The connotation of the phrase “two fisted drinker” is that of someone who has an alcoholic drink in both hands, they drink a lot, and can apparently hold it. However, take out the “alcoholic” and you would be speaking about me. In other words, I love to drink — water, tea, coffee, juice, broth, whatever. I like drinking hot and cold and generally always have a drink nearby. (I took up the habit when I quit smoking many decades ago.) Drinking is good, but not all drinks are healthy. We already know that Soda is in the “bad” category (just look at these pictures of soda-teeth!). But now we can add fruit juice to that as well?
Fruit Juice
On 30 Jan 2019 CBS News (1) reported that Consumer Reports studies show packaged fruit juices contain heavy metals. So the message I am taking away from this report is do not buy packaged fruit juice. The fruit juice manufacturers, of course, are questioning the study. But if I am weighing who to trust, Consumer Reports or Manufacturers, guess who wins? So what should we do? If you have kids, my suggestion is to let them eat the fruit rather than drink it, as they get the fiber as well as the juice. (By the way, consider not letting them drink pulp-free juice for the same reason, they get the sugar but no fiber.) Or if you want to give them juice, use a watered down version of fruit juice you make yourself. Just squeeze the juice out of the fruit and then mix with water like a Spa Drink.
How much should we drink?
According to the Mayo Clinic, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is ~15.5C/day (3.7 liters) of fluids for men and ~11.5C/day (2.7 liters) for women.
- So, for me I should be drinking 11.5C x 8oz = 92 ounces a day. I do not drink fruit juice anymore as they have calories I would rather eat. But I do drink water (~40oz/day), tea (~40oz/day), and consistently have a single cup (8-16oz) of coffee each day while at work. So I took the time to calculate what nutrition those drinks contain given the ways I make them. Also, because I drink a lot, I added a section to my site to discuss drinks.
Water
The National Education Association (1) reports that drinking water can relieves fatigue, increases metabolism, suppress eating (so helps with weight loss), helps with digestion, assists with flushing toxins out of the body, and can relieve headaches. Drinking water can improve mood, helps clear skin, relieve bad breath, and can regulate body temperature. Bottom line is, as we all know, drinking water is necessary for life.
The one concern I have is if we drink lots of water from our faucets, do we need to be concerned about the purity of our water? Experiences, like that in Flynt Michigan, says yes we should be concerned in general about our drinking water. Here is a site to help find out what is in out tap water. I checked for my home zip code and was appalled on what I found, so then I checked my work zip code. It was better but still not good. So what do we do, drink from bottled water or get a filter? Of course our tap water is significantly better than what most of the worlds people are drinking. For many bottled water is the only option they have for good water, but as we have the option, filtered water seems better as it produces less waste and reduces our plastic intake.
- So, we are looking at getting a kitchen filtration system for drinking water, and have already added a filter to the fridge water and ice maker.
Tea
Tea is a wonderfully complicated drink that has mouthfeel along with aroma, and an aftertaste, that also has healthy benefits. For instance, green tea has antioxidants that increases the ability to burn fat as fuel. It is reported to reduce the risk of heart attack and might help protect against many forms of cancer. Studies show tea can help fight DNA destroying free radicals and is linked with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, tea’s compounds could help type 2 diabetics process sugars better. Green tea has also been shown to improve bone mineral density and strength, and might even be effective in the prevention of certain neurological diseases. (Pre-packaged iced teas and instant teas do not contain all these benefits and may have added sugars.) The studies make it seem a miracle drink.
However, all these benefits come with cautions too. Not all tea is the same, there are variations in in the soil, pesticide use, processing, and even brewing or your choice of water that can change bio effectiveness. I try to take these cautions into consideration, so first I prefer organic tea. I do not want to brew tea that I know has been treated with pesticides. I know that the longer the brew, the more bioactives are extracted, but the flavors can get too strong and bitter. The more acidic the water, the more bioactives are pulled from the tea (I tend to use tap or filtered water which is generally neutral). Recent studies indicate brewing in the microwave may release more bioactives as well, but the idea of doing that destroys the ritual aspect of tea preparation that I find so lovely and calming.
Loose leaf or tea bags? Tea bags generally contain leaves, but also stems which are higher in L-theanine than the leaves. They tend to have had the tea leaves cut, which may aid bioactives release. I prefer loose leaf, but studies indicate tea bags are okay too. A note on milk, it seems to be that having the milk already in your cup as you pour the tea is the best way to prevent milk from clumping, but nothing indicates it reduces absorbtion of nutrients, so add milk whenever you want. The proper English style is to add milk to the already poured tea.
Coffee
Some studies show coffee can help reduce certain diseases, can lower liver cancer and disease, and it can also assist with heart health (3). On the negative side, coffee also has a role in increasing anxiety, depression, and heart rates, so moderation is advised. Commercial coffee can contain items not healthy, for instance, some flavored nutmeg, French vanilla, and pumpkin spice coffees are treated with propylene glycol (antifreeze ingredient).(4)
Carbonation
Are carbonated drinks bad for us? (5) Carbonated drinks are infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. Currently the (limited) studies seem to show it assists with feeling full, can possible aid digestion, and may help constipation. One thing about bought carbonated water is that they often have salts and other ingredients added to taste better. Tonic water has carbonation, a bitter quinine, and sugars. Some specialty carbonated water comes from mineral springs and contain various minerals and sulfur compounds. But all of these waters are slightly acidic, and may long term cause enamel damage; but we know clearly that carbonated soda or sugar drinks are terrible for your teeth and health.
Alcohol
For some people drinking alcohol is not an option and should be on the “do not use” list (6). These people include alcoholics or people with alcoholics in their family, pregnant women, if you have had a hemorrhagic stroke, people with liver, heart or pancreatic disease, or people who are taking medications that contraindicate alcohol.
Others can drink moderately, which is described as no more than 1 drink a day (beer=12oz, wine=4oz, distilled 80 proof=1.5oz). However, recent news (7) states that after a study of 17,093 adults, it was found that moderate drinkers were twice as likely as nondrinkers to develop a severe form of hypertension. Not sure how that breaks down by gender and this was an observational study, but it seems to suggest that we should be drinking <5 drinks per week, or none at all.
For people who drink occasionally there may be some benefits, but this new study appears to contradict these other findings. Some alcohol should be absolutely avoided because of what it contains. For instance, Fireball Whisky is made with propylene glycol, a common ingredient in some antifreeze.(6) So drinking, just like eating, is a series of decisions we have to make.
- This quick exploration of drinks has me wondering what I have put in my body all these years. It makes me want to do research on everything before I consume it, but that would be an impossible way to live. So I choose to drink filtered water, tea, (and now unflavored) coffee, and limit my alcohol to things I believe are safer such as organic wine, port and distilled spirits.
Please keep in mind, I want to be informative so you can make your decisions about what to feed your self and your families, just as I do. Together we can share our advice and recommendations that lead us all toward a healthier life. So let me know what you think of the recipes, articles and any information I put on the site. Also if you make any of the recipes let me know how it went, and send me pics.
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Recipes: I added a beef stock recipe, a Thai Curry Lentil Stew, my recipe for a quick Swiss Chard side, and a filling Orange Sweet Potato with lentils dish. I also added a veggie broth recipe that I make every so often.
Articles: More DIY recipes you may want to review including condiments, lemon pepper, food pastes, and some more spices and seasonings.
News: For the first time the 10 year list has been published, Kale is now on the list of foods you should buy organic. Over 92% of the kale tested had residue of 2 or more pesticides on the food; 60% of the kale had stuff that are classified as human cancer causing agents. What to do? Adhere, if you can, to buy these food organic: Strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, and hot peppers. If you cannot grow them yourself, or buy organic, get from the farmers market if the farmer indicates they grow pesticide free.
News: BusinessInsider 3/2019: Regular heavy alcohol consumption can up your risk of developing several different kinds of cancer, including throat, liver, breast and colon cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, “the risk of developing cancer increases with the amount of alcohol a person drinks.” Bottom-line: We know this one, so I need not refer to ongoing studies. The best option is to not drink alcohol, but if you do, do so in moderation.
—Patty