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One of the most common questions I get from my clients is deceptively simple: “What should I be drinking?”
Hydration is essential for overall health and plays a crucial role in maintaining energy levels and cognitive function.
Understanding hydration can help you make better choices about your beverages.
It seems like it should have an easy answer, but the world of beverages is surprisingly complex. From the latest energy drink craze to the debate over diet sodas, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out what is actually good for you.
Here is the truth: not all drinks are created equal, but that does not mean you have to give up the ones you love. Instead of thinking in terms of “allowed” and “forbidden,” I want to introduce you to a far more sustainable approach — the beverage spectrum.
The Beverage Spectrum: Drink More, Drink Some, Drink Less
The key insight here is that beverages exist on a continuum. Rather than labeling drinks as “good” or “bad,” we can place them into three practical categories:
- Drink More — These are your go-to beverages that you can enjoy freely.
- Drink Some — These are fine in moderation and can fit into a healthy lifestyle.
- Drink Less — These are best enjoyed as occasional treats rather than daily staples.
This framework is powerful because it removes the guilt and the all-or-nothing thinking that derails so many people. If you are currently drinking four sodas a day, the goal is not to immediately switch to nothing but water. The goal is to make one small improvement — maybe swap one of those sodas for sparkling water. Over time, those small changes compound into lasting habits.
Know Your Beverages
Let us walk through the major beverage categories and where they fall on the spectrum.
Plain Water
Every type of plain water falls squarely in the “Drink More” category. Whether it is spring water, tap water, filtered water, or reverse osmosis water, all plain water is good for you. If you want to take it a step further, filtering your water is worth considering, as it removes substances like heavy metals, radon, pesticides, and microplastics.
The old “eight glasses a day” rule is not backed by hard science, but it is a useful reminder to stay consistent. A better approach is to drink when you are thirsty, sip steadily throughout the day rather than gulping large amounts at once, and make a habit of having a glass of water with each meal.
Sweetened Beverages
This is where things get more nuanced. Not all sweetened drinks are equal. Infused water and naturally flavored water (think berries, citrus, or herbs steeped in water) sit comfortably in the “Drink More” category. Vegetable juice and artificially sweetened waters are reasonable “Drink Some” options. Fruit juice and juice drinks, however, belong in the “Drink Less” column — they contain more sugar and far less fiber than whole fruit, making them a less satisfying and less nutritious choice.
Carbonated Beverages
Good news for sparkling water fans: plain and naturally flavored carbonated waters are excellent “Drink More” options. Diet sodas and artificially sweetened carbonated beverages are acceptable in moderation. Regular soda, tonic water (which has roughly as much sugar as soda — a fact that surprises most people), and sweetened energy drinks are best kept in the “Drink Less” category.
Tea and Coffee
Both tea and coffee are genuinely health-promoting beverages when consumed without excessive sugar or cream.
Plain tea and plain coffee are both “Drink More” options. Tea is rich in health-promoting compounds: black tea contains theaflavins and thearubigins strongly associated with decreased stroke risk; green tea is packed with catechins (especially EGCG) linked to lower cancer risk; white tea is the least processed and retains the most antioxidants; and herbal teas are caffeine-free and full of natural flavors and antioxidants.
Coffee, meanwhile, has been shown to boost alertness, physical performance, and reaction time. Regular coffee drinkers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and coffee contains antioxidants associated with an overall decreased risk of certain cancers. That said, some people are “slow metabolizers” of caffeine and may experience increased blood pressure, disrupted sleep, or worsened PMS symptoms. The general guideline is to limit caffeinated beverages to 2–5 cups (about 40 ounces or 1,200 ml) per day.
The key with both tea and coffee is to go plain whenever possible. Cream, sugar, and artificial sweeteners reduce the potential health benefits and add unnecessary calories. Lightly sweetened or creamed versions are a reasonable middle ground; heavily sweetened versions drift into the “Drink Less” territory.
Dairy and Plant Milks
Plain kefir earns the top spot in the “Drink More” category for this group, thanks to its rich probiotic content that supports gut health and nutrient absorption. Plain dairy milk and unsweetened plant milks (almond, oat, soy, coconut, hemp, pea, or rice) are solid “Drink Some” choices. When choosing plant milks, always opt for unsweetened versions. Sweetened plant milks and flavored dairy milks drift toward “Drink Less,” and milkshakes are firmly in that category.
Recovery and Performance Drinks
If you are active, you may be reaching for protein shakes, sports drinks, or coconut water. Super Shakes and protein shakes are excellent “Drink More” options, though it is worth limiting Super Shakes to one or two per day so they do not start displacing whole food meals. Coconut water can be a fine post-workout recovery drink, but look for versions without added sugar. Sweetened sports drinks are best reserved for intense training sessions or competition, not everyday hydration.
Alcohol
All alcoholic beverages fall into the “Drink Less” category. The honest truth is that no one has definitively proven that any amount of alcohol is actually good for us, and too much is unquestionably harmful. If you choose to drink, the general guidance for moderate consumption is up to 7 drinks per week for women (no more than 3 in a single day) and up to 14 drinks per week for men (no more than 4 in a single day). If you do not currently drink alcohol, there is no health reason to start. Personally I think these numbers are a little high for my liking, but again we don’t have definitive evidence to give specifics that are universally true. This is one are where you need to find your own standards. For some 0 is the best number for others they may be able to have 1 drink a day. This is a sticky topic, and it deserves a deeper discussion on an individual basis.
Your Personal Daily Drink Plan
Now that you understand the spectrum, how do you put it all together? The answer depends on three things: your goals, your preferences, and your lifestyle. Someone training for an ultramarathon will have very different hydration needs than someone who works a desk job and exercises moderately a few times per week.
Here is a daily intake framework that works well for most people, totaling around 100 ounces:
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This is not a rigid prescription — it is a starting point. The goal is to aim for a little better, not a complete overnight overhaul. If your current intake is heavy on soda and juice, start by swapping one of those daily servings for water or sparkling water. Build from there.
How to Evaluate Any Drink
What about beverages that do not fit neatly into the categories above? Maybe you are an athlete who needs sports drinks more often, or you have discovered a new functional beverage and are not sure where it fits. Here is a simple three-question framework for evaluating any drink:
First, ask whether it helps you reach your goals. Will this drink make your body, performance, and/or recovery better — or worse? This is the most important question.
Second, consider how processed it is. Does it contain added sugar, fat, or artificial sweeteners? More processing generally means fewer benefits.
Third, pay attention to how it makes you feel. Notice your energy levels, digestion, mood, and physical comfort in the hours after drinking it. Your body often gives you clear signals if something is not working for you.
With those answers in hand, you can place any beverage on your personal spectrum with confidence.
The Bottom Line
Healthy hydration does not require perfection, and it certainly does not require giving up everything you enjoy. By thinking in terms of a spectrum — drink more, drink some, drink less — you can make gradual, sustainable improvements that add up to real results over time.
Remember: just because a drink falls in the “drink less” category does not mean it is forbidden. The goal is to make choices that align with your goals and current habits, find a balance that works for your life, and build from there — one sip at a time.
If you want to create a personalized nutrition and hydration plan tailored to your specific goals, I would love to help. Reach out to me at RJB Health Coaching and let’s get started.