AGING IS A CHOICE Part 33 – Bolstering Your Beverages
by Robert Manni
Following our first installment on foods as preventative medicine for healthy aging, we pivot this time to supercharging our beverages. By using simple pantry ingredients, we can transform our everyday drinks into a health beverage that is inexpensive, easy to source, and best of all, effortless to make.
Here are a few of my favorites. I make them daily, and I feel great knowing these drinks boost and protect my health. The good news is you probably have these staples in your cupboard already so you can try them right away!
Lemon Water
Starting off your day by adding the juice of half or whole lemon into a glass of water and drinking it on an empty stomach offers a plethora of benefits, particularly for seniors. These include flushing out toxins, providing antioxidants, helping prevent kidney stones, promoting healthy skin, aiding digestion, fostering weight management, and protecting heart health. Remember to drink at least 8—12 ounces to reap all these benefits and rinse your mouth afterwards to protect your tooth enamel from the citric acid. How about that for a quick way to get natural Vitamin C and hydrate your body in the process?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar diluted in water is another easy-to-prepare drink with surprising benefits. Choose raw apple cider vinegar with the “mother”. Add a tablespoon to 8-12 ounces of water. I prefer consuming this at the end of the day, maybe a few hours after dinner. Use a straw or rinse your mouth afterwards to wash away any vinegar in your mouth and on your teeth.
Benefits include controlling blood sugar levels, protecting heart health, weight management, killing harmful bacteria, and reducing cell damage. For me, I like the reduction of heartburn and bloating after a big meal before turning in for the night.
Celtic Salt
There is salt, and there is Celtic salt. Unlike the heavily processed table salt that has been stripped of everything then fortified with iodine and often containing anti-caking agents, Celtic salt is unrefined and sun dried. It retains all its natural minerals from the ocean like magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc. It even has trace amounts of iodine. Its mild briny taste is far more pleasing than traditional table salt and delicious for cooking. I add a pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon per cup) to my drinking water. This makes the water full of natural electrolytes for optimal hydration. I keep a quart of water at my bedside with a healthy amount of Celtic salt in case I wake up dehydrated during the night. I finish whatever remains of the quart upon waking so I start my day well hydrated.
Cinnamon
Here is another powerhouse sitting in your cabinet, patiently waiting to be added to your morning coffee, tea, smoothie or any beverage you consume throughout the day. Benefits of cinnamon include increased antioxidants, blood sugar control, and improved heart health. Look for Ceylon cinnamon, otherwise known as true cinnamon. It is considered the healthiest due to its low levels of coumarin, which in high doses can cause liver damage. And Ceylon cinnamon tastes more delicate and sweeter than the usual store bought brands.
Now we see that we are not only what we eat, but also what we drink.
By incorporating any of the ingredients we discussed, you will not only strengthen your beverage game, but you will also consume less soda, alcohol and dairy which all come with known health consequences. Now you have a few more simple options to protect your physical, mental, and spiritual health. Always do your own research and choose what works best for you. And never forget— aging is a choice.
