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each day is to take a look at your pee. If it’s clear or light yellow, you’re good. If it looks like apple juice, you probably need to drink more water. Water is probably the most important liquid to include in your diet, but it’s not the only healthy liquid. Milk is a nutrient rich food. It’s especially important to drink enough milk as a teen because milk is rich in calcium, a mineral that helps your bones grow properly and builds bone density to prevent problems such as osteoporosis as you get older. Furthermore, the calcium in milk prevents cavities in your teeth while the protein in milk helps your body create new cells and repair existing ones. Q: What is milk, anyway? A: In this book, “milk” refers to cow’s milk, not substitutes such as oat milk, soy milk, or nut milk, which do not have the same nutrients as cow’s milk. However, milk can be substituted with servings from the dairy group, including cheese and yogurt. You can also choose low- or no-fat milk if you are trying to lose weight, or pick lactose-free milk if you’re allergic to the lactose in milk.

Juice is yet another potentially healthy drink, but it’s important to choose one that is 100 percent fruit juice, because those with sugar and/or other additives can be harmful to your health. Most other beverages should be avoided, however, as they do your body more harm than good. Energy drinks, for instance, tend to have a lot of sugar, and, as we’ll cover below, sugar ruins short- and long-term physical and mental fitness.

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Foods for Peak Fitness