Drink Mostly Water

Let’s face it. We drink a lot of stuff we really shouldn’t be drinking.

There are thousands of different kinds of beverages to choose from. Caffeinated beverages, alcoholic beverages, fruity drinks, some made with real fruit, some artificially flavored and artificially sweetened. Drinks come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The more colorful and sugar laden they are the more we tend to buy them.

Very, very few of these beverages will do any good for you, and most of them will actually do you a lot of harm.

Take regular old soda pop for instance…

– Drinking soft drinks has been shown to increase obesity in numerous studies.

– Drinking one soft drink a day has shown to double your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

– Even calorie free soft drinks (using artificial sweeteners) have been shown to increase weight gain because it tricks your brain into thinking it received calories when it didn’t, which causes you to crave more later.

*Source – Harvard School Of Public Health

Now what about coffee?

– Overall, coffee has more benefits than risks associated with its consumption. Mostly because of it’s antioxidant content it has been shown to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

– However, coffee should be consumed in moderation because it has been shown to contribute to iron deficiencies, migraines, and sleep disturbances.

*Source – Wikipedia

How about alcohol? (Beer, Wine, Liquor, Over the Counter Medicine, etc)

– One in 25 deaths around the world is caused by alcohol consumption. *Source – Time Health

– It is well known that excessive alcohol consumption causes everything from cancer to liver disease to premature death from injury. It is wise to limit your consumption.

– Red wine has been known to be heart healthy because of the antioxidants found in it, but studies are not entirely conclusive and alcohol consumption may be a bigger risk than the benefit from the antioxidants.

*Source – Mayo Clinic

What about any drinks with calories? (Fruit Juices, Flavored Drinks, etc.)

– Guess what? Anything with calories mostly in the form of sugar is going to lead to diabetes, obesity, and weight gain. (Same as mentioned above with soda pop)

– The benefits from any antioxidants, vitamins, or minerals found in these beverages DOES NOT outweigh the risks of increased sugar consumption.

Lastly, what about tea?

– “Studies have found that some teas may help with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; encourage weight loss; lower cholesterol; and bring about mental alertness. Tea also appears to have antimicrobial qualities.”

*Source – Web MD

– I believe tea is great to drink because it has many benefits and literally no downsides.

And finally we come to good old water. And before I advocate water outright, I must mention a few things.

– Tap water has chlorine in it and some other things you possibly don’t want to be drinking. Solution? Buy a good water filter. I prefer the Brita brand, but it is worth it to do some research here into your needs. Perhaps you might want to invest in an “in-line” filter that filters all your tap water.

– To help you drink more water during the day, and less of other drinks, it is good to invest in a good water bottle that you can carry around. Again, it is worth doing research here, but I would recommend a good Nalgene brand bottle.

– This may seem rather random, but remember that whole fruits and vegetables have a high water content to them. We get approximately 20% of our daily water requirements from the foods we eat. All the more reason to eat your vegetables! 😉

This is our 1st challenge in The Personal Health Challenge Series…