Top 6 Antioxidant-Rich Drinks for Your Health: Recommended by Dietitians

Top 6 Antioxidant-Rich Drinks for Your Health: Every time you take your cart down the beverage aisle, you are probably overwhelmed by the number of choices. There are sweet carbonated beverages or water flavored like dessert; there are fiber-carbonated soft drinks, better known as sodas; there are sparkling juices impregnated with vitamins; and depending on which country you are in, the quantity can be mind-boggling.

But, although the variety of such drinks is vast (and still expanding), there are many other beverages that have been popular and healthy for people for decades, and they also contain antioxidants. In the following article, we will talk about what antioxidants are and the six best antioxidant-containing beverages that you can include in your diet.

What Are Antioxidants?

They are molecules that help the body counteract with such threatening elements, referred to as free radicals, that can cause harm to body tissues and lead to diseases. Free radicals are foreign substances that are naturally manufactured in our bodies or taken from the outside environment (through products formed). Free radicals are foreign substances that are naturally manufactured in our bodies or taken from the outside environment (through products formed through cooking or through instances such as smoking). The stress hormones are toxic and if their concentration rises to the normal level, they start to destroy healthy cells, which causes severe health complications.

The good news is that antioxidants are found in some of the healthiest (and tastiest) foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and even some of our most cherished beverages. Including these foods and drinks would mean that our body’s internal security system is well fortified.

6 Best Antioxidant-Rich Drinks

1. Green Tea

It is one of the most consumed beverages across the globe and has been enjoyed by many for centuries. Erin Davis, M. S. , RDN, CDCES, a registered dietitian and diabetes care and education specialist , decides the best antioxidant drinks and says, “My favorite goes to green tea. ” Davis continues to explain and says, “These plant compounds in green tea, especially the catechins, have been proven in research to play an important role in reducing blood sugar complications, protecting the nervous system and having anticancer effects.

It can be served hot or iced, sweet or savory but never leave without a drop of lemon squeezed in the cup. According to the findings about the effects of a combination of green tea and citrus juice, such as that from a lemon, your body is more capable of absorbing the antioxidants from the green tea. FYI: The Nutrition Journal unveiled a list of thousands of foods and beverages containing antioxidants (measured in mmol/100 g), to which reference will be made about the drinks recommended here. A serving measure of 100 grams of green tea, which can provide as much as 3.5 ounces, contains 1.5 mmol of antioxidant content.

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2. Pomegranate Juice

This small, shiny and ruby-red fruit is native to present-day Iran and India and is popular as an antioxidant drink of choice with registered dietitian nutritionist Marie Spano, M.S. , RD, CSCS, CSSD. She says, “There is perhaps nothing better for you than having 100% pure pomegranate juice because you get the juice from the rind, the pith and the arils to get the most of the polyphenols, which makes the juice have more antioxidant capacity than red wine, Concord grape juice and even green tea.

A 3.5-ounce serving of pomegranate juice has 2.1 antioxidant mmol per portion and can be drunk in a glass, mixed with smoothies, or stirred into mock alcopops.

3. Grape Juice

“If you’re not a big fan of red wine but have decided to take some antioxidants, then grape juice is just perfect as it contains many of the polyphenols, including resveratrol, which acts as an antioxidant and is known to reduce the chance of heart disease.”

Who knew plain grape juice is just as packed with antioxidants as it has its fair share of praise? Also, it will not cause the negative side effects of alcohol intake, such as headaches in the morning, like red wine. A serving of this fruit, which contains a total of 3.5 absorbable calories, will give you 1.2 mmol of antioxidants. 

4. Hot (and Iced) Chocolate

There is more good news for chocolate addicts. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants; the higher the percentage of cocoa selected, the richer in antioxidants it will be.

There’s good news on using cocoa flavanols for better blood flow, boosted brain power and reduced blood pressure: Spano adds that iced chocolate drinks or hot chocolate made out of cocoa may work wonders if consumed on a regular basis.

A 3.5-ounce glass of cocoa with milk contains 0.37 mmol. Try the Healthy Hot Chocolate recipe, or put a few spoons of unsweetened cocoa with the milk of your preference and pour over ice for a healthy iced chocolate drink.

5. Coffee

Surprisingly, one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the diets of many is present in an openly consumed beverage most of us consider necessary in the morning. Davis goes further to say that ‘‘your favorite morning drink may be doing much more than just waking you up; coffee has an element known as chlorogenic acid, which is a plant compound that has three properties: being anti-diabetes, anti-cancer and also an anti-inflammatory besides being anti-obesity’.

If you love coffee brewed with a little more strength and you fancy a latte, cappuccino or americano, a 3.5-ounce serving of espresso contains 14.2 mmol of antioxidants. A cup of high-filtered coffee with a volume of 3.5 ounces contains 2.5 mmol. You may prefer your coffee strong and hot, light with milk or even cold. The coffee beans are a source of antioxidants.

6. Orange Juice

There is one particular drink, though, that can be quite universally present in breakfast, and that is orange juice and quite rightly so. Orange juice contains a wealth of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, as well as carotenoids and flavonoids. Relying on Spano, the author notes that OJ also contains hesperidin, a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Hesperidin is mostly concentrated in the peel and membranes of the orange fruits; hence, during the process of making 100% orange juice, the hesperidin that is found in the peel, pulp and membranes is extracted and therefore 100% orange juice is one of the richest sources of hesperidin. 3.5 ounces of orange juice contain 0.64 mmol of antioxidants.

Conclusion

Some of the popular beverages that one is likely to take, including coffee, green tea, orange juice, hot chocolate, and others, are good sources of antioxidants. Say no to popular, expensive, health-bazaar bottled (or canned) beverages and welcome these products with a single ingredient each. Drinking several of these drinks together with other healthy foods during the week is both yummy and good for getting the antioxidant dose.