The Perfect Drink For Vegan And Gluten Free Diets

The Perfect Drink

So what about the Perfect Drink? There are a variety of reasons that people choose to lead a vegan lifestyle. It may be for health reasons, personal beliefs about animal treatment, or simply for weight loss and the way it makes you feel. But as with most other diets the vegan diet is focused on the foods you should or shouldn’t eat, but rarely is it about what you are drinking. However, if your goals are for a healthier lifestyle or weight loss, it may be just as important to think about your beverages.

Most of us know by now that soda is not a healthy option. Regular soda is packed with sugar and empty calories, and diet soda is no better. It is primarily chemicals and artificial sweeteners, and research has shown that it is equally linked to obesity.What you may not know is that many sodas contain refined sugar, which is a non-vegan ingredient as it is processed with bone char. Some sodas also contain ester gum, which come from animal origin.

Another Drink to consider when following a vegan diet is fruit juice.

Surprised?

Most of us have come to believe that if it is processed from fruit it must be healthy, but this is not always the case. As with soda, most fruit juices have a high amount of sugar and significantly less fiber and nutrient content than you would get from eating fresh, whole fruit. More importantly from the vegan standpoint is that the process used to filter fruit juice often involves the use of animal membranes. Also, many of these drinks contain cochineal (sometimes listed as carmine on the label). This is a dye and common food additive, which is derived from grinding cochineal insects.

And then there is beer and wine. It’s sad, but true. Unless your wine is specifically labeled as vegan, it most likely isn’t. Unfortunately, most of these alcoholic beverages are clarified by using a whole range of animal substances, including gelatin, casein, isinglass, chitosan, and egg albumen. Whenever purchasing wine or beer, be sure to keep your eye on the label.

Finally, there is soymilk. While most soymilk (other than strawberry soymilk colored with cochineal) is indeed vegan friendly it may be contributing to health issues that you are unaware of. In recent years, soymilk has been marketed again and again as the “healthy” alternative to dairy milk. Unfortunately, there is a lot about processed soy that many people don’t know. First of all, the majority of all soy produced is genetically modified, and, even scarier, is that it has one of the highest percentages of pesticide contamination of all crops. It also has a hormonal effect in the body and has bee linked to a number of health problems ranging from thyroid issues to reproductive disorders.

So, what should you Drink?

The one Drink which you can consume on a daily basis, is totally natural, vegan friendly, and will actually better your health with each cup is a little known secret tea out of China.

For centuries this part of the world has known about all the amazing health benefits of Oolong tea. Everything from stronger teeth, glowing skin, to even improving cognitive functioning. Not only that, one of the best “side-effects” of Oolong tea is the increase in your metabolism.

A study in the Chinese Journal of Medicine showed that the enormous amount of powerful antioxidants known as polyphenols can actually speed up your metabolism. And the best part, it is not a direct result of the caffeine in the tea so you can confidently Drink the tea and not worry about too much caffeine.

Choosing to follow the vegan diet in today’s world is not the easiest of choices. Trying to better your health and lose weight at the same time can make it even more challenging. Paying attention to the little things like the beverages you consume can help make a world of difference.

Author: Marisa is the master mind who writes most of our blog posts at Okuma Nutritionals. She manages a variety of tasks ranging from copywriting to developing amazing recipes.

I hope you have enjoyed this post on The Perfect Drink!