There are many choices of beverages for quenching our thirst and accompanying our meals and snacks. Are some better than others? How much liquid should we drink each day?

For years we’ve been told to drink eight glasses of water every day. Now research published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds little evidence to back this. The research also found that this amount of water does not improve skin tone, suppress appetite or clear toxins from our body. 

However, the recommendation from the Institute of Medicine is for people to get about 11 cups of a variety of fluids each day. There may be some circumstances where this amount may need to be increased: living in hot, dry climates; being an athlete; having diarrhea or vomiting; or eating a high protein or high fiber diet. 

Notice that the recommendation is for 11 glasses of fluid. That means we have a choice of the kinds of liquids we wish to drink. The amount also takes into account the liquid in food. 

To provide consumers with help selecting beverages, the Beverage Guidance Panel was formed and they developed the Beverage Guidance System to rank beverages according to their health and nutritional benefit. The following ranking, in order of importance, resulted: water, tea and coffee, nonfat milk and soy beverages, calorie free sweetened beverages, fruit and vegetable juices, whole milk, alcohol, sports drinks and sugar sweetened drinks without much nutritional benefit. Let’s look at each.

Water

As the preferred beverage, the Panel recommends that everyone drink from 20-50 fl oz/day (2.5-6 eight oz glasses).  Water is necessary for normal functioning of the body.  It is very safe, has no harmful health effects and, as pure water, has no calories. 

Tea and Coffee

Perhaps you are surprised to see these in the number two spot.  However, since the Panel gives a recommended range of 0-40 fl oz/d, you don’t need to learn to like either one if you don’t drink them! They rank so high because by themselves they are calorie free and have been found to provide some benefits. 

Reduced Fat Milk and Soy Beverages

Non-fat and low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt drinks and fortified soy beverages are excellent sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein. Calcium and vitamin D are important for bone health. Other benefits provided by vitamin D are a current hot topic in nutrition research.  Women in their Fabulous 50s and older should strive to include three cups per day. 

Noncalorically Sweetened Beverages

These are better known as diet sodas and other diet drinks. They are sweetened with an artificial sweetener like aspartame (Equal) or sucralose (Splenda). There isn’t any evidence that they are harmful. There is some evidence, however, that they may cause a greater preference for sweetness. The Panel suggests 0-32 fl oz/d.

Beverages with calories and some nutrients

This category includes 100% fruit juices and vegetable juices. Fruit juices are great sources of nutrients but they quickly add up in calories. Thus a maximum intake of 8 fl oz per day is suggested. Their other disadvantage is that they do not provide fiber and other benefits of whole fruit. Vegetable juices are lower in calories but they often are high in sodium. 

Whole Milk

Whole milk is not recommended because it is high in saturated fat which increases the cholesterol level in the blood. It is also almost 100 calories higher per cup than skim milk.

Sports Drinks

Most of the calories in sports drinks come from sugar. Small amounts of sodium and potassium are added to help during endurance activities. Use them when participating in events like marathons and long distance bicycling.

Alcohol

Alcohol does have health benefits (yeah!). However, it is also associated with health and social problems when used in excess. The recommended amount for women is one drink (12 fl oz of beer, 5 fl oz of wine or 1.5 fl oz of distilled spirits). 

Calorically Sweetened Beverages

This includes regular sodas and fruit drinks that are sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. These liquids provide calories but little else. They have been linked to tooth decay, excess calorie intake, weight gain and type 2 diabetes. The panel recommends 0-8 fl oz daily. 

The Panel recommends that your total fluid intake for the day should be about 100 fl oz or 12 cups. To arrive at that total, they suggest 20-50 fl oz of water. The remaining fluid recommendation can be obtained from water or a combination of the following:  black coffee or tea (0-40 fl oz), low-fat milk or yogurt drinks or soy beverages (0-24 fl oz), zero calorie sweetened drinks (0-32 fl oz), 100% fruit or vegetable juice (0-8 fl oz), sports drinks (0-8 fl oz), alcohol (0-1 drink) and regular sweetened drinks (0-8 fl oz). 

Pick your beverages wisely!