Water is the best thing you can drink, but it’s far from the only healthy option. A healthy adult needs roughly 11.5 to 15.5 cups of total fluid per day (the higher end for men, the lower for women), and that includes fluid from food and every type of beverage. The good news is you have a wide range of choices beyond plain water, each with its own benefits and trade-offs worth knowing about.
Water and How Much You Actually Need
Plain water has no calories, no sugar, and no downsides. It’s the baseline. Most people don’t need to obsess over hitting an exact number of cups, because thirst is a reliable guide for healthy adults. If your urine is pale yellow, you’re generally well hydrated.
Sparkling water and mineral water count the same as still water. The carbonation doesn’t dehydrate you or harm your bones. Just check the label on flavored sparkling waters for added sugars or citric acid, which can wear down tooth enamel over time. Any beverage with a pH below about 5.5 starts to soften enamel, and many flavored fizzy waters fall in that range.
Coffee and Tea
Coffee and tea are two of the most widely consumed drinks on the planet, and both are genuinely good for you when you skip the sugar. Coffee contains antioxidant compounds like chlorogenic acid that have anti-inflammatory effects. Green tea is rich in a similar class of protective compounds, the most potent being one that acts as a powerful antioxidant and helps reduce inflammation at the cellular level.
One large study of people with type 2 diabetes found that drinking four or more cups of green tea daily was associated with a 40% lower risk of dying from any cause, while two or more cups of coffee per day showed a similar reduction. People who drank both saw even larger benefits, with the combination linked to a 63% lower mortality risk compared to drinking neither.
Caffeine is the main thing to watch. The FDA considers up to 400 milligrams per day safe for most adults, which works out to roughly two to three 12-ounce cups of brewed coffee. Beyond that, you’re more likely to experience jitteriness, disrupted sleep, or a racing heart. Toxic effects can occur at around 1,200 milligrams consumed rapidly, so concentrated caffeine powders and supplements deserve real caution. Pregnant women and people on certain medications may need to stay well below the 400-milligram ceiling.
Herbal teas (chamomile, peppermint, rooibos) are caffeine-free and hydrating. They won’t deliver the same antioxidant punch as green tea or coffee, but they’re a solid option if you’re sensitive to caffeine or drinking in the evening.
Milk and Plant-Based Alternatives
Cow’s milk delivers about 33 grams of protein per liter and roughly 1,120 milligrams of calcium, making it one of the most nutrient-dense drinks available. If you tolerate dairy, it’s a strong choice for bone health and satiety.
Plant milks vary dramatically in nutritional quality. Soy milk is the closest match to cow’s milk, with nearly 38 grams of protein per liter and about 840 milligrams of calcium (most of it fortified). Oat milk, despite its popularity, contains only about 5 grams of protein per liter and has a surprisingly high glucose content, around 33 grams per liter, because the manufacturing process breaks oat starches into simple sugars. Almond milk is low in calories but also low in protein (about 10 grams per liter) and calcium unless fortified. Rice and spelt milks are the lowest in protein and highest in simple sugars of any plant option.
If you’re choosing a plant milk as your primary milk replacement, soy is the strongest nutritional pick. For any other type, look for versions fortified with calcium and vitamin D, and check the sugar content on the label.
Sugary Drinks and Juice
Soda, sweetened iced tea, energy drinks, and most bottled smoothies are the biggest sources of added sugar in the average diet. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day for men and 25 grams for women. A single 12-ounce can of cola contains about 39 grams, blowing past both limits in one serving.
Fruit juice is trickier. It contains vitamins and some beneficial plant compounds, but it also delivers a concentrated hit of sugar without the fiber that slows absorption when you eat whole fruit. A small glass (about 4 to 6 ounces) of 100% juice is reasonable. Drinking it by the pint puts you in soda territory for sugar impact. Juice is also quite acidic: orange juice has a pH around 3.7, well below the 5.5 threshold where tooth enamel starts to break down. Cola sits even lower at 2.2.
Diet Drinks and Artificial Sweeteners
Zero-calorie sodas and drinks sweetened with sugar substitutes won’t spike your blood sugar the way regular soda does, but they come with their own uncertainties. Animal studies have repeatedly shown that artificial sweeteners can shift the balance of gut bacteria, reducing beneficial strains and encouraging harmful ones. Human studies show milder or less consistent effects, but the picture isn’t reassuring either.
The World Health Organization has advised against relying on artificial sweeteners for weight control or disease prevention, citing possible links to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems with long-term use. An occasional diet soda is unlikely to cause harm, but treating it as your primary beverage all day, every day, is a bet without clear evidence of safety.
Electrolyte and Sports Drinks
Most people don’t need sports drinks. Plain water is sufficient for any exercise lasting less than 90 minutes. Beyond that threshold, especially during prolonged endurance activity, a drink containing electrolytes and some carbohydrates helps maintain energy and replace the sodium you lose through sweat.
Commercial sports drinks have a pH around 3.3, making them nearly as erosive to teeth as soda. They also contain added sugar. If you’re just going for a 30-minute jog or sitting at a desk, water (or water with a pinch of salt if you’ve been sweating heavily in heat) is all you need. Save the sports drinks for genuinely long or intense workouts, or for the first few days of exercising in hot weather when your body hasn’t yet adapted to the heat.
Fermented Drinks
Kombucha and kefir are the two most popular fermented beverages. Both contain live bacteria that can benefit your gut. Kombucha harbors probiotic strains that have been shown to support digestive health and help your body absorb certain plant-based antioxidants more effectively. Kefir, made from fermented milk (or coconut water in dairy-free versions), tends to deliver a wider variety of bacterial strains and is one of the richest probiotic foods available.
The catch with commercial kombucha is sugar. Many brands add juice or sugar after fermentation, pushing the sugar content to 10 or more grams per bottle. Check labels and aim for versions with under 5 grams per serving. Homemade kombucha carries a small risk of contamination if brewed improperly, so stick with reputable brands or follow careful sanitation practices if you brew your own.
Alcohol
Moderate drinking is defined as two drinks or fewer per day for men and one drink or fewer per day for women, according to the CDC. A “drink” means 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. Staying within those limits is associated with lower risk than heavy drinking, but recent evidence has steadily chipped away at the idea that moderate alcohol has meaningful health benefits. The safest amount for overall health is none.
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine output and can contribute to dehydration. It also disrupts sleep quality even when it helps you fall asleep faster. If you do drink, alternating alcoholic beverages with water helps offset the fluid loss and slows your overall intake.