Healthy Drinks - A Holistic Overview

Green tea

If there’s one beverage known the world over, it’s green tea.

The oxidation processes sought in black tea are blocked in green tea. Green tea is, therefore, rich in antioxidants, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol frequently sold as a dietary supplement for its health benefits.

As holistic health experts, we believe it’s always best to consume supplements at their source whenever possible.

Although green tea contains theine, it also contains theanine, which improves concentration and reduces stress. Green tea can, therefore, be considered the perfect combination of tonic and relaxation drink. 

It is good for:

• The nervous system
• Heart and blood flow
• The digestive system

Green tea is therefore recommended for everyone, even children.

Regular consumption of green tea has been shown to have beneficial effects on slowing brain aging, weight maintenance, and diabetes prevention. 

Polyphenols, in particular epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), have been shown to have anti-cancer properties by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. This is a major advantage when you consider that almost half the population will develop cancer sooner or later.

In conclusion, we can only recommend drinking green tea, exclusively organic, of course.

Kombucha

Kombucha, originally from China, is an ancient beverage now known in most countries. 

It is a fermented tea beverage made with the help of a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast).

The primary ingredients include black or green tea, to which we add sugar, and of course, the scoby. As a fermented beverage, it contains about 0.5% alcohol.

With scoby, you can make your own kombucha. In this case, good practices must be followed to avoid using a scoby that has been altered.

Bottled kombucha is often too sweet, as the sugar is added once the product is finished, so choose the one with the least sugar. The choice of taste is vast since you can add herbs or fruit to kombucha.

As a fizzy fermented beverage, kombucha is packed with antioxidants and good bacteria. These probiotics are essential for healthy intestinal flora, improving digestion, and supporting a strong immune system.

However, kombucha consumption should be kept to a reasonable level, given its low alcohol content. Fermented beverages can also increase lactic acid production due to lactic acid bacteria, but certain components, such as glucuronic acid, are very positive for helping the liver in its detoxification function. 

Our recommended consumption is 1 dl a day, with regular breaks for weeks.

Mate

Mate is a traditional South American drink. 

It can be considered as a tonic healthy drink with good antioxydants. 

This tea contains caffeine and theobromine, like coffee and chocolate. It also contains theophylline, a substance that facilitates breathing. 

Mate can be drunk neat in the morning or mixed with plant milk.

As it is bitter, especially if highly concentrated, it also has the following benefits:

• Sids digestion
• Helps control weight 
• Help control blood sugar level. 

Don’t hesitate to drink it with meals, except in the evening.

Maté can be offered to children in a mild form, as they are not overly fond of bitter drinks. It can replace chocolate or cola-based drinks, or simply serve as an alternative.

The most important thing is to be aware that mate is a tonic and not to drink too much of it.

Oat milk and spelt milk

Plant milks have become increasingly popular as more and more people look for nutritious, healthy, and ethical alternatives to dairy products. 

Depending on which plants they are made from, they can offer a large diversity of tastes and textures, allowing everyone to find what they are looking for.

They can be considered foodstuffs since they contain 10 to 20% of the raw material for the production of plant milk.

In these two examples of cereal-based plant milk, the best known is oat milk. Gluten-free (except for coeliacs), it is well tolerated by people who avoid gluten-containing foods.

Oat milk can be drunk neat or mixed with all kinds of drinks (coffee, cereal coffee, teas, maté, chocolate, etc.). Of course, we advise you to mix it only with other healthy beverages. 

Well-proportioned in proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, it can be consumed daily by the whole family.

Spelt and oat milk contain dietary fibers. 

Fibers are important for digestive health, as they:

• Promote regular intestinal transit
• Contribute to a feeling of satiety
• Encourage the development of good bacteria

Oat flakes are obtained by crushing the oat kernels. They are widely used in many countries as a breakfast staple. Adding oat milk to oat flakes enriches them and is quite adequate.

Oat is particularly rich in manganese, an essential mineral for:

• Lipid, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism
• Nervous system function
• Insulin synthesis and secretion
• Connective tissue synthesis
• Bone structure
• Immune system function

Spelt, a distant relative of wheat, has been cultivated for thousands of years and is known for its rich nutrients. We always recommend it as an alternative to wheat.

Like oat milk, spelt milk is an excellent nutritional supplement, rich in: 

• Vitamins, including vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• Minerals, including zinc, magnesium and phosphorus
• Proteins, lipids, and glucides
• Trace elements

These nutrients play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy metabolism, bone health, and overall well-being.

As far as lipids are concerned, it’s important to note that both oat and spelt milk are low in saturated fats, a beneficial quality for heart health. 

Plant-based diets are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, making spelt and oat milk a very good alternative to animal milk for good health.

Of course, all the vegetable milks are naturally lactose-free, an added benefit. All plant milks are a sustainable alternative, but we should point out that spelt, known for its hardiness, has a very low environmental impact, which adds to its plant milk quality.

To summarize, we can say that spelt milk, derived from the ancient grain spelt, is emerging as a nutritional powerhouse among plant-based milk alternatives. 

Its unique combination of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients makes it a compelling choice for those seeking a dairy-free option that doesn’t compromise on taste or health benefits. 

Advice From Holistic Natural Health Experts

In their dietary habits, people often neglect what they drink. Today, too many still drink tap water, full of micropollutants, without filtering it appropriately, in the belief that they are hydrating themselves.

In reality, they are mainly intoxicating themselves with polluted water.

Healthy drinks are no good if you don’t hydrate yourself healthily. That’s why our first advice to all is to start first by transitioning to healthy water consumption, and, after, look to incorporate healthy drinks into it. 

In that case, adding healthy drinks on top of healthy hydration will not only be better for your health but also much more sustainable.

For that, you can subscribe now and read our book “Hydrating Well with Healthy Water”. You will find everything you need to start hydrating healthily. 

Amongst all the healthy beverages, the ones we presented to you in this article are just a couple of famous examples. 

Healthy drinks can be mixed together as they are different but complementary options.

For example, you can drink herbal drinks like Mate or Green tea, but you can also drink food-based drinks like spelt or oatmeal. 

In the first case, you get the benefits of tonic or relaxing molecules and antioxidants, while in the second, you get nutritional contributions such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins, plus phytonutrients such as antioxidants.

Finally, don’t forget that healthy hydration and the consumption of healthy drinks are just parts of holistic health. 

In a holistic health approach, provided by holistic health experts and based on natural medicines, personalized treatments, and advice, we aim to improve various aspects of your health to treat and prevent diseases. 

In that case, it’s a global health strategy that you can benefit from to reach optimal health by improving your hydration, diet, lifestyle, health choices, and much more.