Nutritious Drinks: Summer Drinks That Feed Your Health
When summer hits, what you drink matters just as much as what you eat – especially if you’re looking to support your energy, digestion and mood.
In this guide, we’ll explore nutritious drinks that do more than hydrate – they feed your health. From mushroom elixirs and fermented kefir to protein-rich smoothies, you’ll learn what’s really inside the bottle and why it matters.
Part 1
Why What You Drink Really Matters
What you drink matters
The idea of nourishing drinks isn’t new – but it’s often overshadowed by quick-fix smoothies or trendy bottled teas. Many traditional and functional drinks are incredibly rich in health-supportive compounds.
Hydration is important year-round, but summer provides the perfect opportunity to combine hydration with nutrient delivery. That’s why this post borrows inspiration from Nutrition and Hydration Week, a UK initiative that highlights how quality nutrition and fluid intake impact recovery and wellbeing. But this isn’t just for hospitals and care homes – it matters every day.
So instead of asking “what should I drink instead of coke?”, we’re asking a better question:
What can I drink that actually improves my health?
More Than Just Hydration
Drinks aren’t just about quenching thirst – they influence everything from blood sugar and gut bacteria to appetite and mood. Some drinks nourish and stabilise. Others overstimulate, dehydrate or deplete.
Common pitfalls in everyday drinks
Let’s take three common examples:
- A flavoured iced coffee may give a morning buzz – but often comes with added sugars, emulsifiers and caffeine highs that crash by midday
- Fruit juices and smoothies can be heavy on fruit sugars, offering little fibre or fat to slow down absorption
- Fizzy vitamin drinks may seem helpful, but often contain artificial sweeteners or colours that disrupt digestion for some people
When you start viewing drinks as part of your overall nutrition – not a separate category – it becomes easier to spot what helps and what hinders.
Part 2
Drinks That Nourish – Not Just Hydrate
How To Spot A Truly Nutritious Drink
A nutritious drink doesn’t need to be perfect – it just needs to give more than it takes. That means drinks that hydrate, nourish and regulate rather than spike, stimulate or bloat.
Here’s what to look for:
- Low or no added sugar – ideally less than 5g per 100ml
- Functional nutrients like protein, probiotics, electrolytes or polyphenols
- Minimal additives – avoid emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners and excessive preservatives
- Real ingredients you recognise and trust
- Satisfaction – a feeling of calm, steadiness or satiety afterward
You want drinks that leave you feeling supported, not chasing another one.
Medicinal Mushroom Elixirs
Although you may be more familiar with mushrooms in stews or supplements, medicinal mushrooms can also be brewed as teas, tinctures or infusions – and they’re one of the most powerful examples of nutritious drinks available.
What makes them so effective?
Mushrooms contain a wide range of health-promoting compounds including:
- Polysaccharides
- Vitamins (C, E, folates)
- Alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolics
- Organic acids, terpenoids and enzymes [1]
In previous posts, we’ve explored reishi, lion’s mane, shiitake and cordyceps – each with its own strengths. Together, they support sleep, stress resilience, digestive balance, energy and focus.
If you’d like a gentle introduction to these, start with an iced mushroom tea or tincture sweetened with honey. The result? A summer drink that’s relaxing, fortifying and surprisingly delicious.
Kombucha & Water Kefir
Bubbly, tangy and naturally refreshing, kombucha and kefir are fantastic summer drinks – and they support one of your body’s most vital systems: the gut microbiome.
When brewed properly, these fermented drinks contain beneficial bacteria and yeasts that contribute to a balanced gut ecosystem.
What’s the benefit of balanced gut health?
A healthy microbiome helps:
- Support your immune system
- Improve nutrient absorption
- Regulate inflammation
- Enhance digestion
In one study, daily kefir consumption helped reduce constipation and reliance on laxatives [2] – just one example of how fermented drinks can support everyday wellbeing.
Protein Shakes
A homemade protein shake isn’t just a post-gym snack – it can be a complete summer meal in a glass. Especially if you’re navigating a busy day, managing weight, or want something lighter during hayfever season (when reducing dairy can help).
What’s inside a nutritious protein shake?
- Milk or plant mylk (like goat’s milk, or almond, oat or hemp)
- Vegetables (courgette, avocado, spinach)
- Fruit (berries, plums, lime)
- Nuts and seeds (cashew, sunflower)
- Protein powder (ideally unflavoured)
This combination gives you a complete protein – all 22 amino acids your body needs to build over 2 million different proteins. These proteins:
- Strengthen your skin, hair and connective tissue
- Support your immune system
- Regulate mood and sleep
- Help maintain blood pressure and body weight
So if you’re looking for something cooling, light and nourishing on a warm day – you don’t need to reach for a juice or soda. Try something that actually feeds you.
Try these balanced protein shakes
Your microbiome is like your internal garden – fermented drinks help keep it in bloom
Part 3
When Drinks Work Against You
Are Your Drinks Working Against You?
If you often rely on fizzy drinks, sweet iced coffees or ‘hydrating’ energy boosters to keep going, you’re not alone – but it may be time to reassess. Many women in midlife notice subtle signs that their current drinks aren’t supporting them.
Look out for:
- Energy dips mid-morning or mid-afternoon
- Feeling bloated or sluggish after certain drinks
- Interrupted sleep or restlessness at night
- Strong sugar or caffeine cravings late in the day
- Peeing too frequently without actually feeling hydrated
If these sound familiar, your drinks might be doing more harm than help.
Mushroom elixirs are where hydration meets adaptogenic support – and they can taste as good as they feel.
Drinks That Drain Your Energy
When it’s hot outside, fizzy sodas, iced teas or “zero-cal” drinks can seem like a quick fix. But these often fall into the category of depletive drinks – providing hydration on the surface but stripping your body of vital support underneath.
Sugar: More Than Just Empty Calories
Natural sugars (from fruits or milk) are useful in moderation – they feed your brain, liver and heart.
But added sugars (like glucose, sucrose and fructose) are more problematic. They’re often used in commercial drinks as preservatives, binders or flavour enhancers.
Back in 2015, Popkin and Hawkes reported that 74% of supermarket foods in the US contained added sugar [3].
Excessive sugar intake is linked with:
- Increased hunger and calorie intake [4]
- Weight gain and higher diabetes risk [5]
- Disrupted hunger cues and insulin resistance
And here’s the kicker: carbohydrates are not essential. You could technically live without them, but your body cannot function without essential fats and proteins.
Artificial Sweeteners: Not As Innocent As They Seem
Aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame K – these sugar-free additives are popular but can have lasting effects.
Research shows that artificial sweeteners can:
- Alter gut microbiota [6]
- Raise triglyceride and insulin levels
- Contribute to liver inflammation [7]
It pays to pay attention.
How often do you see product packaging blazing claims of ‘Sugar Free!!’
It’s frustrating how often you have to double-check the label – just to find out what’s really inside.
The Bottom Line
Not all drinks are created equal. While it’s tempting to reach for a cold soda or iced tea, many of these actually deplete your nutrient reserves or stress your gut. Nutritious drinks, on the other hand, can hydrate, energise and reinforce your health – all at once.
From medicinal mushroom teas to fermented kefir and homemade protein shakes, there are better options waiting in your kitchen. Now that the warm weather is here, it’s the perfect time to explore them.
Think of your summer drinks as daily allies – not just refreshments, but reinforcements.
[2] Turan et al (2014) Effects of a kefir supplement on symptoms, colonic transit, and bowel satisfaction score in patients with chronic constipation: a pilot study/p>
[3] Popkin & Hawkes (2015) Sweetening of the global diet, particularly beverages: Patterns, trends, and policy responses/p>
[4] Luo et al (2015) Differential effects of fructose versus glucose on brain and appetitive responses to food cues and decisions for food rewards/p>
[5] Malik et al (2013) Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis/p>
[6] Abou-Donia et al (2008) Splenda alters gut microflora and increases intestinal p-glycoprotein and cytochrome p-450 in male rats/p>
[7] Nakanishi et al (2008) Monosodium glutamate (MSG): a villain and promoter of liver inflammation and dysplasia/p>
Sebastian Coman, Chi Chen, Shannon Milling, LYFE fuel at Unsplash.com.
Which of these nutritious drinks will you try first – a mushroom elixir, a zingy kombucha or a creamy shake?
Have you found a favourite combo that works for your energy or digestion?
Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear what’s in your glass
NUTRITIOUS DRINKS THAT FEED YOUR HEALTH
An Elixir of Medicinal Mushrooms
Although you might think of mushrooms as food, or find them in your health store as supplements, it’s actually possible to drink them on a daily basis. Mushrooms may be prepared as teas (stewed in hot water for a few minutes) or infusions (long-brewed teas). They may even be made into tinctures, which use alcohol instead of water to extract their active compounds. Sweetening these tinctures, with honey or stevia, can make them much more palatable. In fact, this is how you make an elixir.
Mushrooms contain a plethora of bioactive compounds, including the more familiar fats, proteins, polysaccharides minerals and vitamins (ascorbic acids, folates, tocopherols), as well as alkaloids, carotenoids, enzymes, flavonoids, lectins, organic acids, phenolics, polyglycosides, terpenoids and volatile oils [1]. These are all made available when you drink a mushroom elixir. In a previous blog you were introduced to 4 of the medicinal mushrooms: shitake, reishi, cordyceps and lion’s mane. Some of their health benefits include better digestive health, improved sleep and relaxation, increased stamina, attention and focus [1].
Read here for an overview of 4 medicinal mushrooms to boost your energy and maximise your focus.
Kombucha and Water Kefir
Fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir are tasty for so many reasons. Naturally sparkling they’re great to celebrate the Summer; with a slightly sour taste they’re distinctly refreshing; they also tap into one of the biggest trends of 2021 – having a healthy microbiome. This is simply a word for the mix of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microscopic organisms which you find in a specific environment. For instance, your gut microbiome is distinctly different to your skin microbiome or your hair microbiome. When the microbiome in your gut is in balance, it’s like you have a team of hard-working minions – supporting your immune system, producing vitamins and helping you absorb more from your diet.
Drinking an occasional glass of kombucha or kefir gives you a small, positive boost. In one study, regular consumption decreased levels of constipation and laxative use in the participants [2]
Read here for more on fermentation, and how foods like sauerkraut and kimchi can reinforce your digestive health.
Protein Mylk Shakes
When you’re gathered in the yard on a hot Summer’s day, a cold creamy milkshake can really hit the spot. But these don’t just have to be dairy rich, sugar-laden liquid confections. With a few scoops of protein, a plant-based mylk and some natural fruit and vegetable flavours they can be transformed into so much more. They could even work as a quick breakfast, as a meal replacement for when you’re on the move or when you don’t want to eat a filling and heavy meal. If hayfever symptoms plague your days, cutting back on dairy may also be of benefit.
The combination of plant mylk, fruit and veg, nuts and plant-based protein powders provides you with a complete protein. This means it contains all of the 22 amino acids, essential amino acids included, in ideal ratios which are useful for your health. All of the amino acids are building blocks, which are stuck together into specific combinations to make over 2 million structural and functional proteins. Once you have these available you can maintain a healthy weight, keep your immune system in peak condition, send signals from one cell to the next, add strength to your skin, hair and connective tissue, regulate your blood pressure and maintain healthy sleep pattterns. Yes, protein is needed for all of this!
Not sure what to whizz up? Try these Protein Mylk Shake Recipes here.