Winter Diet Drinks

A recent study funded by the American Beverage Association reported that diet drinks can help people lose weight
HEALTHY BY NATURE RECIPES

Water is always the best but when you crave something with a little more pizzazz, reach for healthy hydration instead of diet pop. Here are some easy favourite thirst quenchers for you to try this summer. For natural sweetness without added calories, try stevia. It’s an easy-to-grow leafy green plant with very sweet leaves. You can use the dried, crushed leaves to sweeten summer drinks. Commercially, the sweet extract is available as a white powder or as drops. You can also buy naturally flavoured stevia drops that infuse the extract with vanilla, toffee, hazelnut and other flavours.

Mix ½ cup pure, unsweetened cranberry juice in a glass of sparkling water. It’s tart and delicious! Try stevia (drops or powder) if you like it sweeter.

Put 2-4 rooibos tea bags (most grocery stores carry rooibos tea) in a 2-litre jar and add boiling water. Let cool and serve plain over ice or with soy milk and a few drops of flavoured stevia drops.

Zippy Ginger Lemonade

In a litre jar, mix the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon with 1 tablespoon of liquid honey and 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger juice. To make ginger juice, grate enough fresh ginger on a fine grater and press the grated ginger through a strainer.