We hope you’re enjoying your clean eating challenge!
Today we want to look at what to drink.
Does this sound like you?
You wake up tired and listless, so you reach for the coffee. Coffee by itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Of course, you have to add sugar (not so good). A couple of teaspoons in each of your first 3 coffees of the morning and you are supercharged and ready to go.
You experience a sugar crash mid-morning. Your favorite soda should do the trick. Shortly after drinking 12 ounces of carbonated refreshment, you are once again bubbling with energy.
A sweetened iced tea for lunch, another carbonated beverage as an afternoon pick-me-up, at least 2 more coffees during the day, and a couple of your favorite mixed drinks or glasses of wine during happy hour, then you head on home.
Beer, wine and alcoholic beverages, sodas and energy drinks, and any beverage with sugar can deliver tons of empty calories. They also contain preservatives, man-made chemicals your body doesn’t need, and artificial flavorings.
Drinking these types of drinks is the polar opposite of clean eating.
Remember the clean eating mantra. Choose foods and drinks which are free of processing. This means organic tea and coffee is fine, as long as you skip the sugar and creamer. Fruit juices are okay to drink as well as long as they are natural, not artificially flavored and full of added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Water is the ideal beverage. Your body needs 1 gallon of water a day to function properly. Use a water filter and a re-usable water bottle that is BPA-free to save money. Stainless steel is perfect for the job. If you hate the taste of plain water, add a splash of fruit juice or a twist of lemon, lime, or orange.
Water can help prevent you from over-eating as well, so it’s a big win for your health.
Another clean eating tip is headed your way soon, one that may just reveal you are eating a nutritionally poorer diet than you think. See you soon! To your best health!
