The Most Delicious & Healthiest Drinks You’ll Ever Try

You know those smoothies that almost all coffee shops sell, the ones that are meant to be super healthy? Well, most of them, if not all, are packed full of sugar and empty calories, not to mention a whole load of additives. Being healthy is much harder than it seems. Especially when things that are meant to be healthy aren’t as healthy as they seem. Food is one thing, but drinks are completely another.

Who would have thought that a fruit drink made up of lots of healthy fruits and a small dollop of ice cream could equate to over 500 calories? Who knew that some fizzy drinks contain over 12 teaspoons of sugar? What about the fact that fruit juice drinks made for kids can be packed full of sugar and sweeteners, isn’t that scary? The truth is, unless you make your drinks yourself, you have little idea of how healthy or unhealthy they are.

So with that in mind, here are some of the most delicious and healthiest drink ideas to make and try out. They taste just as good as their shop-bought alternatives but are much, much healthier.

Fizzy drink alternatives

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Let’s start with fizzy drinks. While some fizzy drinks can be packed full of sugar and goodness knows what else, having a fizzy drink doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Well, if you make it yourself it doesn’t. Believe it or not, going DIY with fizzy drinks is much easier than you would think.

The most thing to have on hand is a Sodastream - these aren’t expensive to buy and often go on sale. Sodastream machines turn normal water into soda water, giving it a light fizz. So you’ve got the fizzy part of your fave drink but what about the flavour? If you have a look online, there are healthy recipes for recreating your favourite fizzy drinks. Say, you’re an orangeade lover, to recreate the orange part of the drink, orange juice is the best option. It tastes just as good and is much better for you, as it’s lower in calories and free from any nasty additives.

Juice drinks that are good for you

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Juice drinks might taste delicious, but often, they’re packed full of sugar. Or, if they don’t contain sugar, there are sweeteners in them that are just as bad for you. Sweeteners have been linked to cancer in many studies, which is why it’s best to avoid them where possible.

To make delicious, healthy fruit drinks, a water filtration system is worth having as it makes the water taste cleaner and crisper. If you don’t already have one, there are some great models on TheBerkey.com to take a look at. As for the juice flavouring, there are a few options. The easiest one is to make homemade fruit cordial - there are lots of healthy recipes for this online. Or, another option is to infuse fruit into the water to make a juice-inspired drink that’s similar to flavoured water.

Iced drinks that don’t contain too much sugar

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There are no getting away from it, iced coffees and iced teas are delicious. The only problem is that most of the pre-made ones are packed full of sugar, additives and flavour enhancers. Because of this, they’re high in calories and fat and aren’t very good for us.

To make your own homemade versions of your favourite iced tea and coffee drinks isn’t hard. All it takes to make iced tea is a few fruit teabags, some boiling water, and some honey. Mix this together, allow the water to cool and then remove the tea bags, and voila, perfect iced tea. For more ideas, visit Womenshealthmag.com and have a read. As for iced coffee, make up a jug of black coffee and place it in the fridge to cool. Then, once it’s cooled, pour a small amount over some ice and top it up with the milk of your choice - dairy, nut or soy.

Just because your favourite drink isn’t as healthy as it seems, that doesn’t mean you have to stop drinking it. Instead, opt to go down the DIY route and make it yourself.