better beverages for better health

Jessica Qussar @ 2022-01-06 19:34:47 -0800

Regardless of the time of year (or the reason) it’s always a good time to resolve to make better, healthier choices for our overall wellness. No matter when, or why, it is a good day to invest in ourselves!

Overwhelmingly, those resolutions, and healthier choices we make, tend to stem from a desire to lose weight. In fact 3 of last year’s top 4 New Year’s Resolutions in the US were doing more exercise, losing weight and improving diet.¹ While these are fantastic goals, unfortunately, almost 80% of us abandoned those healthy changes by the end of January.²

One mistake that hurts our chances for long-term change is trying to make either large changes, or a LOT of changes (or both) all at once. This may work for a short while, but unfortunately, is not sustainable.

Two ways to create lasting changes are to make them small and to make them easy. Though you may not think that small changes will create a big impact, if done with consistency, not only will you notice improvements in the areas those changes impact (like doing 5 pushups a day, and the surprising increases in strength and core stability you’ll experience) but once you see that small changes do in fact make an impact, you’ll surely add more.

So, with that in mind, if you’re working to make healthier choices, one very small and easy area to *ahem* refresh is your daily beverage choices. That’s because:

most people drink a variety of beverages throughout the day – which means lots of opportunity for change
they’re easily accessible - you can buy them anywhere, they’re available in all sorts of convenient forms and formats, and you have them right in your home
they’re a more affordable – especially when compared to a new home-gym
there is a huge variety of healthy beverage options– there’s something for everyone, we promise
we drink beverages every day - so if you don’t stick to your changes one day, there’s always the next day to get back at it!

Not so fun fact: 22% of Americans’ daily calorie intake comes from beverages³.

Very fun fact: If you drink soda every day, simply replacing one 12oz can with water or unsweetened tea or coffee (healthy, zero-calorie drinks) would equal a 15-pound weight loss over the course of one year⁴.

The key point from that fun fact is the healthy drink swap. It should be noted that “low-calorie” alone does not equal “healthy”. There are lots of drinks out there that infer “healthy” claims, but thanks to a number of sneaky ingredients, are not only not healthy, but may actually have adverse effects on your health.

A few to watch out for:

Artificial Sweeteners – Artificially sweetened drinks have been linked to increased risks for a variety of health issues including obesity and type 2 diabetes⁵. A recent preliminary study on the soda consumption of overweight or obese adolescents also found that artificial sweeteners contain potentially addictive properties⁶. The 3 most common (among a long list of harmful artificial sweeteners) are Sucralose (found in Splenda), aspartame (found in Equal or NutriSweet) and saccharin (found in Sweet’n Low.)⁷
Artificial Colors – The CPSI (consumer watchdog group) found that food dyes can cause a variety of adverse health issues, ranging from allergic reactions to hyperactivity and even cancer⁸. And in the UK, after a 2007 study found that artificial food coloring caused hyperactivity among children, they were mostly eliminated from foods and beverages there, and products that do contain them are required by the EU to have a warning label calling out the adverse effects they could have. Watch out for Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 which have been found to be contaminated with carcinogens and Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 which have been found to cause hypersensitivity reactions.⁹
“Natural” vs. “Certified Organic” ingredients – Read our blog to learn about why you should look for that highly prized (and highly regulated) USDA Organic Seal.

Thanks to mymuse organic’s Organic Certification, you are assured that they contain no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives.

mymuse organic’s range of flavors across our enhanced teas and waters provide healthy options (and swaps!) for you to enjoy all day.

For instance, if you drink orange juice every day and you decide to switch to mymuse blood orange citrus instead, you would cut 43g of sugar and 160 calories for the same 16.9oz serving, every day. You’d also be adding extra immunity support from your beverage from zinc, vitamins A & E and elderberry, all found in every bottle of mymuse (you’re welcome!)

So, start small, make it easy, read your labels and you’ll be on track to hydrate for your health!

Cheers!

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