6 Healthy Summer Drinks Recommended for You
Introduction: It's easy to sweat and feel thirsty in the summer. Many people are tempted by iced milk teas, juices, and other drinks. However, these beverages are high in sugar and can be very harsh on the stomach. So, how can you enjoy these drinks in a healthier way? The editor recommends 6 sets of healthy summer drinks to quench your thirst and worries.
One of the greatest pleasures of summer is probably chugging a mouthful of iced water. But the biggest problem is that most people are not used to drinking plain water and instead casually order a sugary drink from the numerous beverage shops on every street. These shops mostly use high-fructose corn syrup, and consuming too much of it can easily lead to elevated triglycerides, causing obesity, metabolic syndrome, high uric acid, and other problems. However, there are inevitably times when you crave a treat. So, how should you choose your drinks? Based on the advice of experts, the editor offers you these suggestions:
1. Try to choose sugar-free drinks.
Experts suggest starting with half-sugar to allow your taste buds to gradually adapt to a lower level of sweetness.
2. Also, start with less ice or no ice.
When you leave a sugary iced drink at room temperature for a while before drinking it, it will taste sweeter. This is because ice suppresses the taste buds' sensitivity to sweetness.
3. Choose a smaller size.
There is a difference in the total amount of sugar consumed between a large and a medium cup.
4. Go back to the original flavors and eat real food.
Currently, all commercially available beverages are facing a plasticizer storm, so this is a good opportunity to rediscover your reliance on real food. The fresher the flavor of a tea drink, such as unsweetened or reduced-sugar black or green tea, or unadulterated drinks like hibiscus tea or sour plum soup, the lower the calorie content.
It's not difficult to choose low-sugar drinks. Experts have provided several options that can satisfy different needs and offer additional health benefits. Next time, follow the experts' guide when choosing your drink.
A【Simple Tea Drinks Group】
Black Tea VS. Green Tea: Green tea, naturally sweet even without sugar
Tea is generally considered a good beverage choice, containing antioxidants, tea polyphenols, and especially catechins which are beneficial to health; it also has more flavor than water. However, have you noticed which one tastes sweeter, black tea or green tea?
Expert research has found that when comparing sugary tea drinks from the same brand, black tea generally contains more sugar than green tea. For those who want to gradually adjust their taste buds, you can switch to ordering green tea, which can have a natural sweetness without added sugar. For example, you can choose the simplest unsweetened green tea, or varieties like Wenshan green tea or oolong green tea.
In fact, different types of tea and different fermentation levels also affect the flavor. Light fermentation of about 20% produces floral-scented teas, such as Pouchong tea and Dongding tea. Fermentation of about 30% brings a nutty aroma, like Tieguanyin. Baihao Oolong, fermented to about 60%, has a cooked fruit aroma. Now, beverage shops offer a wide variety of teas. If you want to enrich your taste experience without adding sugar, feel free to try more options.
B【Simple Milk Tea Group】
Milk Tea VS. Fresh Milk Tea---Fresh Milk Tea, lower in calories and a source of calcium
Milk tea is unanimously not recommended by experts. The milk tea from most beverage shops is made with cheap non-dairy creamer, which contains trans fats that are more harmful to cardiovascular health than cholesterol. It is also high in calories; a single tablespoon (10g) of non-dairy creamer has about 45-55 calories. Studies have found that a cup of milk tea can have as high as 400-500 calories, equivalent to the calories of a full meal.
Experts suggest switching to fresh milk tea, especially low-fat versions, which can have even 10% fewer calories. Fresh milk can also reduce the irritation of tannins and provide calcium, killing two birds with one stone.
C【Sweet and Sour Tea Drinks Group】
Green Tea Drink VS. Lemon Green Tea---Lemon Green Tea, natural acid can prevent urinary tract stones
The second drink experts do not recommend is green tea drinks. Green tea drinks themselves are extremely high in sugar. To avoid them, the best option is to buy yogurt and add your own green tea. But if you must choose a pre-made drink and want a sour taste, lemon green tea is a good choice. The reasons include: Vitamin C in lemons has antioxidant effects, and citric acid can prevent most urinary tract stones.
Experts suggest choosing aloe vera honey lemon, because from a metabolic standpoint, honey is better than sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup.
D【Fruit-Flavored Tea Group】
Passion Fruit Green Tea VS. Fresh Orange Tea---Fresh Orange Tea, real food reduces the risk of plasticizers
Recently, due to the plasticizer scandal, people have become wary of fruit-flavored teas, worrying that shop owners might add dangerous plasticizers to fruit pulp to replace clouding agents. Once very popular drinks like passion fruit green tea, grapefruit green tea, and pomelo tea have all fallen out of favor.
It's also important to note that these are mostly sour drinks, so vendors add sugar for flavor, meaning their sugar content is not low. A cup of honey pomelo tea has 126 grams of sugar, equivalent to 25 sugar cubes, and a cup of grapefruit green tea has 105 grams, equivalent to 21 sugar cubes. Both are more than double the daily recommended limit of 45 grams for added sugar. Experts have found that if you want to enjoy fruit-flavored tea with real fruit, you can try fresh orange tea. As long as it has enough fresh oranges added, there's no need for additional fruit pulp.
E【Topped Milk Tea Group】
Bubble Tea VS. Red Bean Fresh Milk Tea---Red Bean Fresh Milk Tea, topped with whole grains for the most nutrients
Many people enjoy drinks with toppings, which satisfy their sweet tooth and provide a chewy texture. Because of this, bubble tea, pudding milk tea, etc., are classic items in beverage shops.
However, these topped drinks are a source of extra calories, with some even containing nearly 1000 calories per cup. Experts say that if you really want that chewy texture, you can choose an unsweetened or low-sugar red bean fresh milk tea. This way, you avoid the trans fat trap of non-dairy creamer, and red beans, being a whole grain, are a healthier choice. But experts remind that if you have a topped drink in the afternoon, you should reduce your starch intake at dinner.
F【Refreshing Coffee Group】
Soy Milk Coffee VS. Latte---Latte, smooth even without sugar
Coffee is probably a regular morning drink for many office workers. In recent years, with a focus on health, in addition to lattes with fresh milk, many shop owners have also developed soy milk coffee options.
However, while soy milk is a "milk," it lacks the rich, creamy flavor of cow's milk and often requires sugar to balance the taste. Soy milk has a beany flavor, and in the process of blending with coffee, sweetening elements become important to make it palatable. But milk itself contains lactose, which provides some natural sweetness. "If you don't want to add extra sugar, it's better to choose a latte," says Zhao Qiang, a nutritionist at Taipei Mackay Hospital who has some knowledge of coffee.