The Worst Drinks

For those of you who drink nothing but good quality water, either purified and/or with minerals intact (which is increasingly hard to find), good on you!

There's really no reason to drink anything besides water. I'm not going to preach abstinence from alcohol, because lord knows I've tossed many libations back myself, but in general, there is no reason there should be any supermarkets with gigantic beverage aisles.

Let's begin with fruit juice. Even kids shouldn't drink fruit juice. If they crave orange juice, give your kids an orange. This represents the concept of "whole foods" and nutrient density.

Yes, orange juice and other juices that have 100% fruit juice are usually loaded with Vitamin C, an important antioxidant and immune booster.

But drinking orange juice, just an 8-ounce, serving, contains about 25 grams of sugar. Because it's not a whole food, the sugar will cause more of a sugar spike and insulin response than a whole orange.

You can apply this logic to any fruit. Craving apple juice? Don't drink it. Eat an apple instead. Grape juice, don't even think about buying it, eat a handful of grapes....

(If you cave in to giving your kids juice, at least give them a snack with protein and natural fat included so they don't experience a sugar crash.)

By comparison, a whole orange, on average, has under 10 grams of sugar, plus you get the benefit of fiber from the pulp. Yes, there are some orange juices with pulp, but it's not as plentiful as a whole orange.

No doubt there are hundreds of thousands of people who buy fruit smoothies from chains like Jamba Juice thinking that they are drinking a healthy alternative to soda. But in reality, they are overdosing on sugar.

So if you know somebody that indulges in fruit smoothies, please pass the word on. Even if they are adding protein powder to their smoothie, which is advised to lessen the glycemic load (sugar rush), fruit smoothies contain way too much sugar for everybody.

Marketing still tricks the American consumer into thinking that "Vitamin Water" is healthy. Glaceau's popular Vitamin Water contains over 30 grams of sugar in a 20-ounce bottle. Most people don't have the discipline to drink the serving size of 8 ounces, and instead will chug the whole bottle.

Some may ask, "But what if I exercise hard?" Can't a drink like Vitamin Water be good for me?

If somebody takes just a few sips of Gatorade or similar sports drink during the course of a hard workout, then the short burst supply of energy is fine. Again, the problem is that most people end up consuming way more sugar than necessary.

What's the worst cocktail you can drink? One of the worst for sure is a pina colada. Just one of these popular summer concoctions have over 75 grams of sugar and several hundred calories. I learned this the hard way while once vacationing in Cabo San Lucas. To get relief from the 100-degree heat, I gulped down about a dozen pina coladas and ended up with a nasty sinus infection a week later.

Lesson learned: if you're an alcohol drinker, it's better to stick with drinks like vodka and tequilla, straight up with perhaps a tiny splash of juice. These drinks won't bloat your gut like beer and won't overwhelm your immune system with sugar like pina coladas.

Really, if you are eating healthy, water is the only drink you need to consume. Unsweetened almond milk or natural coconut water is fine, but really, all you need is water. Both the earth and our bodies are comprised of two-thirds water. Coincidence? I think not, but this fact does highlight how important staying hydrated is.

Remember to drink one or two cups of water first thing in the morning and wait about a half hour or so to get a natural purification for the body going.

How long has it been since you've drank some water? This article making you thirsty? If you're feeling thirsty, you're dehydrated. Don't wait until that feeling. Stay hydrated all day!