What Can I Drink Besides Water?

Clients are always asking me that question, particularly after I take away their diet soda and coffee! (one cup of coffee a day, okay. More than that, not a good idea.)  Fortunately, there are plenty of options that make healthy and refreshing summer time drinks. Here are ten of my favorites.

1. Iced Tea Brew a pot of herbal or green tea, double strength, and then pour it over ice for an instant cool-down.  If you want it sweetened, add stevia* or xylitol* while it is still hot.
2. Jazzy Seltzer There are lots of great tasting flavored seltzers, from raspberry to white chocolate.  Just avoid anything with artificial sweeteners.
3. Lemonade! My kids loved making fresh lemonade when they were little.  You can find a perfectly good citrus press for just a few dollars. Then all you need is some lemons (preferably organic), some water and some xylitol or stevia to sweeten.
4. Pick Your Own Blend This time of year, I love to harvest my tea from my garden and my evening walk: red clover, different mints, lemon balm, nettle or dandelion leaves – all tasty and nutritious.
5. Cool Down Tea Mix red clover and a few leaves of sage for a very pretty and cooling brew.  (Especially recommended for menopausal women.)
6. Kombucha I’m a big Kombucha fan. Please don’t be misled by the recent hoopla, which was more about commerce than health. Kombucha is a great tonic and is so easy and inexpensive to brew at home.  If you’re a fan like me, you’ll want to invest in a home brewing system, rather than paying $4 a bottle.  Read more about Kombucha here.
7. Electrolytes In this heat, I see many clients’ hydration going down, down, down.  That can make you feel sluggish, and has a huge impact on your metabolism as well.  Electrolytes can help, but please don’t drink those sugary/corn syrupy artificially colored and flavored drinks.  I have several formulas that are all natural and sugar free. Electrolyte Synergy comes in convenient packs that you can carry and use as needed.  I also have an unflavored concentrated liquid that you can add to anything you’re drinking.
8. Vitamin C C+BioFizz is a citrus flavored powder that you can add to water or seltzer. A full serving has over 2.5 grams of vitamin C and a good dose of bioflavanoids as well.  Kids love this!
9. “Milk Shake” Mix some unsweetened almond or coconut milk, stevia or xylitol, and some fresh local strawberries, blueberries, a peach – use your imagination!  Add some crushed ice and blend.
10. “Egg Cream” Did you drink these when you were young, or was that just a NY phenomenon?  My updated healthy version: half seltzer, half unsweetened coconut or almond milk, some vanilla extract, and some stevia or xylitol.

Now with all those options, you never have to feel bored. Or thirsty!
Notes

*Xylitol, also known as birch sugar, has many therapeutic benefits. You can read more about it here. Please be aware that as xylitol has gotten more popular, many brands have appeared that are cheaper but not as healthy.  These are generally made from corn husks, and have additives and fillers.  I find that the one I use, which is still made from birch, is better tolerated and tastes much better as well.  It does not feed intestinal yeast, and does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels.

*Stevia, too, has become much more popular and available. That’s great, but unfortunately a lot of the products are not.  Because stevia is so much sweeter than sugar, it is often mixed with other ingredients, both to dilute the sweetness and to fill the package.  This not only makes it less healthy, it makes it less tasty, and is why people often complain of an aftertaste  I recommend 100% pure stevia mixed in a glycerine or water base.
*You can drink all day and still be under-hydrated.  Just as with other nutrients (Calcium, for instance), it’s not what goes in your mouth that counts, but what your body can absorb and utilize. Many people drink water all day long, but it never gets into their cells, and so their hydration never goes up.  This generally has to do with insulin resistance and other chronic health issues.  Along with making nutritional changes to address this, I recommend two products to add to water that help get it into your cells more effectively.  Please let me know if you think this might be helpful for you.

You can pick up products in my office, or order most of the ones mentioned from Moss Nutrition, either by phone (800-851-5444) or online.  Just let them know you are my client, as they do not sell directly to consumers.

4 Responses to “What Can I Drink Besides Water?”

1. Kim Sumner-Mayer says:

   July 29, 2010 at 11:08 am

   So that explains why, when I made lemonade with stevia, it had a funky, bitter aftertaste–it’s not a pure stevia that I used. Yesterday i made it w/ xylitol and it was delicious.
2. fransussman says:

   July 29, 2010 at 11:28 am

   exactly! glad you enjoyed the 2nd batch, Kim.
3. Christina says:

   July 30, 2010 at 9:05 am

   This is an awesome article! My mom loves diet soda and I’ve been trying to get her to drink different things for years. She hates water. I’m going to buy her xylitol and see if she likes that.

   By the way, do you have any idea what would make a 53 year old woman have sporadic blood pressure spikes? She’s been tested for everything, from her heart to her kidneys, and they can’t find anything wrong with her. But her blood pressure will go from 110/80 to 140/110 out of no where. She has a hard time taking blood pressure medication, because when her blood pressure is normal, the medication drops it too low and she gets dizzy.

   Thanks =)
4. fransussman says:

   July 30, 2010 at 10:08 am

   Thanks Christina! Make sure you get xylitol from birch, rather than corn husks. It makes a really big difference. As for the blood pressure spikes, I could speculate on possibilities, but I’m successful at what I do because I don’t do that: I take a thorough history and work with the individual circumstances. We’re a very complex system. Designed for healing, but each of us uniquely.