Sweet Sips, A Healthier Way!

Sugar-sweetened beverages can be a major source of added sugar. Cut back or eliminate these beverages from your everyday lifestyle. Save pop or soda for a once-in-a-while treat. As you reduce sugar in your diet, especially artificial sweeteners, you may find these drinks are too sweet for your new tastes!

Make your own flavored water

You can consume flavored beverages without added sugars AND get a few extra nutrients along the way! You will need:

*  1-quart jars or a large pitcher

*  Water

*  Wooden spoon (or another long, sturdy spoon)

Fruit and/or Fresh Herbs:

You can start with just one cut-up fruit, but for a flavored water that will really pop, try combining at least two fruits or a fruit and an herb. Here are a few suggestions, but don’t be afraid to try your own combinations! For a single-serving, use less. For a whole pitcher, use more!

Pineapple, Orange, & Ginger

*  ½ cup cubed pineapple

*  ½ an orange, sliced

*  1 Tbsp. freshly-grated ginger

Minty Cucumber Lime

*  ½ a cucumber, sliced

*  ½ a lime, sliced

*  ¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Orange and Blueberry

*  1 Mandarin orange, broken into wedges

*  Small handful of blueberries

Strawberry, Lemon, & Basil

*  ½ cup sliced strawberries

*  ½ a lemon, sliced

*  ¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Watermelon Mint

*  1 cup cubed watermelon

*  ¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Rosemary & Grapefruit

*  ½ grapefruit (or ¼ grapefruit & ¼ orange)

*  A few sprigs of rosemary

Citrus with Cilantro or Mint

*  2 large oranges, sliced

*  1 lemon, sliced

*  ½ large cucumber, sliced

*  1 handful of fresh mint or cilantro

Time to Build!

1. Place the fruit, herbs, and any other ingredients in the bottom of a glass jar or pitcher. Or, using a wooden spoon, mash the ingredients to bring out the flavor. You can also scrunch the herbs in your hands before adding them to the jar. This helps bring out the flavor.

2. Fill the jars with water and ice as desired. You can also add unsweetened carbonated/seltzer water if you are craving fizzy bubbles!

3. The flavor will be more enhanced after the water sits for an hour. Or, refrigerate the water overnight. If you want to drink it right away, squeeze the fruit a little before you drop it in to help bring out the flavors faster.

Other Sweet Beverage Ideas:

Freeze ice cubes with fruit. Drop a few cubes of different colored fruits into a tall glass of cold water.

Blend whole fruits in a smoothie with spinach, kale or other de-stemmed, leafy green vegetables.

Diet or regular soda? Limit both.

Most diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners. Studies have shown drinking diet soda is not any better at helping you manage your weight. Gradually cut back on soda.

Even if you add a teaspoon of sugar to your coffee, this 4g of sugar is far less than the sugar found in the average soda. The average soda contains 39g of sugar in a 12-ounce can. In a 16-ounce bottle, a soda may contain 52g of sugar.