As you endeavor to eat #healthy and exercise, have you ever thought that what you drink might be holding your health goals back? Living in a world of so many specialty drinks from coffees to sports drinks to cocktails, with the convenience of them being available on every corner makes stopping for that Carmel Frappuccino just that much easier. When you consider the specialty drink, do you ever consider the number of calories you are consuming?
That delicious 16-ounce Frappuccino contains 280 calories, even choosing to hold the whipped cream. Add the whipped cream and you can bump up that count to 430 calories. Maybe the specialty coffees are not your thing but you are deciding to be "healthy" and go with your favorite Gatorade; that 20 ounces Gatorade contains 150 calories. When it comes to cocktails and other alcoholic drinks like a pint of beer, you can be looking at 197 calories. To put that in perspective, that is as many calories as a slice of pizza, and there is no nutritional benefit coming from your beverage. Red wine contains 125 calories, white wine contains 120 calories and an Old Fashioned has 155 calories.
A great alternative to specialty drinks is infused water; it's full of flavor and contains no calories. Infused water can help improve mood, flush toxins from your body, increase your metabolism, and naturally help your body release fat cells for weight loss.
Here are some easy and great-tasting infused water recipes to try.
Lemon Mint - a great source of Vitamin C and is crisp and refreshing
Apple Cinnamon Stick - great for boosting your metabolism
Ginger Mango - great for metabolism and natural pain/inflammation reducer
Tangerine Strawberry - great for Vitamin C and metabolism
Cucumber Lemon - great for Vitamin C and flushing toxins
Add the fruit, herbs, spices, or whatever you want to use into a bottle or pitcher of cool water, or you could add it to the bottle/pitcher and then fill it up with water. Use thin slices or small cubes because the flavor will infuse more quickly. Let the water sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to infuse.
BEE ENERGIZED!
Bee pollen contains nearly all the nutrients necessary to humans, including protein. In fact, bee pollen is 40% protein. In addition to protein, it also has B vitamins, #antioxidants, amino acids, and folic acid. Instead of reaching for a sugary energy drink, try this natural energy booster. A spoonful at #breakfast with fruit and yogurt, or fruit smoothies is a good combo, as fruit reinforces the activity of the pollen. A word of caution: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding do not use bee pollen. If you have pollen allergies, check with your doctor first before using it.