Drink up: The healthiest beverages for summer

It's summer, it's hot, and you're drinking more—or, at least, you should be. But before you reach for that Diet Coke, consider this: your beverage choices can mean the difference between a so-so and a super-healthy diet. Chosen poorly, beverages are a vehicle for excess calories, sugar or fake sugar, artificial flavors and colors, even harmful parasites. Chosen carefully, beverages can be an important part of any meal plan. Read on for the healthiest ways to quench your thirst.

Juicy details
Did you have your recommended five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables today? Probably not. It's hard to squeeze that many oranges and carrots into a busy schedule. The next best alternative: fresh, unpasteurized juice. Juicing coaxes nutrients out of fruits and vegetables, and presents them in a highly concentrated, easy-to-digest form. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and enzymes, as well as healing phytochemicals. Juicing breaks down tough plant cell walls and removes the indigestible fiber from fruits and vegetables, making these nutrients more available to the body.
Fresh-squeezed juices are also rich in enzymes, essential for digestion and critical for most of the body's metabolic activities. Because enzymes are destroyed by heat and processing, the typical American diet is sorely lacking in these crucial little health players. Since fruits and vegetables are juiced raw, the enzymes are still viable when you drink the juice. (Make sure you're buying fresh, unpasteurized juices, since pasteurization destroys enzymes in juices.)

If you can't buy fresh, unpasteurized juices, look for unsweetened, unfiltered and organic varieties, and read labels carefully—even "natural" juices may use lots of grape juice or apple juice to add sweetness, with lesser amounts of the featured fruit or vegetable. And stay away from processed "juice drinks" or "fruit nectars;" they usually contain so much sugar, you might as well be drinking soda.

Tea for me
The recent coffee revolution that had Starbucks opening on every corner is slowly waning in popularity, and tea houses are making a major comeback. And as the coffee generation wakes up and smells the trouble with their favorite brew, tea is looking like a dandy alternative.

The best reasons to drink tea? Its healing properties are so potent, it's like having a supplement in a cup. Made from the Camellia sinensis plant, black, white and green teas reduce the risk of a variety of diseases and conditions, including heart disease, cancer and inflammatory conditions. Red tea, made from an indigenous herb from South Africa, is high in antioxidants and may reduce the risk of cancer; it's also caffeine-free. Yerba mate, an herbal tea from South America, is rich in polyphenols and has antioxidant properties comparable to those of green tea.

The main drawback of tea is caffeine, though it contains considerably less than coffee: most tea has about 50 milligrams of caffeine per cup, compared to about 150 milligrams for coffee. If you're sensitive to tea, choose herbal varieties. Serve it iced on a hot afternoon; some ideas: red tea blended with fresh squeezed orange juice; white tea with a splash of pineapple juice; Irish breakfast tea with a lemon and crushed mint; or Smoky Russian served with milk and honey.

Water: A clear choice
This crucial substance is essential for a number of body functions, and it's one of the few beverages you can drink in almost unlimited quantities. But the kind of water you drink is critical. While tap water is mostly free of bacteria and parasites that will make you sick immediately, most municipal water supplies contain chemical additives like chlorine, heavy metals, asbestos, fertilizers and pesticides, and radioactive substances. Invest in a high-quality water filter, or stick to bottled water. But beware: products labeled only “drinking water” may be nothing more than bottled water from municipal sources, and some spring waters may contain arsenic or heavy metals. Those that are labeled “purified water” are usually the cleanest.

“Smart” drinks: Beverages with a purpose
These supercharged drinks combine vitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements in a base of fruit juice or, sometimes, green tea. They're designed with a specific purpose in mind—say, immune boosting, energy enhancement or stress relief, and contain herbs and supplements ranging from vitamins and minerals to kava kava, bee pollen and co-Q 10.

But are they really therapeutic, or just sweet-and-tasty snake oil? It depends. Some contain nothing more than token amounts of herbs, and those that promise energy get their buzz from caffeine, usually appearing on the label as healthy-sounding green tea and guarana. Another problem: because beverages aren't regulated as supplements and their dosage isn't controlled, there's a potential for negative side effects if excessive quantities are consumed, or if they're combined with certain drugs or herbs. Still, they're fun in limited quantities; just remember that those with guarana and green tea may have as much caffeine as a strong cup of coffee.

Picking a winner: Sports beverages
If you're a serious summer athlete, you may need to rehydrate with more than water. Designed to maximize fluid absorption, increase stamina and enhance performance, sports beverages are the liquid equivalent of an energy bar. They're better for athletes than water: water has no carbs, so it can't replace glycogen or boost blood glucose. And in stamina sports, water can increase dehydration by flushing electrolytes and fluids from the body.

Sports beverages supply the body with potassium and sodium electrolytes, so it retains naturally occurring fluids during sports. But many sports beverages are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, artificially flavored and colored, and contain synthetically derived supplements. Look for sports drinks that are sweetened with fruit juice, naturally flavored, and contain about 25 mg of sodium and 50 mg of potassium.

A cultural thing—kombucha
Pronounced kom-BOO-cha, this naturally fermented beverage is fast becoming the drink of the millennium. Kombucha is made from sweetened tea and a kombucha “mushroom”—or, more accurately, a kombucha culture. And the drink is nothing new: it is said that kombucha was first used during the Tsing Dynasty in 221 BC, where it was reportedly referred to as “the remedy for immortality.” Kombucha is slightly effervescent and has a tangy, distinctive (and some say acquired) taste, and may be mixed with fruit juice or herbal essences to soften its flavor and make it more palatable.

Because it contains yeast, healthy bacteria and beneficial microorganisms, kombucha is said to promote health in a number of ways. It is thought to boost immunity, aid digestion, promote healthy metabolism, prevent yeast infections, increase cellular regeneration and help the body's detoxification processes. Kombucha is pricey, but devotees say it's worth the cost—which, for some brands, is just a bit more than a double latte at Starbucks.

Lisa Turner is a food writer, nutrition consultant and private chef. Her Inspired Eating program is a system of health and nutrition that recognizes the power of food to delight the senses, deeply nourish body and soul, and inspire us on every level. For more details, call 303-588-8523, e-mail Lisa at InspiredEating@aol.com or visit her website at www.InspiredEating.com.