why bone mass diminishes, leading to greater risk in having osteoporosis.

4. Vegetable extracts and fresh fruit juices. There is no denying the effectiveness of vegetables and fruits in boosting a person’s overall health. For those who cannot spend so much money on commercial health drinks, the best alternative would be fresh vegetable and fruit juices. Using a blender, one can create an instant health drink from a wide source of cheap vegetables and fruits available.

Processed drinks are not as good as those you make yourself because when you buy them from the store, some of the vitamins and nutrients are lost in the production process. This is why you should only consume a health drink that has been freshly made.

You can make your own health drink by blending either fruits or vegetables. Once you have all the ingredients which include the fruit or the vegetable, water, salt, sugar, water and crush ice, you can already blend it using the blender.

Don’t remove the pulp because it also contains essential vitamins and minerals. Since this is best served cold, add some more crushed ice.

These essential vitamins and minerals that we stress happen to be partners with enzymes and co-enzymes. Without it, we cannot carry out our work and live because this is needed by the body to absorb, convert and digest the food and drinks we consume to give us energy.

When making a health drink with either fruits or vegetables, remember that this should be raw. While some of these can be blended with the seeds still present, you better remove the seeds from orange or grapefruit since it has a bitter after taste.

If you happen to make a health drink that is not organically grown, you better peel off the upper layers because there may still be chemical residue there even if you have washed it in water. In the case of organically grown products, you still have to remove the outer skin of some which include those found in the grapefruit, kiwis, papaya, pineapple and orange.

You should also only make a health drink with fruits that are ripe. You can distinguish a product that is ripe from those that are not by examining the leaves or the sides. If you can’t tell the difference, you will end up drinking something that is not healthful and tasty.

Naturally, you can force the fruit or the vegetable down the mouth of your blender. You have to cut this into small pieces so everything will fit inside including the other ingredients you will be using. Don’t forget to also close the blender by putting the lid on top otherwise the contents inside will come out.

Now turn on the blender and then hold it for a few seconds until everything inside is mixed together. When it is ready, get a glass and then serve.

One thing you should remember about any health drink is that once you make it, you better finish it because the taste will be different after a day. This means only finish what you can consume so you avoid wastage. If you made too much, offer this to someone else who many also want to try it.

The process of making a health drink is not that different if you want to make juice, shake or a smoothie. You just have to prepare the ingredients and if ever what you made is too thick, just add water to make it more fluid.

A lot of people will agree that a health drink is the next best thing to food that you will otherwise consume. You don’t have to cook it since the blender will do all the work without losing any vitamins and minerals which happens when you put this in the frying pan.