Say Goodbye to Soda: 5 Refreshing Homemade Drink Alternatives

Carbonated beverages, or sodas, are popular drinks that many enjoy, but they may not be the best choice for your health. Sodas are often high in sugar, calories, and artificial ingredients that can harm your teeth, bones, and metabolism. They may also increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Fortunately, there are many healthy and delicious homemade alternatives that you can make to replace sodas. These drinks are made with natural ingredients, have high nutritional values, and are pocket friendly. Below are some examples of easy homemade drinks.

1) Sparkling Strawberry Mint Water

Ingredients:

• Sparkling water: 3 ½ cups

• Fresh lemon juice 2 tsp

• Large fresh mint spring: 4

• Large fresh strawberries (stemmed): 4

• Strawberries can be replaced with fruit of your choice, berries/ watermelon/ grapefruit are recommended

Directions:

1. Wash strawberries and Mint leaves thoroughly.

2. Add sparkling water, lemon juice, mint leaves, and strawberries to a blender.

3. Run the blender on low speed for 30 seconds until the mixture becomes a smooth puree.

4. Refrigerate the puree and garnish the drink with fresh mint leaves before serving.

2) Lemon Iced tea

Ingredients:

• Water: 5 ¾ cups (or) 1 ¼ Liters

• Fresh lemon juice: 3-4 tsp

• Black Tea Powder: 1-2 tsp

• Sweetener (Sugar): ¼ - ½ cup

• Black tea powder can be replaced with green tea leaves, sugar can be replaced with stevia and other sweeteners

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, boil all the water in a pan.

2. Turn off the heat when it comes to a boil and add the tea powder (1-2 tsp based on preference).

3. Add ¼ - ½ cup of sugar based on preference and mix the ingredients well.

4. After the tea is steeped in hot water for 4-5 min, add lemon juice (3-4 tsp) to the pan.

5. Stir well and strain the tea into a steel/heat-safe jar and let it cool for 60 min.

6. Refrigerate and garnish the drink with a lemon slice and mint leaves before serving.

3) Cucumber Cooler

Ingredients:

• Water: 3 cups (approx.)

• Fresh lemon juice: 2 tsp

• Black Salt: 1 tsp

• Sweetener (Sugar): 2 tsp

• Large, peeled cucumber: 1

• Mint Leaves: 8

Directions:

1. Add chopped cucumber, mint leaves (8), water (1 cup) into a blender and make a puree.

2. Strain the mixture and get the maximum liquid out of it; later discard the pulp.

3. Add lime juice (2 tsp), water (2 cups) and black salt to the mixture and stir the mixture well.

4. After the tea is steeped in hot water for 4-5 min, add lemon juice (3-4 tsp) to the pan.

5. Add ice cubes, and garnish with lemon wedge and mint leaf while serving.

4) Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

• Milk (dairy/ non-dairy): ½ cup

• Cinnamon powder: ¼ tsp

• Black Salt: 1 tsp

• Sweetener (Sugar): 1-2 tsp

• Large Bananas: 3

• Ice cubes: 2-3

Directions:

1. Add peeled and chopped bananas (3), ground cinnamon powder (1/4 tsp), milk (½ cup) and sweetener (1-2) tsp to a blender and run it until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

2. Pour the smoothie into a glass and add ice cubes.

3. Garnish the smoothie with toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, white sesame seeds and flax seeds. Feel free to add your preferred nuts and seeds.

4. Banana smoothie needs to be served immediately.

5) Ginger Ale

Ingredients:

• Water: 3 cups

• Sugar: 1 cup

• Peeled and chopped Ginger: 1 cup

• Club soda, Ice cubes, Lime juice, Lime wedges (use as per your discretion)

Directions:

1. Boil water (2 cups) in a saucepan, while boiling add ginger (1 cup) and reduce the heat to medium-low. keep it boiling for 5 min.

2. Remove the heat and set it aside for 20 min. Strain the liquid with a mesh strainer and discard the ginger pieces.

3. In a separate saucepan, make a sugar syrup by adding sugar (1 cup) in boiling water (1 cup).

4. In a large glass, add ginger water mixture (½ cup) from the first step and sugar syrup (1/3 cup). from the later step to ½ cup of club soda.

5. Add ice cubes, and garnish with a few drops of lime juice and lime wedge while serving.

In the day and age where people are becoming more and more health conscious, the drinks we consume to quench our thirst have not taken the healthier transformation. The recipes mentioned above will not just give your body the much-needed nutrition but will also add a little sparkle with every sip you take.