The Healthy Drinks List

We know we need to drink water. Staying hydrated is one of the most important parts of good nutrition and necessary for health and wellness.

That being said, water is pretty boring to a lot of people.

The good news is it doesn't have to be plain water! As long as there is no sugar or any chemicals in it, a drink can have any flavoring or carbonation you want, and there are a ton of different options to get creative with your drinks.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. That means that if you purchase something by clicking the link, I earn a small commission from the company, at no cost to you. I only recommend items that I have researched and tried myself, and recommend to clients in my practice.

Naturally Sweetened, Low Sugar Drinks

All-natural sugar free sweeteners are beneficial in blood sugar control & weight loss. Natural sugar containing sweeteners are best in small amounts. Check out the Ultimate Guide to Sweeteners to learn all the details. Natural sweeteners: Erythritol, Stevia, Monkfruit, Allulose, Sorbitol, Maltitol, Xylitol (poisonous to dogs) Cane sugar (5g or less), Honey (5g or less), Crystalline Fructose (5g or less)

NON-CARBONATED

Found in the Sports Drinks, Powdered Drinks, Juice section of stores

1. Water with fruit, herbs, and ice added

2. True Lemon Lemonade & Iced teas

3. Stur squeeze bottles and Hydration powders

4. Enhanca Naturals Iced Tea and Lemonades

5. Crystal Light Pure

6. Sweet Leaf Water Drops

7. Hint Water - NO sweeteners, natural fruit and mint flavors added

8. Bai Water

9. Vitamin Water Zero

10. Gatorade G Fit

11. Body Armor LYTE (with silver band, avoid the black band that's high in sugar)

12. Welch's Diet Juices

13. Suja Uber Greens Juice or other low sugar selections

14. Simply Light Lemonades & Orange Juice - found in refrigerated juice section of stores

CARBONATED

Found in the soda aisle of stores or in endcaps

1. Green Cola - 100% natural sugar free Cola and multiple fruit flavors, great taste

2. Virgil’s Zero Sugar Sodas - Traditional soda flavors, caffeine free, great taste

3. Zevia Soda - Traditional soda flavors w matching caffeine to Big Brands, lighter sweet taste

4. Olipop - Sweet taste, regular and unusual flavors - BONUS: high in fiber

5. Poppi - Soda with fiber and apple cider vinegar

6. Mayawell - Sweetened with 4 g agave sugar, fiber

7. Humm - Sugar free, kombucha seltzers and sodas. BONUS: probiotics

8. Live Soda - Kombucha that tastes like soda. BONUS: probiotics (that you can’t taste)

9. New Wave Soda - Lightly sweetened with different fruit juices

10. Carbonated Flavored waters with no sweeteners - Topo Chico, Liquid Death, Perrier, Ozarka, San Pellegrino, La Croix, Rambler, Bubly, and more. Sometimes located in the plain water or wine/beer aisles.

11. Sparkling waters with fruit, flavor extracts, or a splash of juice added to boost flavor. Click here for over 30 infused water recipes.

12. If you're really into carbonated drinks, consider a SodaStream or similar water carbonator. That way you can make your own for much cheaper! SodaStream currently has the easiest to access CO2 cartidges, sold and available for trade in at major grocery and big box stores across the USA.

    1. Bubly partnered up with Sodastream to make a bunch of flavor concentrates

    2. Olive Nation makes a bunch of similar flavor concentrates with more variety

    3. Click here for over 30 infused water recipes that work great with soda water

ENERGY DRINKS

Often have their own aisle in stores

1. LifeAid FocusAid/FitAid - 45-100 mg caffeine, 0-7 g sugar, B vitamins, extra brain boosting nootropics like ALCAR, Ginseng and Creatine

2. EBoost SuperFuel - 2 - 4 net carbs, 110 mg caffeine, only 1 g added sugar from honey and fruit juices, stevia sweetened, has 100% DV Vitamin D, C, Zinc, Chromium and B vitamins

3. OCA Zero - Organic, 0 g sugar, 120 mg caffeine

4. SuperCoffee - Sugar and Lactose Free, monk fruit/stevia sweetened lattes with 200 mg caffeine, 10 g protein and brain-boosting MCT oil. Sometimes found near the protein drinks.

5. Steaz Energy Zero - Sweetened with Stevia, 100 mg caffeine, Guarana, B vitamins

6. Bai Supertea - Sweetened with Erythritol, 70 mg caffeine per bottle

7. Hi-Ball Energy Seltzer Water - NO sweetener, 160 mg caffeine, ginseng, B vitamins

8. Zevia Energy - zero sugar, stevia sweetened, 120 mg caffeine

COFFEE/TEA CREAMERS

1. Protein Drinks - My favorite breakfast hack, protein drinks are an easy way to sneak extra protein in as well as cut sugar by replacing your coffee creamer.

   • Orgain Clean Protein is 100% natural and makes a very good creamer.

   • Core Power and Fairlife Nutrition Plan are incredible as creamers, but aren't 100% naturally sweetened - they're a mix of stevia/monkfruit/sucralose.

   • Evolve protein drinks make a good all natural plant based version

2. Protein Powders - Vanilla, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Caramel, and Nut flavored ones taste especially good.

Favorites:

• Levels Grassfed Whey

• Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Naturals

• Pure Protein Natural - Available in grocery stores and budget friendly

• Designer Whey for a less sweet coffee creamer

• Paleo Pro for a high quality non dairy option

• Orgain Organic is the best vegan powder I've found so far

• WARNING with hot beverages and Whey Protein: if it's hot enough to burn your mouth, the whey protein may clump together. Add whey to an ounce or two of room temp water first to mix, or just wait until it's cool enough to drink before adding whey powder.

3. Kitu Super Creamer (found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store) - Designed to be keto friendly, this creamer has protein and MCT oil to boost your focus and fat burning abilities, and is still pretty low calorie. Comes in Half n Half, Sweet Cream, Vanilla, Caramel, and seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha.

4. Other healthy creamer options can be found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store: Ultrafiltered Whole Milk ie Fairlife, Half n Half, Heavy Cream, Whipping Cream. These especially taste good with the Sweet Drops flavors listed below.

5. Sweet Drops - Flavored Stevia squeeze bottles - Vanilla, Chocolate, Caramel, Coconut. They also sell larger glass bottles of hazelnut, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, peppermint, Toffee, and other flavors. It's worth mentioning the larger bottles will last YEARS, even with daily use.

6. Flavor extracts - These baking staples are what the companies use to make their creamer flavors, so why not use them at home? The natural ones are more anti-inflammatory than artificial ones since they are made from plants, but I haven't seen any literature concerning for artificial flavors in normal everyday use. Olive Nation, McCormick, and Watkins all make excellent natural flavorings, from classic vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, rum, cinnamon and maple to more unusual ones like walnut, malt, honey and bourbon whiskey ❤️☕

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Artificially Sweetened

Still healthier than full sugar beverages

These are sugar free, but made with artificial sweeteners. I'm not as keen on the chemical sweeteners, and discuss that in depth here.

LIMIT with Digestive issues and Blood Sugar issues, ideally keep to only a couple of times per week.

Look for: Sugar Free, Zero, Zero Sugar, Diet, preferably contains no Aspartame or Saccharin

Slightly safer (?) Artificial Sweeteners: Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose/Splenda (LIMIT consuming with carbs)

CARBONATED

1. Sweetened Sparkling Flavored Waters (various brands) - popular with regular soda drinkers, picky eaters and kids - clear and 100% dye free, usually sweetened with Sucralose

2. Fizzique - Lemon Lime and Fruit flavors, no artificial color. BONUS: 20 grams of protein per can

3. Sparkling Ice, Cascade Ice, etc - usually sweetened with sucralose, may have artificial dye or natural coloring; check the ingredients label to be sure.

SPORTS DRINKS, TEA, JUICE, FLAVORED WATER

1. Old Orchard Healthy Balance Juice

2. Power Water

3. Propel drinks or powder

4. Powerade Zero - White Cherry has the bonus of being dye free

5. Gatorade Zero - Drinks or powder, Glacier Cherry is dye free

6. Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng - Drink, Powder, or Squeeze Bottle

7. Arizona Zero Arnold Palmer - Drink, Powder, or Squeeze Bottle

8. Lipton Powdered tea - Diet Raspberry, Diet Lemon

9. Diet Snapple drinks or powder

10. Any squeeze bottle water flavoring usually has sucralose so is a better pick, but they often have artificial colors. Examples are Mio, Starburst, Crush, Crystal Light

11. Most other single serving powder sticks aren't as good: usually with aspartame and artificial colors. Examples are Wyler's Light, Crystal Light (and the store brand versions), Hawaiian punch, A&W, Crush

ENERGY DRINKS

1. Bang energy drinks - all flavors are dye and sugar free, including Keto Coffees

2. Monsters in Zero Sugar or Ultra

3. Sugar Free Red Bull

4. Other energy drinks that say Zero Sugar, Sugar Free, or Low Carb

COFFEE CREAMERS

1. Any Protein drink or powder (Core Power/Fairlife Nutrition Plan taste amazing)

2. Any sugar free coffee creamer - International Delight, Coffee Mate, and others

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