Beverages

FAQ
Water intake recommendations vary depending on birth sex, body weight, your overall diet quality, activity level, and life stage. Speak to a healthcare professional about what a healthy water intake looks like for you.
100 percent fruit juices can provide vitamins and minerals. However, many products are high in natural sugars, with manufacturing processes that strip away nutrients like fiber that are present in whole fruits. Consume them in moderation.
Many teas contain different antioxidants and plant compounds that provide various health benefits. For example, green tea may support better heart health and reduce type 2 diabetes risk, and ginger tea may relieve nausea.
Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant that is absorbed into the bloodstream before reaching the central nervous system and increasing activity. This can improve alertness and energy levels, but too much might cause insomnia, nervousness, stomach upset, rapid heartbeat, or tremors.
Sugary drinks are among the least healthy beverages and may contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and heart disease development, increasing your risk of early death. Consider alternatives like seltzer with fruit or home-flavored water.

Reyna Franco, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.
In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.
Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

Justin Laube, MD
Medical Reviewer
Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.
He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.
He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.
Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.

Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN
Medical Reviewer
Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Her experience includes corporate wellness, teaching for the American College of Sports Medicine, sports nutrition, weight management, integrative medicine, oncology support, and dialysis.
She earned her master's in exercise and nutrition science at Lipscomb University.
Andrew has served as a president and board member of the Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was recently elected a co-chair of the fitness and medicine group in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Melissa Sleight, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Sleight earned her bachelor's in nutrition and food science from Utah State University. She is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition group for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is involved at the local level as the president-elect of Magic Valley Dietitians and is a liaison for her community as a board member of the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She likes to cook and try new recipes, and loves water activities of all kinds — from paddleboards to hot tubs. She enjoys exploring the outdoors through hiking, on all-terrain vehicles, and camping.

Beth Biggee, MD
Medical Reviewer
Beth Biggee, MD, is medical director and an integrative rheumatologist at Rheumission, a virtual integrative rheumatology practice for people residing in California and Pennsylvania. This first-of-its-kind company offers whole person autoimmune care by a team of integrative rheumatologists, lifestyle medicine practitioners, autoimmune dietitians, psychologists, and care coordinators.
Dr. Biggee also works as a healthcare wellness consultant for Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, Massachusetts. Teamed with Synergy, she provides in-person lifestyle medicine and holistic consults, and contributes to employee workplace wellness programs. She has over 20 years of experience in rheumatology and holds board certifications in rheumatology and integrative and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Biggee brings a human-centered approach to wellness rather than focusing solely on diseases.
Dr. Biggee graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Canisius College, and graduated magna cum laude and as valedictorian from SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, completed her fellowship in rheumatology at Tufts–New England Medical Center, and completed training in integrative rheumatology at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Following her training, she attained board certification in rheumatology and internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, attained board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties, and attained accreditation as a certified lifestyle medicine physician through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is certified in Helms auricular acupuncture and is currently completing coursework for the Aloha Ayurveda integrative medicine course for physicians.
In prior roles, Dr. Biggee taught as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (an affiliate of Columbia University). She was also clinical associate of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and instructed "introduction to clinical medicine" for medical students at Tufts. She was preceptor for the Lawrence General Hospital Family Medicine Residency.
Dr. Biggee has published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis in Rheumatism, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, Journal for Musculoskeletal Medicine, Medicine and Health Rhode Island, and Field Guide to Internal Medicine.

Allison Buttarazzi, MD
Medical Reviewer
Allison Buttarazzi, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine, and is a certified health and well-being coach. In her primary care practice, Dr. Buttarazzi focuses on lifestyle medicine to help her patients improve their health and longevity, and her passion is helping patients prevent and reverse chronic diseases (like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes) by improving their lifestyle habits.
She is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and completed a residency at Maine Medical Center. Diagnosed with celiac disease during medical school, she realized the power of improving one's health through diet and lifestyle habits, which she later incorporated into her practice.

Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES
Medical Reviewer
Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She completed requirements to become a registered dietitian at Valparaiso University in 1987 and completed a dietetic internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois, in 1988.
Lynn brings her expertise in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change to her work in helping people reach their individual health and fitness goals. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, she has also written for websites and publications like Food and Health Communications, Today's Dietitian, iVillage.com, and Rodale Press. She has a passion for healthy, nutrient-dense, great-tasting food and for being outdoors as much as possible — she can often be found running or hiking, and has completed a marathon in every state.

Tara Collingwood, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Tara Collingwood, RDN, is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, an American College of Sports Medicine–certified personal trainer, and a media spokesperson. As a sports dietitian, she has worked with the U.S. Tennis Association, the Orlando Magic, World Wrestling Entertainment, runDisney, the University of Central Florida, and numerous professional and amateur athletes. Collingwood is the author of Pregnancy Cooking and Nutrition for Dummies and a coauthor of the Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies.
She appears regularly on national and local TV, and speaks around the world to business teams on how to manage energy physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She previously served as a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Collingwood double-majored in dietetics as well as nutrition, fitness, and health at Purdue University and earned a master's degree in health promotion from Purdue University.

Andra Picincu, CN, CPT
Medical Reviewer

Jennifer Frediani, PhD, RD
Medical Reviewer
Jennifer K. Frediani, PhD, RD, ACSM-CES, is a nutrition scientist, exercise physiologist, and registered dietitian with over two decades of experience in clinical research, education, and lifestyle intervention. She's an assistant professor, research track, at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, adjunct faculty in the nutrition and health sciences program at the Rollins School of Public Health, and a member of the Winship Cancer Institute.
Dr. Frediani earned her PhD in nutrition science from Emory University, and a master’s in exercise science and a bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics from Georgia State University. Her doctoral research focused on body composition and dietary assessment among tuberculosis patients in the Republic of Georgia, and her postdoctoral work explored nutritional influences on pediatric liver disease.
She has published widely in journals such as Nature Scientific Reports, The New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, and Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.
At Emory, she directs adult clinical studies for the NIH RADx initiative, overseeing trials on novel diagnostics for infectious diseases. She also leads the development of Emory’s fully online master of science in clinical nutrition program, designed to prepare future registered dietitian nutritionists through integrated coursework and supervised experiential learning.
Her research focuses on weight-neutral lifestyle interventions to improve cardiometabolic outcomes, with a special emphasis on dietary assessment, physical activity, and metabolomics.
Frediani’s teaching philosophy centers on creating inclusive, student-driven learning environments that foster critical thinking and professional growth. She is passionate about reducing weight stigma in clinical care and promoting sustainable, individualized approaches to food and movement.
Outside of work, Frediani is an avid runner and food enthusiast who travels the world to explore culinary traditions and cultural foodways. She believes that everyone deserves to enjoy food that nourishes both body and soul — without shame or restriction.

Simran Malhotra, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Malhotra completed her internal medicine residency at Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center, where she also served as chief resident in 2015. She completed her fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2016. She was named Top Doc in Palliative Medicine in 2019 and 2020 by Baltimore Magazine.
On a personal note, she is a BRCA1 previvor with a strong family history of breast and female reproductive cancers, and underwent a risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy and total hysterectomy in 2020 at 32 years old. After learning about her own genetic risk of cancer, and grounded in her professional experiences in palliative care, she founded Wellness By LifestyleMD, a platform where she works with and educates women at high risk for cancer with or without genetic mutations on the powerful impact that positive lifestyle changes can have on their quality of life and even longevity.
In addition to being a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, she completed the T. Colin Campbell plant-based nutrition certification in 2019, the CHEF culinary coaching certification in 2020, and the WellCoaches health and wellness coaching certification in 2022. She is a member of the ACLM women’s health member interest group and serves as the co-chair of the breast cancer subcommittee.
Malhotra has been featured on several blogs and podcasts, where she has shared her unique perspectives and experiences from palliative care as well as from being a genetic mutation carrier who is passionate about using lifestyle as medicine.

Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, IFNCP, RYT-200
Medical Reviewer
Monique Richard is an award-winning registered and licensed dietitian-nutritionist (RDN, LDN) and nationally recognized nutrition expert who brings a deeply integrative, person-centered lens to nutrition and lifestyle medicine. She is the owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, a private practice providing personalized nutrition counseling, media communications, and consulting.
Monique holds a master of science (MS) in clinical nutrition with a minor in psychology, is an Integrative and functional nutrition certified practitioner (IFNCP), and a registered yoga teacher (RYT), offering a uniquely holistic approach to health and healing.
Monique serves as faculty at the University of Western States (UWS), where she teaches a class on success and sustainability in private practice to doctoral students in UWS’s doctor of clinical nutrition (DCN) program. She has worked in outpatient primary care settings serving individuals and families across the lifespan and health spectrum and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and media contributor. She is a former national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and completed a fellowship with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation developing a first-ever advanced training program in integrative and functional nutrition.
Her passion for food security, sustainability, sharing food stories, and preserving cultural heritage have led to professional contributions that have included international teaching, public health outreach, and academic presentations in Haiti, Egypt, China, India, Italy, and Israel. She has held numerous leadership roles in a variety of professional, nonprofit and public health organizations.
Serving as a past president of the International Affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (IAAND), Monique continues to lead and advocate across clinical, academic, and media spaces, striving to make evidence-based, practice-informed nutrition accessible, engaging, and actionable for all.

Roxana Ehsani, RD
Medical Reviewer
Roxana Ehsani, RD, is a Miami-based licensed dietitian-nutritionist, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, and media spokesperson, consultant, and content creator for food and nutrition brands. She is an adjunct instructor for sports nutrition at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Ehsani appears as a food and nutrition expert for television stations across the nation and in national publications, including Runner's World, Women's Health, Glamour, and more, and is a contributing writer for EatingWell. She has a strong background in sports nutrition and has worked with professional, Olympic, collegiate, and high school teams and individual athletes, whom she sees through her private practice.

Kay Peck, MPH, RD, CDCES
Medical Reviewer

Kelly Kennedy, RDN, LDN
Medical Reviewer
Kelly Kennedy is a licensed dietitian-nutritionist with over 14 years of experience in digital media. She previously managed and oversaw nutrition content, recipe development, meal planning, and diet and nutrition coaching at Everyday Health. She developed and reviewed various meal plans, books, slideshows, and online tools, and oversaw the creation of more than 500 unique recipes. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master's degree from the State University of New York College at Oneonta.
Kennedy enjoys anything that takes her outside, from gardening and playing in the yard with her kids to hiking and even feeding her pet chickens.

Claudia Thompson, PhD, RD
Medical Reviewer

Kirsten Nunez, M.S.
Medical Reviewer

Anna L. Goldman, MD
Medical Reviewer
Anna L. Goldman, MD, is a board-certified endocrinologist. She teaches first year medical students at Harvard Medical School and practices general endocrinology in Boston.
Dr. Goldman attended college at Wesleyan University and then completed her residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she was also a chief resident. She moved to Boston to do her fellowship in endocrinology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She joined the faculty after graduation and served as the associate program director for the fellowship program for a number of years.
Beza Tekola, MD
Medical Reviewer

Bronte Yang, DO
Medical Reviewer

Grant Chu, MD
Medical Reviewer
Grant Chu, MD, is an assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Chu is also the associate director of education at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, using technology to further medical education.
He is board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a diplomate of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
He received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Brown University, where he also earned his medical degree. He has a master's in acupuncture and oriental medicine from South Baylo University and a master's in business administration from the University of Illinois. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles and a fellowship at the Center for East-West Medicine at UCLA.
He has held academic appointments at the University of California in Irvine and the University of Queensland in Australia.

Julie Cunningham, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES
Medical Reviewer
Julie Cunningham has been a registered dietitian for more than 25 years. She is a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES) and an international board-certified lactation consultant. She has served as the president of the Foothills Chapter of the North Carolina Dietetics Association (NCDA) and has been a member of the executive board of the NCDA.
Ms. Cunningham received a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. She subsequently completed a master's degree in public health nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ms. Cunningham has worked in women's and children's health, cardiology, and diabetes. She is the author of 30 Days to Tame Type 2 Diabetes, and she has also written for Abbott Nutrition News, Edgepark Medical Health Insights, diaTribe, Babylist, and others.
A resident of beautiful western North Carolina, Cunningham is an avid reader who enjoys yoga, travel, and all things chocolate.

Janet Renee, MS, RD
Medical Reviewer

Sylvie Tremblay, MSc
Medical Reviewer

Michelle Seguin, MD
Medical Reviewer
Michelle Seguin, MD, is a board-certified family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and certified functional medicine physician (IFMCP). She is a practicing physician at Root Functional Medicine, a leading telemedicine practice specializing in personalized, root-cause care.

Lauren Armstrong, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Lauren is a Registered Dietitian with over 6 years of experience in the field. She has experience in food service management, nutrition counseling, and WIC. Lauren graduated from Western Michigan University and completed her dietetic internship at Michigan State University. You can see her writing work at www.laurenarmstrongrdn.com

Kayli Anderson, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.
Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.
Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.
She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.
- Healthy Drinks. Harvard Nutrition Source.
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