Drinking enough water during the day — about half your body weight, in ounces — is one of the easiest and best ways to help control hunger during your weight loss journey. But if you’re not in the habit of drinking enough water, you might find yourself struggling to meet your daily agua intake goals. Not to worry. Here are six healthy drink alternatives to plain old water, along with ideas for making every sip a little more flavorful.
6 Healthy Drinks for Weight Loss
1. Get some sparkle
Whether you’re drinking mineral water, club soda or diet tonic water, bubbles make everything more fun! All three are sugar- and calorie-free, but club soda and diet tonic water both have sodium (typically between 50mg and 105mg), so it’s best not to make either of these a replacement for all of your daily fluids. Add some fresh fruit or sliced cucumber and pour your drink over ice to make it feel more like a treat!
2. Drink your veggies
One serving of low-sodium vegetable juice usually contains around the equivalent of one cup of vegetables, including 80% of the recommended daily Vitamin C intake1 and almost 500mg of potassium!2 All good stuff, and clocking in at around 50 calories per serving, it’s a wonderful way to curb hunger between meals. Mixing healthy leafy greens into your smoothie is another way to get your days' worth of vegetables.
Looking for a healthy juice recipe? Check out our Green Goddess Smoothie for a nutritious and delicious way to enjoy more greens!
3. Take a coffee break
Coffee certainly has its detractors, but as long as you’re staying away from frozen gourmet coffee beverages that pack extra calories and sugar, there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional cup of joe. If you like your coffee light and sweet, try to use a no-calorie sweetener and fat-free milk to prevent unwanted weight gain. And be aware that lack of sleep can disrupt your weight loss — so try opting for decaf beverages in the afternoon.
Need another reason to enjoy a cup of coffee? Here are 6 health benefits you can get from drinking coffee.
4. Tea time
With less caffeine than coffee and varieties to suit every palate, tea is already a great addition to your daily fluid intake. What's more, studies suggest that the unique antioxidant compounds present in most kinds of tea, such as green tea and some herbal teas carry with them a wide array of potential health benefits, too — including the potential to lower “bad” cholesterol in conjunction with a healthy diet3and the potential to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.4
Pro tip: steep your tea for even longer (more than 2-3 minutes) for more potential health benefits like improved digestion.5
5. Enjoy these sparingly
Craving a stronger burst of flavor? Try a diet soda, a sugar-free drink mix or one of the new “liquid water enhancer” products. Fair warning, though — many of these products contain sodium, and are sweetened with sucralose or similar artificial sweeteners that can be up to 600 times sweeter than sugar. While they may not have calories, regular consumption of these types of beverages can condition your taste buds to crave their concentrated sweetness … so over time, you might come to find other sweeteners (or real sugar) less satisfying.
6. Hype up your H20
Who says your water has to be plain? Whether you’re drinking it still or sparkling, it’s easy to put a “mocktail” spin on your water. Fill a large pitcher with ice and water, toss in a few key ingredients, and let it steep in the fridge overnight for interesting sips throughout the next day. Here are just a few tasty, nutrient-rich ideas for you to try: cucumber and crushed mint leaves, lemon and chopped basil, and slices of mixed citrus. Cheers!
Sources:
[2] https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/342525/nutrients
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14519829
[4] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/tea-a-cup-of-good-health
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848091/
Drinking enough water, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are all great ways to work toward your weight loss goals. Need help getting started? Get a free weight loss analysis and personalized weight loss plan today!
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