HEALTH

POP QUIZ: It’s b-fast and you’re lookin’ to wash down your eats with the best-for-you beverage. You know to reach for: A) water, B) OJ or C) milk. Turns out, the answer is D: as in, depends! That’s why we talked to a few nutrition experts to sort out what to sip when. Sorry, soda still doesn’t make the cut.

THE LATEST SQUEEZE
“If you've got the choice, a whole fruit is always better than its juice,” says Dr. Pierre Dukan, nutritionist and creator of My Weight Book. A piece of fruit is packed with fiber, while fruit juice can be loaded with sugar. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up your morning OJ. A recent study found that drinking orange juice with your a.m. oatmeal doubles the positive effects each one has on your body. Just make sure the bottle reads, “100-percent fruit juice,” OK?

BE A DAIRY QUEEN
Time to bone up on calcium, babe. Drinking three cups of milk a day gets ya the required 1,300 mg of bone-bulking calcium teens need. That’s a few splashes in your bowl of Special K, a carton to wash down lunch and a glass with din.

AQUA GIRL
Drink up! Your bod needs eight cups of water each and every day. It may sound like a ton, but the water that’s in herbal tea, fruit, milk and seltzer all count. “They all help your kidneys do their job of flushing out toxins and waste from your body,” Dr. Dukan tells us. Want an easy way to track your H20? Put three rubber bands around a 20-ounce, reusable water bottle. Each time ya drink a bottle, pull a band off and refill. Finish three by the time you hit the sack (well, not too close to bedtime!), and you’re set.

4/4/2008 12:00:00 PM