Depending on how you define the word healthy, you would want a drink that not only quench your thirst, but also deliver lots of nutritional benefits to the body. This basically means being selective on what to drink and what to avoid. When health is all you got and taking care of it is more than a necessity, turn to any or all of the below healthy drinks recipes.
Blackberry-mango shake
The vitamins, fiber, and protein in a blackberry-mango shake are enough to jumpstart your day while replenishing all the essential nutrients in the body. Blackberries are known for their rich potassium, calcium, vitamin B and magnesium content. Mangoes are the unsung heroes that are rich in vitamin C, pectin and fiber. They rejuvenate your pores and gives a glow to your skin. Feel free to incorporate this drink to your dietary schedule- any time of the day; either for breakfast, dinner or as an after workout shake.
Raspberry Lemonade
When it comes to coloring your world with health drinks, nothing sounds better than a lemonade concentrate added to pureed raspberries. The latter is rich in Vitamin C and has some cancer-fighting antioxidants. To take this recipe to the next level, toss a few mint sprigs and enjoy the advanced antioxidant flavor.
Spiced fruit tea
This is a fruity beverage you can take at any time of the day. If you want some caffeine, you can go with black tea infused with spicy cinnamon flavor. For the caffeine-intolerant, choose fruit juice with either ginger or cinnamon mint. Fruit tea is packed with assorted minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin C. More often, fruit tea is regarded as a rather recent custom popular with people who prefer less caffeine content. These drinks also provide fresh and revitalizing cocktails and can be served either cold or hot.
Blended juice and smoothie
Owning a blender in your home is more of a lifetime investment. With a blender, your options are unlimited. Think of some thick milk-banana shake, green smoothie or avocado margaritas and you’ll have them all. When coming up with a blended recipe, make sure to observe the blending rules. As a general rule of thumb, your blender will love it if you put liquid first and run it from the slow speeds before switching to the high-powered options. Again, you can choose to make some ice cream and come up with your own crazy flavors. If you decide to make cocktails, pick those fruits with less fiber to avoid having to sieve your juice every now and then.
The benefits of blended juice and smoothies lie in the fact that you put together hundreds of healthy calories, vitamins, and minerals into one custom drink. Green smoothie, for example, can have vegetables, avocado and different fruits packed into one tasty drink. Again, preparing them is an easy task. You don’t need any preservatives or additives- you take them there and then.
Cold-pressed juice
As one of the most preferred healthy drinks in the market, cold-pressed juice comes preserved with all the nutrients found in raw fruits and vegetables. Here, no heat is involved, hence juice pressers have won the hearts of many health and lifestyle enthusiasts.
According to Goodnature, juice pressing is a rapidly growing culture, thanks to the high demand for pure hydraulic-pressed juice. Nowadays, there are highly-efficient juicers capable of producing up to a thousand bottles of juice per day. This alone is an indication that industrial quality and convenience have been factored in their design.
Green tea with mint
Green tea is a popular antioxidant that adds instant health benefits to your body. What this does in the body is, fight free radicals linked to chronic conditions such as stroke and heart disease. As an added advantage, green tea will keep your body weight in check via the enhanced fat-burning ingredients. To make things even more interesting, you can choose the minted types for added flavor. The peppermint types, for example, have additional medicinal properties such as calming effects. Methanol, found in mint plant varieties comes with an irresistible aroma and minty taste.
Going healthy often means being knowledgeable and intentional of what you’re taking into the body. More often, your current health determines your lifestyle goals; i.e. food and drinks. If you’re looking forward to losing weight, you’ll go for the less-sugary drinks and if you want to gain weight, protein-rich smoothies will do you great. If you’re undecided, on the other hand, that means maybe you’re okay with any type of drink; your imagination is the limit. Just make sure your health isn’t compromised in the process.