January 18, 2012 / Happy Dietitian

7 Healthy Drinks +Benefits

barley tea, Beauty, brown rice tea, Chrysanthemum tea, cucumber water, Food, Green Tea, Health, health benefits, lemon water, Nutrition, Tea, tips

I’ve listed 7 beverages that can replace sugary drinks you consume on a regular basis. Some of these are well known and some are new, what they all have in common is that they’re good for you. So drink up!

1) Coffee.

Benefit: Some studies have shown that drinking coffee may lower your chances of being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, and Certain Cancers because of their high antioxidant content.

Tip: Adding one pack of regular white sugar will add 15 calories to your coffee. Adding a pack of sugar in the raw will add 19 calories to your coffee. Most people add 3 packs which equals to 45 calories from regular white sugar and 57 calories from sugar in the raw. Also, pouring a little cream into your coffee will add another 46 calories. Is it really worth it? Try using just one pack of sugar and substitute cream with soy milk or skim milk (you can wean yourself off cream slowly by using half whole milk and half skim milk).

2) Barley Tea.

Benefits: May improve blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, protect against certain cancers, cleanses the body of toxins, facilitates proper digestion, and relieves early symptoms of colds. Also high in antioxidants.

Tip: Barley Tea can be found in most Korean and Chinese Supermarkets. One pouch can make a gallon of tea. Boil a pot of water and add in one pouch, let seep until the tea is brown.

Barley Tea

Barley Tea Bag

Barley

3) Chrysanthemum Tea.

Benefits: High in beta-carotene, a good source of vitamin B (choline, folic acid, niacin and riboflavin), vitamin C , calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. May help with acne, toothache, throbbing nerves, ease head congestion, lowers body temperature (fever or heat stroke), detoxifies the body, provide relief in sore throat, redness in eyes, itchiness in eyes, dryness in eyes, dark spot in eye area and eases digestion. Naturally caffeine free so no side effects (anxiety, tension, irritation, nervousness).

Tip: Buy the dried flowers at Chinese supermarkets or Chinese herbal medicine shops. Always place the flowers in a tea bag pouch because the flowers can tickle your throat. Very uncomfortable. A pouch with 5 flowers can yield about 5 cups of tea. Must use HOT water to break down the flowers. If you’d like, let cool and drink cold. It tastes delicious either way. A drizzle of honey will make it super yummy!

Chrysanthemum Tea

Chrysanthemum Flowers

Chrysanthemum Tea Pouch

A close up of the tea pouch in hot water

Tea Pouch.

4) Brown Rice Tea.

Benefits: Contains flavonoids and trace minerals and vitamins. Brown rice tea are rich in polyphenols which may lower cancer risk. A good source of selenium, which helps maintain thyroid function and regulates hormones and metabolism. Also abundant in manganese, which maintains healthy nerve functions, stabilizes blood sugar levels and aids the body in synthesizing cholesterol and essential fatty acids.

Tip: You can purchase Brown Rice Tea from Korean supermarkets.

5) Green Tea.

Benefits: High in flavonoids such as catechins which are more powerful than Vitamin C and E for its antioxidant properties. Green tea may reduce risk of certain cancers-skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder.

Green Tea

6) Lemon Water/Tea.

Benefits: Good for digestion, nausea, heartburn, decrease phlegm, good for skin, cures throat infections, blood purifier and used as cleansing agent (detoxifies).

Weight loss: Many people go on “lemon water detox diets” to lose weight. What you’re basically doing is consuming less calories because you’re replacing your usual meals with a ~60 calorie concoction. For the short term, you will lose weight because you’re basically starving yourself. In the long term however, your body goes into survival mode, metabolism slows down and all the calories ingested will now be stored as fat. You will also start losing muscle, and even if you see significant short-term weight loss, you will rapidly gain it all back as soon as you get off the diet! The results of this detox diet will be some weight loss, saggy wrinkled skin, dark circles under your eyes, and extreme lack of energy. Why not incorporate a zero calorie drink into your daily life by replacing sugary beverages like soda and juices with any of the suggested drinks. You will shed the pounds gradually-the healthy way and reap the many benefits of these yummy drinks.

Lemon Water

7) Cucumber Water.

Benefits: Contains small amounts of vitamins C, vitamin A, iron, calcium, vitamin K, and potassium depending on how much cucumber you use. A very low calorie refreshing beverage!