Thirsty Thursday

Sometimes I get asked "what should I drink?" People who, like me, are trying to be healthier and cut down on sugar wonder what on earth there is to drink.  I can sympathize because nearly every commercially made beverage is loaded with sugar. Soft drinks especially so. And since artificial sweeteners are even worse than sugar, going the “diet” route is not an option. But even drinks like Vitamin Water, which is a great marketing gimmick, has a fair amount of sugar: 13 grams in a 250 mL serving, which is less than your average store- bought beverage but still too much.

On a typical day, here is what I drink: 2 glasses of water on rising, a smoothie, organic black and green tea blend or other teas (cinnamon spice herbal tea made from rooibos, green, rooibos, or kombucha green tea), coconut water with no sugar added (Blue Monkey is my favourite brand), and water (sometimes at room temperature, sometimes cold).

I also love Kombucha fermented, sparkling living tea. Kombucha comes in various flavours such as mint chlorophyll, ginger, and hibiscus rosehips. The Rise brand that I buy is organic and it’s made in Quebec. It is refreshing and tasty but it may take some getting used to. This ancient fermented tea enhances vitality, aids digestion and detoxifies the body. You pay a little more, but it is worth the price!

That is about all I drink on a regular basis. Sometimes I mix Kiju organic grape and apple juice with my energy powder before a workout. It adds flavour and gives me an extra boost of carbohydrate. Kiju juice is 100% juice from concentrate. It contains 24 grams of sugar in one cup. Other than the occasional Kiju, I rarely drink juice unless I juice it myself.

One other juice I have from time to time is vegetable juice such as a V8. V8 vegetable juice is 100% vegetables and is available in low sodium for those concerned with sodium intake. Of course, you can also make your own vegetable juice if you have a good blender.

After a workout, I sometimes have a protein drink. Bolthouse Farms makes a nutritious line of drinks. However, always read the label before buying: some of the fruit smoothies are high in sugar and calories. I buy the Protein Plus chocolate. It has 16 grams of protein and 21 vitamins and minerals but it also has 240 calories and 26 grams of sugar in a 250 mL serving! Most varieties of chocolate milk have less protein and less sugar than the protein drinks. Remember 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein is optimal after a hard workout. So you would need more carbohydrate in addition to one of these protein drinks. These ready-made options are okay now and then for convenience but the sugar content and the type of protein being utilized is not recommended for regular use. For long-term health, it is always optimal to make your own recovery drink using high quality protein and whole food carbohydrate sources.

Odwalla is another brand of juice that is healthy. The juice is not from concentrate and there is no sugar added. It is pure juice. Beware of the protein smoothies however. They are made from soy milk and isolated soy protein. Boldhouse protein drinks also contain soy protein isolate. I recommend avoiding all products that contain soy.

There you have it. The juice and beverage industry does not make choosing a healthy drink an easy decision but there are some options. Of course, most of these are not available at your neighbourhood convenience store. If you are on the go, take some filtered tap water in a reusable bottle with you when you leave the house and avoid this problem entirely.