What's the Healthiest Drink to Consume?

November 24, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking enough water is crucial for regulating body temperature, preventing infections, and keeping organs functioning properly. This essential fact is the starting point for answering the question: what's the healthiest drink to consume? While the answer is often simple, the nuances of other healthy beverage options are important for a comprehensive understanding of proper hydration.

Quick Summary

This article explains why water is the healthiest beverage choice and explores other nutritious alternatives. It highlights the benefits of green tea, milk, and smoothies while outlining which drinks to limit or avoid due to high sugar and calorie content.

Key Points

Plain Water: The absolute healthiest drink to consume, offering calorie-free hydration essential for all bodily functions.
Unsweetened Tea and Coffee: Provide beneficial antioxidants and may reduce the risk of certain diseases when consumed in moderation.
Low-Fat Milk and Fortified Alternatives: Are excellent sources of protein, calcium, and vitamin D for bone health and muscle support.
Smart Smoothie and Juice Choices: Homemade smoothies and small portions of 100% juice offer vitamins and fiber but should be consumed in moderation.
Avoid Sugary Drinks: Soft drinks, energy drinks, and other sweetened beverages provide empty calories and are detrimental to health.
Hydrate Consistently: Drinking regularly throughout the day is more effective than drinking large amounts at once for maintaining optimal hydration.

The Undisputed Champion: Plain Water

For most people, plain tap water is the single healthiest beverage you can consume. It is zero-calorie, hydrating, and essential for virtually every bodily function, from regulating temperature to lubricating joints and delivering nutrients to cells. Water is widely available, affordable, and contains no additives, making it the perfect choice for quenching thirst. Choosing water over sugary alternatives can significantly reduce your daily calorie intake and support weight management.

Weight management: Drinking water can help you feel full, potentially reducing overall calorie consumption.
Improved organ function: Proper hydration ensures your kidneys can effectively flush toxins and waste from the body.
Enhanced cognitive function: Studies show that even mild dehydration can impair concentration and mood, while proper hydration can boost brain function.

Other Healthy Hydration Options

While water reigns supreme, several other beverages offer nutritional benefits and can contribute to your daily fluid intake. It's important to consume these options mindfully, without excessive added sugars or fats.

Tea and Coffee

Unsweetened tea and coffee are excellent choices, offering health benefits due to their rich antioxidant content.

Green Tea: Packed with polyphenols, green tea can help prevent cell damage and inflammation. Research suggests it may lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Black Tea: Like green tea, black tea is rich in antioxidants. For most adults, moderate consumption of black or green tea (around 4–5 cups per day) is considered healthy.
Coffee: Moderate coffee consumption (3–5 cups per day) has been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and heart disease. However, adding excessive cream and sugar can negate these benefits.

Milk and Alternatives

Milk provides a powerhouse of nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, and protein, important for strong bones and muscles.

Low-Fat Dairy Milk: Choosing low-fat or skim options reduces saturated fat content while providing essential vitamins.
Fortified Plant-Based Milks: For those who avoid dairy, unsweetened and fortified soy, almond, and oat milks are good alternatives. Look for options with added calcium and vitamin D.

Nutrient-Dense Juices and Smoothies

While whole fruit is always preferable for its fiber content, some juices and homemade smoothies can be nutritious additions when consumed sparingly.

100% Fruit or Vegetable Juice: Limit intake to one small glass (150ml) per day to avoid excess sugar consumption.
Homemade Smoothies: Creating your own smoothies allows you to control the ingredients. Include greens, fruits, nuts, and seeds for a fiber-rich, nutrient-dense drink.

Comparing Healthy Drink Options

To help you make the best choice, here is a comparison of some of the healthiest beverages available:


Feature	Plain Water	Unsweetened Tea/Coffee	Low-Fat Milk	Homemade Smoothie
Calories	0	0 (before additives)	Low	Varies (depending on ingredients)
Nutrients	None	Antioxidants	Calcium, Vitamin D, Protein	Fiber, Vitamins, Minerals
Hydration	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Good
Cost	Very low	Low	Moderate	Moderate to high
Best For	Daily hydration, weight loss	Antioxidant boost	Bone health, protein intake	Nutrient boost, satiety

The Drinks to Limit or Avoid

To maximize your health, it is just as important to know what to limit as it is to know what to consume. Sugary beverages, in particular, should be avoided.

Sugary Soft Drinks: These offer no nutritional value and are loaded with empty calories. Regular consumption is linked to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Energy Drinks: Often high in sugar and excessive caffeine, energy drinks can cause heart rhythm problems, anxiety, and sleep issues.
Fruit Drinks with Added Sugar: Unlike 100% juice, these are essentially sugar water with minimal nutritional content.
Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to dehydration and long-term health risks. It should be consumed in moderation, if at all.

Conclusion

When asking what's the healthiest drink to consume, the answer is unequivocally plain water. For most daily activities, it provides perfect, zero-calorie hydration. However, there is a place for other healthy beverages in a balanced diet, such as unsweetened tea, coffee, low-fat milk, and nutritious homemade smoothies. The key is to avoid drinks with added sugar and unnecessary calories, focusing on choices that support overall health and hydration. By prioritizing water and making smart choices with other beverages, you can significantly improve your wellness and energy levels.

For more detailed nutritional guidelines from a leading source, you can review the advice on healthy beverages from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health(https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/healthy-drinks/).

Best Practices for Hydration

Incorporating healthy beverages into your daily routine is a simple way to boost your health.

Carry a reusable water bottle to ensure you always have access to water.
Flavor plain water naturally with slices of lemon, cucumber, or berries.
Monitor your urine color, which should be pale yellow, as a simple indicator of your hydration status.
Drink regularly throughout the day, especially during hot weather or when exercising, rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, unsweetened sparkling water is a healthy alternative to still water, as it is calorie-free and just as hydrating. However, you should check the label to ensure it doesn't contain added sugars or sodium.

The amount varies based on age, activity level, and environment, but a general guideline is around 8 glasses (roughly 2 liters). Listening to your body and checking your urine color can help you determine your specific needs.

While diet sodas are calorie-free, they are not necessarily a healthy alternative. Some research suggests artificial sweeteners may lead to health problems or trick the body into craving more calories. It is best to transition towards water and unsweetened beverages.

Yes, herbal teas are a caffeine-free way to contribute to your daily fluid intake. They are also often rich in antioxidants and offer various health benefits depending on the type.

100% fruit juice can provide vitamins, but it contains natural sugars and lacks the fiber of whole fruit. It's recommended to limit intake to one small 150ml glass per day and prioritize eating whole fruits instead.

For most people, sports drinks are unnecessary. Their electrolytes and sugars are designed for high-intensity, long-duration exercise. For typical workouts, water is sufficient for rehydration.

Low-fat milk is an excellent post-workout option as it provides electrolytes, protein, and carbohydrates to support muscle repair and rehydration. Water is still a great choice for less intense exercise.