“Healthy” Drinks You Have to Avoid at All Cost

Think twice before you fall for drinks labeled as “fresh,” “healthy” or “100% preservatives-free” from the local grocer. Some of these drinks aren’t as healthy as advertised. And these drinks are the worst offenders of all:

Specialty Coffee

Can’t live without your morning frappe? You could be ingesting more chemicals or calories than you think from your morning joe. Some specialty coffees pack almost 700 calories per serving. Others are so loaded with chemicals that they contain virtually zero nutrients.

Coffee, when drank in its natural, unprocessed state, is rich in antioxidants. These nutrients protect from aging, diseases and free radical damage. But major manufacturers of coffee use chemicals to process the beans. They use pesticides, insecticides, and various chemicals to keep the beans pest-free. These chemicals include disulfoton, methyl parathion, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, triadimefon, and cypermethrin.

Unfortunately, some of these compounds end up in your drink. Although some chemicals are banned in the US and in Europe, less developed countries continue to use harmful compounds to process coffee beans and there lies the danger. Add to the fact that a Grande frappe at Starbucks is laden with preservatives, sweeteners, whipped cream and syrup, specialty coffee isn’t the best choice for your health. Or your waistline.

Pasteurized Milk

Milk is a part of a healthy diet. And for many homes, a day isn’t complete without a warm glass of milk. But not all dairy drinks are created equal. Pasteurized milk seemed healthier than other processed milk, but it’s really not. Pasteurization eliminates microbes in raw milk. Unfortunately, it also obliterates nutrients in the milk. It destroys important enzymes, vitamins and proteins. It eliminates good bacteria and even promotes the growth of pathogens. Some processed milk also contains herbicides, pesticides and dioxins!

Worse, commercial milk drinks are ultra-pasteurized to prolong the shelf life. Ultra-pasteurization is a processed in which cold milk is heated to reach its boiling point in 2 seconds. These milk products are also treated with propylene oxide, a harmful chemical. This is a flammable, toxic compound used in thermobaric weapons and is banned in Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Processed Fruit Juice

“Fresh,” “Preservative-Free,” “Not from Concentrate,” you see these labels from processed fruit juices from the local grocer. But how come these juices do not taste like freshly squeeze fruit juice? It’s because these “fresh” fruit juices are anything but! They are loaded with fructose, artificial flavors, artificial colors and chemical additives. Some apple juices contain arsenic, a highly toxic compound! These fruit juices come from countries that lack safety standards when processing their products. And these chemicals end up causing diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart disorders.

Sports Drinks

Don’t be fooled into thinking that sports drinks are healthier than water. It’s not and it will never be. Sports drinks contain a cocktail of artificial flavors and colors. A bottle of Gatorade packs 30 grams of sugar. Sports drinks are designed for athletes who are into intense training, not for regular folks who stay in the gym for a maximum of 2 hours. Unless you’re training for the NBA or the NFL, you’re better off drinking water after working out.

Flavored Water

Just like sports drinks, flavored water is loaded with artificial flavors and colors. It’s also packed with sugars. You are better off drinking plain water. Some flavored water uses aspartame, neotame, acesulfame-K, saccharin and sucralose as sweeteners. These artificial sugars can cause neurological disorders, cancer, and other chronic diseases.