 | |||||||||
 | |
| |||||||
| You are also what you drink | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Pooja Vig for Mind Your Body The writer, a microbiologist, has worked in health care for 12 years. She is pursuing a degree in nutritional medicine. Fruit is healthy. Fruit juice is made from fruit. And so, it follows, that juice must be healthy. Right? Not always. It is one of many common misunderstandings that surround the link between health and what one drinks. A recent Australian study found that primary schoolchildren who regularly consume fruit juice and other fruit drinks are about twice as likely to be overweight. That???s not all. Last month, a pair of students in New Zealand found that Ribena has almost no vitamin C. Tests done on the Ribena sold here, we are told, do in fact contain the levels required to be classified as a ???rich in vitamin C??? product. We expect to be able to drink to our health. There are historical reasons for this ??? along with some hefty misconceptions. It all started harmlessly with natural spring water. Our ancestors bathed in it and drank it for good health, and soon after, started adding herb and fruit extracts to it. The first carbonated soft drink ??? created by a doctor to be sold at pharmacies as a health drink ??? was an evolution of the same concept. Watch out for sugar Fast-forward to today, and soft drink companies are scrambling to get beyond their tainted image to offer healthier options, especially for children who now get rationed amounts of soft drinks. All this makes fruit juice just so ripe for the picking. But, if fruit juice requires caution, how do you differentiate liquid wellness from liquid candy? Start by looking out for sugar levels. Then, look at what other benefits the drink might offer. Top of the list ??? as expected ??? is water. No sugar or calories but many benefits. Expect to see water fortified with nutrients but as much as possible, stick to the pure, simple variety. When it comes to fruit juice, the image is health and wholesomeness. But, in reality, a 250ml serving of 100 per cent apple juice without added sugars has around seven teaspoons of sugar ??? about the same as the sugar content of a regular-size Snickers bar. The same amount of grape juice contains 13 teaspoons of sugar, making it sweeter than most carbonated drinks. Aside from the empty calories from sugar, beverages do not curb the appetite. As a result, drink or no drink, one still eats as much. What about getting vitamins? Vegetable juice is the answer (with a little fruit added for taste). It packs in the nutrients without the sugar surge. Fresh is best and most juice stalls have tomatoes and celery on hand. If you must go for the packaged variety, look out for brands that do not push beyond four or five grams of sugar per 100ml. Drinks with benefits Some drinks offer the added benefit of antioxidants. Tea, for example, is rich in disease-fighting flavonoids, and the stronger the tea, the better. Earlier suspicions about coffee have been put to rest by studies that have linked coffee???s antioxidants to a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and even cavities. Except for pregnant women who should limit their intake, most can enjoy a couple of cups a day. But, please hold the whipped cream and caramel syrup. It is hard to miss the many dairy-free milk options available. Look out for low or no sugar added soya and oat milk. Soya milk should ??? in general ??? be taken in moderation. Oat milk makes for an interesting option ??? it contains beta-glucan fibres found in the grain, which have been found to balance sugar levels and reduce cholesterol. That red wine is healthy is old news. But, we now know more. A specific substance, resveratrol, found in red wine helps the heart and immune systems and may even help manage weight. But, the chemical structure of resveratrol is similar to that of the female hormone, estrogen, and we still do not know what exactly that means for women. Some studies point to cancer protection, but there is also evidence that resveratrol may increase the risk of breast cancer. So, with new evidence, the old advice about moderation holds. Choose your drinks wisely. For thirst, stick to water; for nutrition, juice some vegetables, and for enjoyment start the day with a brew you are partial to, and if you like, end it with a perfect glass of wine.
| |||||||||
