Nothing feels better after a good workout than a long cool drink. Choosing the right one, however, can be confusing. Is is more beneficial to drink a sugar-free soda, or would one of those flashy, hip, high-energy products be a better choice? Or should you skip both, and choose something more nutritionally beneficial? Each one has its own set of claims. What are the medical differences between Health drinks?
To be considered a healthy diet supplement, a drink should be nutritionally balanced. Some health drink products heavily advertised in recent months are actually aimed at the needs of older people, although they may be used by all ages except infants. Before being marketed to the general public, however, they were used in nursing homes and care facilities. They are a calorie-rich food, and will not cut calories for the weight-conscious.
This type of product was not intended to be a diet-aid or meal replacement. A side-by-side comparison with a candy bar with roughly the same number of calories is interesting. The drink, of course, contains more vitamins and minerals, and less saturated fat, but both contained virtually no fiber. Both are made with refined sugar, and lack any of those necessary phytochemicals abundant in many natural foods.
While most diet specialists do not recommend meal replacement for people with normal weight, they do recommend an diet rich in nutrients. Rather than a supplemental beverage, younger and reasonably healthy people may instead opt for one of the newer “energy drinks.” Such products are also being heavily advertised on TV, but are aimed at a much younger audience.
The best thing about the new energy-boosting drinks is that they are not usually drowning in sugar. There is a controversy, however, because the energy they provide is not from food, but from caffeine. Most contain more caffeine than a cup of coffee, and people who are sensitive to this drug may feel uncomfortable after drinking it, with possible rapid heartbeat, nervousness, insomnia, hand tremors and other common symptoms.
Moderate caffeine intake is usually not harmful, of course. One danger is using it as an antidote for too much alcohol, as some claim to do. It is true that caffeine helps a drinker to be a little more alert, blocking the need to fall asleep on the sofa. Caffeine cannot, however, negate the unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side-effects of alcohol, and will not sober up anyone. Perhaps a party-goer would feel better drinking soda only, but which variety?
Ever since the introduction of diet soda, the great debate about which is best has continued unabated. No one really argues that sugar-laden soda is a nutritious food, providing the user little more than something cold and bubbly that tastes sweet. Eliminating the sugar but keeping the pleasure factor is the idea behind diet soda, and it may have some benefits for diabetic or overweight people. But is it nutritionally superior?
People choosing diet sodas are taking in artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose or saccharin. Some studies link these sweeteners to certain kinds of cancers, and weight gain around the belly. The only benefit is their lack of refined sugar. The medical differences between Health drinks show that none of these products, whether marketed as health, energy or diet supplements are actually true substitutes for adequate nutrition, and some actually have drawbacks. None should be used as a replacement for a sound, balanced diet.
Learn more about the medical differences between health drinks now in our comprehensive guide to top lose weight tips and all you should know about how and where to find the best weight loss review on the Web.