Healthy or not? 12 drinks put to the test

Healthy or not? 12 drinks put to the test

Here's a quick summary...

1. Almond milk doesn't give you any of the benefits of almonds, nor does it have the benefits of regular milk.
2. Beer is a nutrient-rich drink that, when consumed in moderate amounts, is about as healthy as wine.
3. Bottled water is no better than tap water. As long as tap water is hard water and you use a filter, it can be healthier than bottled water.
4. Broth and coffee have the same health benefits, even if Paleo followers make an exaggerated hype about broth.
5. Gatorade is not a legitimate recovery drink for strength athletes.
6. Green tea might be the one drink that lives up to its hype.
7. Limit juices to small amounts, which should be diluted with water.
8. Raw milk is great, but be aware of potential hygiene issues.
9. No serious strength athlete would consider chocolate milk a sensible recovery drink.

Potent drinks

It's easy to trick people into consuming certain drinks. All you have to do is make a vague association with a fruit, a vegetable, a medicinal plant or a hint of a connection with nature and you have a receptive, thirsty market.

Peddling is probably more prevalent in the beverage industry than the rest of the food industry, so we'll take a closer look at which drinks are healthy and which are not.

1 - Almond milk

The idea behind almond milk sounds great. Blend some almonds. Filter out the waste. Enjoy pure, nutty nutrients, flavors, proteins and fatty acids.

Too bad it doesn't work like that.

Almond milk gives you none (or hardly any) of the benefits of almonds, which provide protein and healthy fats, while also giving you none of the benefits of regular milk, as it lacks calcium.

When you filter out the insoluble stuff from the "milk", you lose most of the stuff that made you eat almonds in the first place.

Of course, almond milk manufacturers usually add calcium and vitamins A, D and B12, but you still get very little protein - about 1 gram per cup, compared to 8 grams in cow's milk.

It's true that almond milk generally provides 50% fewer calories than milk, which is because it lacks significant amounts of fat, and since it's not an animal product, almond milk also contains no saturated fat or cholesterol (if that matters at all).

The unsweetened variety is even lower in calories, but check the label to make sure you're at least getting the calcium- and vitamin-fortified stuff.

So despite the good intentions, almond milk is a drink that's merely okay - it won't do much for your health, but it won't do you any harm either.

Almond milk rating: B-

2 - Beer vs. red wine

Interestingly, beer is a fairly nutrient-rich drink, but it's probably the stereotypical image of the beer-drinking redneck that makes it hard to associate this drink with anything healthy.

Red wine is definitely on the healthy side as long as it's consumed in moderation, but the often wealthy snobs who drink it are a little too desperate when it comes to turning red wine into the drink of the gods. It's just rotten grapes, for crying out loud.

Despite this, wine is held in high regard for its polyphenol content, which is said to have heart-protective benefits, but beer also contains polyphenols - they just come from barley instead of grapes.

Wine is also said to reduce the risk of blood clots, but it is probably the alcohol that is responsible for this, and beer also contains alcohol.

In terms of individual nutrients, there is no clear winner. Beer contains more niacin, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, folate, selenium and silicon, while wine contains more calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and manganese.

In terms of calories, beer wins (it is lower in calories), but this is primarily due to the fact that wine contains more alcohol.

The only category in which wine really wins is the estrogen-blocking, blood sugar-lowering and supposedly life-prolonging nutrient resveratrol. Beer does not contain this nutrient at all.

Of course, the benefits of getting your resveratrol from wine are dubious, as not only would you have to drink about 15 bottles of wine a day to get a reasonable amount of resveratrol, but this nutrient is also poorly absorbed by the body. So it's better to rely on supplements when it comes to meeting your resveratrol needs.

Beer rating: B

Wine rating: B

3 - Bone broth

What's old is coming back into fashion.

There probably isn't a culture that hasn't at one time or another boiled the feet, ankles, tendons and bones of pigs, cows, chickens and fish and drank the broth.

And broth has reappeared on the scene as the healthy elixir of the new millennium - perhaps due to the Paleo hype. It is said to heal wounds, strengthen the immune system and rebuild bones.

The problem is that there aren't really any studies to prove or disprove these supposed health benefits. Neither is there just one recipe for broth. They all use different animal bones, some with fatty marrow, some without.

Some use different spices and herbs and the cooking time varies enormously from 5 to 24 hours.

However, we can use a scientific mindset to investigate this. First of all, the belief that the collagen in the bone broth finds a new home in our joints is quite far-fetched, as the heat breaks the collagen down into individual amino acids. The same applies to the enzymes and vitamins it contains - they are all broken down into their components by the heat.

But there are at least two health claims that are watertight. A study published in the medical journal Chest in 2000 reported that people who ate chicken soup felt relief from symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection.

And bone broth in general may have some value as a sports recovery drink, as members of the LA Lakers recently claimed. The broth would replace electrolytes - but Kool-Aid, sugar and salt would do the same.

There seems to be no reason not to drink broth, and it might contain some nutrients that could be beneficial. However, we don't know for sure yet.

Bone broth rating: B

4 - Bottled water / mineral water

Most people drink bottled water for convenience, because it's supposedly healthy, or for a combination of both reasons.

Yes, it's convenient, but let's get one thing straight: bottled water is complete hokum in most cases.

Eric Goldstein, co-director of the U.S. National Resources Defense Council, once said "...no one should think bottled water is better regulated, purer or safer than tap water."

Some of the water comes from springs or other virgin areas no doubt inhabited only by fairies and elves, but more than 25% comes from the same sources that our tap water comes from. It is treated, purified, bottled and sold to us as "filtered through the thighs of a virgin" or some other green, organic or tree hugging bullshit.

In one high-profile case, water from a well near a contaminated landfill was sold as spring water. In another, water was sold as pure glacial spring water from Alaska, when in reality it was just tap water from Alaska.

In 1999, officials in America tested 103 brands of water and found that even though the water was generally safe, at least one-third of all samples contained bacteria or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, that exceeded tap water limits.

And at least two brands contained phthalates, which can upset the endocrine system and could potentially lead to the development of fetuses with the reproductive organs of squirrels. Although the testers do not believe that the bottles themselves were/are manufactured using phthalates, these chemicals may have leaked into the bottles during filling.

Most bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, which can be identified by the PET or PETE label on the bottle. These bottles are probably safe and harmless as long as they are not stored in warm temperatures, such as in the cup holder of your Honda in summer.

In this case, toxic chemicals such as antimony could leach from the bottle into the water. So far, no one is sure about the possible long-term effects of these chemicals.

BisphenolA, a chemical found in polycarbonate, is also a concern as it can cause neurological and behavioral problems in fetuses, babies and children. Although BPA is not used in the production of PET, it is often found in polycarbonate, which is used to make plastic cups and other hard plastic items.

The US Food and Drug Administration monitors BPA levels and manufacturers are now beginning to reduce BPA levels as part of a process of self-regulation, as this contaminant has become quite well known to the public.

The big problem with bottled water is that it is less closely monitored and regulated than tap water.

The safety recommendations for plastic bottled water are quite simple:

• Avoid water from water dispensers that are made of polycarbonate
• Transport water in glass or metal containers
• Protect plastic water bottles from heat
• Consider tap water as an alternative. It is probably safer and also significantly cheaper.

Rate bottled water: A

5 - Chocolate milk

Whoever came up with the idea of marketing chocolate milk as a post-workout drink is definitely the most popular guy among milk producers. They've probably even built him a monument.

I will say this: chocolate milk is a viable recovery drink if you're a badminton player who feels a little sweat under your arms after a "tough" match.

And chocolate milk is probably just as good as Gatorade as a post-workout drink - probably even better, as it contains a little protein.

But that alone certainly doesn't make chocolate milk a good post-workout drink for a serious athlete who really uses their muscles in their sport.

Chocolate milk simply doesn't contain enough protein, and if sucrose were the most functional carbohydrate modern nutrition has to offer, then nutritionists and biochemists might as well spend their time curing warts or doing something of actual benefit to humanity.

But you'd never know it based on the publicity chocolate milk gets on fitness blogs and Men's Health-type magazines. Of course, these sources generally don't differentiate between regular sports drinks and serious post-workout formulas like those used by strength athletes.

There are a number of studies that have been conducted on the effectiveness of chocolate milk as a post-workout drink. About half of these studies conclude that chocolate milk is no better than a standard carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, while one study concluded that chocolate milk is better, but this study was also funded by the milk-producing industry.

None of the studies compared chocolate milk to anything containing protein, which makes the results of these studies quite questionable.

Drink it for the taste - if you must - but no serious strength athlete would seriously consider chocolate milk as a recovery drink.

Chocolate milk rating: D

6 - Coffee

Although coffee contains over 1000 biologically active compounds and is a very complex beverage, coffee doesn't get much respect for its health benefits.

And unlike the supposed health benefits touted for other beverages, there is actually scientific research to support the benefits of coffee.

For example, studies support that coffee may protect DNA while fighting melanoma, breast cancer, endometrial cancer and lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. Coffee drinkers are also less likely to suffer from clogged arteries.

However, all of this seems to depend heavily on the amount of coffee consumed daily, as consuming large amounts of coffee can negate some of the positive effects. As with most things, a moderate amount of coffee seems to work best.

And of course, we shouldn't forget the stimulating effects of coffee and that it makes us train better, longer and harder.

Coffee rating: A-

7 - Gatorade

There has never been so much advertising for - and so much money made on - pretty much nothing.

You've seen the ads and maybe even bought a few bottles to prevent the dreaded dehydration and replenish your depleted electrolyte reserves.

Yes, it's true that the human body absorbs water seven times faster when it's combined with the carbohydrates in Gatorade, but there's no evidence that your body is capable of retaining that water.

You can simply test it. You take two groups and weigh them. Then one group drinks Gatorade and the other pure water. Then you weigh them both again after a while. If the people in both groups weigh the same before and after, then Gatorade is no better retained by the body than water.

Robert Robergs, an exercise physiologist at UNM, conducted this exact experiment and Gatorade failed to live up to its marketing promises.

"When our subjects drank Gatorade and water, they had to go to the bathroom just as fast," Robergs explained.

But who could blame you for drinking an electrolyte drink like Gatorade? Speaking of electrolyte drinks - if you're doing any activity where you're sweating for over an hour, it may actually be necessary to replenish your electrolytes and you can do this by combining an electrolyte drink, sugar and salt.

You could just as easily pour a few sachets of salt from any fast food outlet into a tetrapack of orange juice...

But no matter how hard you stretch your imagination, you can't consider Gatorade a legitimate recovery drink for any strength sport.

Gatorade rating: C

8 - Green tea

Green tea might be the one drink that lives up to the hype surrounding this drink - or at least a big part of it.

Made from the dried leaves of Camellia sinensis, this drink is said to be beneficial for every organ system in the human body. It could protect against cancer, protect the liver, keep the arteries clean, fight cancer, counteract diabetes and even burn fat.

It contains modest amounts of caffeine, but it also contains chemicals like theobromine, which lowers blood pressure, and theophylline, which relaxes the airways and stimulates the heart a bit.

The end result is a nice mild stimulant effect that is different and less pronounced than the effects of caffeine. But even though it is stimulating, green tea has mild anxiolytic properties, which seems to be a perfect combination of properties.

Lastly, green tea may also block the utilization of carbohydrates, which, combined with its fat-burning, metabolism-boosting effects, is why green tea has long been touted as a moderately effective fat burner. Unfortunately, some of its fat-burning properties may be diminished if you already drink a lot of coffee.

The fat-burning chemical is epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG. A cup of green tea contains about 50 mg, but you need about 400 to 500 mg to feel a fat-burning effect.

To enhance the fat-burning response, you can combine green tea with some fish oil.

Green tea rating: A

9- Juice

Juice - especially the stuff from the supermarket - is the ultimate contradiction.

There are millions of nutritionally deficient people who pour this stuff into themselves every morning and believe with every fiber of their being that they are doing something good for their bodies. They believe that they can cover a large part of their nutritional needs with a large glass of orange juice.

Unfortunately, they are wrong. All they get is a small amount of vitamin C, no doubt added after the juice has been processed, combined with a fast track to type 2 diabetes.

Here's the problem: Juice from the supermarket is mostly filtered and pasteurized, and in that respect, it resembles refined sugar and white flour. The end product lacks pretty much everything good that nature intended us to have - apart from the stuff the manufacturers add back in later.

On top of that, a glass of juice from the supermarket contains as much sugar as a chocolate bar.

If you simply ate whole fruit, you would eventually feel naturally full and unless you are a fruit craving tree monkey from Borneo, you would stop after one or two pieces of fruit. With juice, however, you get the concentrated sweetness - the equivalent of several pieces of fruit in just a few sips.

Hence the calorie. Hence the excess weight. Hence the fast track to type 2 diabetes.

Vegetable juices, even if they're not as bad as fruit juices, can also contain a lot of sugar and they can even cause an imbalance in your acid-base balance if you believe in that stuff.

Go ahead and drink your juice, but limit the amount and dilute the juice with water so that you don't consume more sugar than you would from a piece of fruit.

As far as vegetable juices are concerned, you are usually on the safe side if they taste quite bad. If they taste bad, this is usually a sign that they don't contain much sugar.

Juice rating: C+

10 - Kombucha tea

The idea behind kombucha tea is enticing. It's ultimately tea made from an antioxidant, phytochemical-containing plant to which sugar, a fungus and bacteria have been added.

You're drinking a living beverage that's ultimately filled with all kinds of microorganisms and probiotic nutrients that are said to boost the immune system and fight cancer. Who cares that it looks like bilge water from the U.S.S. Dysentery?

Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support the purported health benefits. Granted, kombucha tea contains more antioxidants than any other tea, but it's probably too problematic to be added to most people's "must-have" beverage list.

The problem stems from the fact that most people who brew this tea are generally not microbiologists. The tea is often made at home under non-sterile conditions and may ferment for too long.

The result is sometimes a toxic brew that can cause stomach upsets, infections, allergic reactions and perhaps, although the likelihood is very low, death as the ultimate side effect.

Industrially produced, bottled kombucha tea sold in supermarkets and health food stores is probably safe and harmless, but due to its dubious health effects, there is not much magic in its consumption.

Kombucha tea rating: B-

11 - Milk

Of all the beverages we consume, milk is perhaps the most confusing.

In its raw, unpasteurized delicious form, straight from the cow, it is a nutritional wonder. But poor sanitary conditions and (legitimate) fears of bovine tuberculosis led to laws enforcing pasteurization of milk in the early 20th century.

Unfortunately, pasteurization seems to take away some of the nutritional value of milk, making it even more paradoxical as a beverage. For one thing, pasteurization kills the lactic acid-producing bacteria in milk, which is said to protect against pathogens such as salmonella.

Paradoxically, most milk-induced salmonella outbreaks have come from pasteurized milk, but this may be an unfair statement as the number of people who drink raw milk is minuscule compared to the number of people who drink pasteurized milk.

Other disadvantages of pasteurization include the destruction of lysine and thyrosine, which makes the entire protein complex of milk less available for human digestion. Pasteurization also destroys 50% of the vitamin C and 89% of the other vitamins.

The content of calcium, magnesium and potassium also decreases and one must also take into account the complete destruction of the enzymes that would normally help the body to absorb all these body-building factors.

Dairy manufacturers add vitamin D back into the milk after pasteurization, but unless you are drinking whole milk or combining milk with a fatty food, the fat-soluble vitamin D is not well absorbed.

As for industrially farmed cattle in general, they are fed soy instead of grass, which would be their natural diet, and this greatly reduces the amount of CLA that would normally be found in milk. This is tragic as CLA has been shown to play a role in fighting obesity, heart disease and even cancer.

Industrially produced, pasteurized milk contains useful amounts of protein, although it can be a little harder to digest due to the aforementioned destruction of enzymes.

Taking all this into account, raw milk seems to be the better choice. However, it's hard to recommend raw milk unreservedly, as the microbiologist in me is still a bit skeptical due to possible poor hygienic conditions.

However, if you can get raw milk from a trustworthy source, then it might be worth adding to your healthy drinks menu.

Raw milk rating: B+

Whole milk rating: B-

12 - Tap water

Tap water is generally safe and clean and if you want to be on the safe side, you can also use a water filter.

As for the difference between hard and soft water, soft water is poorer in minerals and some say that hard water is better because the minerals it contains promote health.

Some epidemiological studies even conclude that the rate of heart disease is lowest in areas where hard tap water is prevalent. Many health websites also share this view.

Whether this is ultimately true is debatable, but it at least sounds plausible.

Fortunately, most filters leave the minerals in the water and only remove heavy metals, chlorine, dead criminals and other impurities.

Tap water rating: A

From TC Luoma

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/drink-this-not-that