Of course, staying hydrated is a must. However, it’s super easy to forget how much of an impact certain drinks can have on your health.
Summer is here and to ensure your healthy eating habits don’t go to waste, you’ll want to avoid the following beverages on this list.
Carbonated Beverages
I get it, I loved drinking a cold ginger ale. I could drink it all day every day. But the problem is most carbonated drinks contain high fructose corn syrup and chemicals that can disrupt health. The diet versions are even worse. The companies that make those artificial flavorings and sweeteners don’t want us to know about the long-term effects on our bodies, they want us to continue believing diet drinks are better and keep consuming them despite the damage they cause.
Check out this video to learn more about the toxicity of carbonated beverages:
Milkshakes and Slushies
Milkshakes and slushies are no good for you, either. I can honestly admit that the Arby’s Orange Cream milkshake on a hot summer day during their “Happy Hour” truly challenges my resolve. That whipped cream topped confection is one of the best I’ve ever tasted, yet is probably the worst thing for my health. Of course, it contains either too much sugar or high fructose corn syrup, but the milk it’s made from is no good either. The claim that milk contains calcium and is, therefore, good for your health is not exactly the truth. People were not designed to drink cow’s milk – that’s probably the reason why many people are lactose intolerant.
Milk is for baby cows. It’s meant to fatten and grow them up quickly so that they can be better protected from predators. When we drink milk, it tries to do the same thing to our bodies, but we don’t exactly need any help fattening up. There are also other risk factors that come from drinking cows bred in the US. Cows raised in the US typically eat corn – one of the most common genetically modified foods.
Also, they are from a breed of cow that produces a protein, called casein A-1, that can cause cancer. Check out this information from The Plant Paradox: “During digestion, casein A-1 is turned into a lectin-like protein called beta-casomorphin. This protein attaches to the pancreas’s insulin-producing cells, known as beta cells, which prompts an immune attack on the pancreas of people who consume milk from these cows or cheeses made from it.” European cow breeds produce A-2, a less harmful protein. Gundry also suggests using goat or sheep milk products, instead (Gundry, 2017, p. 32).
Fruit Juice and Fruit Smoothies
These beverages are tricky because they present themselves as healthy alternatives. Unfortunately, most “so-called” fruit juices or smoothies that you find on the shelf of grocery stores don’t contain 100% fruit juice. They are a mixture of artificial flavorings and sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
The juices that are real juice that can be found in the refrigerated or “healthy” sections of the store may not contain any added sugar, but the natural sugars can still kick your body into fat storage mode. Fruit tells your body that it is summer and that it’s time to pack on the pounds to ensure winter survival. So, if you’re eating fruit and drinking fruit juices year round, you’re setting your body up to stay in fat storage mode year round. (Gundry, 2017, p. 170-171).
Aside from water, what else can you drink?
In addition to water, of course, coffee and tea are still good choices, but only if you don’t add sugar. Instead, use stevia or small amounts of organic raw honey. Avoid artificial sweeteners or creamers that contain these. Try unsweetened coconut or almond milk. You can also try adding whipped organic heavy whipping cream to your coffee.