Hands down, the best thing you can possibly do for your body is drink water! According to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Geological Survey, “Up to 60% of the human body is water, the brain is composed of 70% water, and the lungs are nearly 90% water. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water by weight, as is the brain; body fat contains 10% water and bone has 22% water. About 83% of our blood is water, which helps digest our food, transport waste, and control body temperature. Each day humans must replace 2.4 litres of water, some through drinking and the rest taken by the body from the foods eaten.”
Water is more important than many of us realize. I see so many of my fellow peers living off of Diet Coke and coffee and insist that those drinks are “good enough.” Although these drinks are nice to enjoy on occasion, water is still an absolute must!
When it comes to those times when we want to treat ourselves to a beverage aside from water (which in my opinion is completely underrated and deserves its own commercial with dancing penguins and flamingos like other drinks have) there are some options that are far better than others.
Drink Coke, not Diet Coke
Many of you are likely shocked and appalled by this suggestion, but I will explain my reasoning. Yes, a regular coke contains 143 calories and a diet coke contains only one calorie, however, if you look at the ingredients of these bubbly beverages, you will notice that aspartame gives Diet Coke its sweet flavor while regular Coke uses real sugar. Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, but is not good for the human body. Some side effects of aspartame include headaches, dizziness, mood changes, skin reactions, or weight gain. Weight gain?! How is that possible? Well, when the body is given something low calorie that tastes high calorie, it often begins to crave more food, which stimulates hunger. Stick with regular Coke whenever possible, or aim to reduce your Diet Coke consumption.
Drink Tea, not Coffee
Tea is a better option for so many reasons! First of all, tea will not stain your teeth unlike coffee that will. Secondly, coffee requires the addition of more milk and sugar than tea does. Thirdly, tea has less caffeine than coffee. Lastly, many studies have found that tea acts as a stress reliever because it contains tannins and catechins, which some studies have linked to cancer and heart disease prevention. Tea also lowers blood pressure. Personally, tea helps me feel calm, while coffee makes me a little jittery.
Drink Red Wine, not Beer
Multiple studies support a link between moderate red wine consumption (about 1 or 2 glasses a day) with improving health and extending life expectancy. Other studies found that “wine drinkers were younger, wealthier, less likely to smoke, and more physically fit than their beer or liquor-swigging counterparts” (MensHealth.com). I do not know about you, but I plan to stick with wine!