Alternatives to sweet killer thirst quenchers

CEBU, Philippines – Soft drinks kills, this according to a recently published study.

The study revealed that an estimated 184,000 people die from consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) each year. Of this, 133,000 are due to diabetes, 45,000 from heart diseases, and 6,450 from sugar-linked cancer.

The study was made by researchers from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts and published by "Circulation," a journal of the American Heart Association.

SSB's would include, among others, soft drinks, bottled fruit juices, bottled iced tea, energy drinks, and powdered beverages with sugar like juices, malt or chocolate drinks, and 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 coffee.

So, what are our alternatives to these sweet death-causing thirst quenchers? Here are a few suggestions:

Fresh fruit juices, and by that I don't mean the one's you buy from carts in malls or canteens. If you don't have a juicer at home, then there are fruits that don't need machines to juice. Watermelons are excellent thirst quenchers and you only need to squeeze them. Mind you, you don't need to throw the pulp away for that's extra fiber. Or should you wish, you can squeeze some lemon, orange, or kalamansi. They're not only excellent thirst quenchers, they're also loaded with Vitamin C. For sweetener, you can choose to add some honey or just a little sugar. At least when you are doing it at home, you can control the amount of sugar you put in.

Fruit smoothies. Bored of juices? Make your health drink more exciting by throwing in slices of fruits in the blender with a glass or two of shaved ice and blend them to make the smoothest home-made smoothie. You don't actually need to add sugar, but if you are not contented with the sweetness of the fruit's natural sugars, then add some honey instead. You can also add some yoghurt for a more exciting treat for your stomach. Yoghurt contains good bacteria which help in digestion.

Home-made iced tea, not the instant powdered iced-tea because that is also loaded with sugar, but the one that goes with the bag. Simply get a tea bag, let it seep in hot water for at least three minutes, remove the bag, add cold water and some ice. For sweetener, choose honey, or if you have to use sugar, use in moderation. You can also do this with ground coffee, green tea, and other tea infusions.

Herb- and fruit-infused water are not only easy to make, they are also loaded with health benefits. It's just like fresh juices - minus the hassle of juicing or blending, although it would not have as much fiber, but then it would have lesser calories since not all of the natural fruit sugars would go into your drink.

Infused water is simply that, water that's been infused with fruits and herbs. Simply add fruits like peeled apple, sliced oranges, or sliced kalamansi to a pitcher of water. Let the juices infuse into the water for two to eight hours at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. You can also use slices of cucumber - or how about some chili for a bit of bite, or some leaves of herbs like basil, peppermint, rosemary, or flowers if you wish like sampaguita and rose (just make sure they're not the one's that's been loaded with pesticides)? Mix them up and surprise yourself everyday with new combinations of flavors.

Water. Nothing quenches thirst better than a glass of ice-cold water. There is really no truth about cold water being bad for people trying to lose weight, because the fats in food supposedly hardens all the fats we eat. A fallacy, the experts say, including the American College of Sports Medicine, who claims that for fluid replacement, water should be cooler than room temperature. Why is that? Cold water actually helps for faster rehydration because it does not stay long in the stomach and at the same time it helps the body burn more fats, since it would need to spend energy to raise the temperature to that of our body's in order to maintain the ideal internal temperature. So, drinking eight glasses of water could mean burning up to 70 Calories a day. Plus you get your thirst satisfied.

So who says opening a bottle of soda opens up happiness? Perhaps temporary pleasure; but as we consume more of these sugar-laden drinks, we run the risk of accumulating problems in our body. So why not open up happiness in a pitcher of fruit and herb infused water, or a stress-relieving glass of fruit juice or smoothie?

Now that's happiness.