5 Delicious and Beautifying Summer Drink Recipes
During the summer, it’s especially important to stay hydrated for optimal health and beauty. Your body will crave more fluids as you are naturally perspiring more. Sometimes I feel like a camel in the summer, and just guzzle away many times more the amount of fluids than I do in the winter.
While pure water is always best, sometimes you want a little flavor in your refreshment. Unfortunately, many popular summer drinks are filled with sugar and chemicals that do you no favors in terms of your health or hydration. But there are many other good choices, and you can enjoy a refreshing summer beverage without all of the chemicals and sugar. Here are five of my favorites.
Cucumber Water
If you follow the Beauty Detox program, you religiously start each morning with hot water with lemon, and perhaps drink more lemon water throughout the day. This is a different twist on our daily citrus-flavored water. Cucumber is a powerful beauty food, and this refreshing beverage infuses water with the flavor of cucumber. Cucumbers are high in vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as folic acid. Best, the drink is super easy to make and really delicious!
- 1 medium cucumber, cleaned and cut into ½ inch slices
- 2 quarts of pure water
Combine cucumber and water in a large pitcher and allow to sit for one hour or longer. Serve cool.
Agua Fresca
This popular Mexican drink infuses water with your favorite fresh fruit.
- 4 cups pure, cold water
- 2 cups of your favorite fresh fruit (I like berries or papaya)
- Stevia to taste
- 2 teaspoons of fresh squeezed lime juice
- Lime wedges
- Place fruit and water in a blender and puree.
- Place a small sieve over a pitcher and pour mixture into it, straining the liquid into the pitcher. Discard solids.
- Add lime juice and stevia.
- Garnish with lime wedges.
Iced Rooibos Mint Tea
Rooibos tea is high in antioxidants and flavonoids, so it promotes youthfulness and great skin. Over a little ice with mint and lemon, it’s a refreshing and detoxifying summer beverage.
- 6 Rooibos tea bags
- One lemon, sliced
- Several leaves of fresh mint
- Stevia to taste
- 1 gallon of boiling water
Pour water over lemon, teabags and mint leaves and steep, stirring occasionally, until liquid cools. Remove tea bags, pour into a pitcher, and refrigerate. Serve cool or over a little bit of ice.
Basil Lemonade
Lemons are high in vitamin C and promote alkalinity and cleansing in the body. The basil adds a refreshing flavor to this sugar-free lemonade.
- ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 cups of cold water
- 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
- Stevia to taste
Place basil in the bottom of a pitcher and muddle it by slightly crushing the leaves. Combine lemon juice and water and pour over basil leaves. Add stevia to taste. Chill, and serve over ice.
Cilantro and Jalapeno Limeade
Cilantro is loaded with antioxidants and aids in detoxification, while jalapeno can help rev up your metabolism. Lime is high in Vitamin C.
- 4-1/2 cups of water
- 1 cup organic cilantro, washed and chopped
- 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and chopped
- 1-1/2 cups of fresh lime juice
- Stevia to taste
- Lime slices for garnish
Pour water over cilantro and jalapenos. Steep for 30 minutes at room temperature, and then cover and chill for 3-4 hours. Strain the mixture into a pitcher and stir in lime juice. Add stevia to taste. Serve over ice garnished with lime slices.
Summer Hydration Tips
Staying hydrated is essential, especially in the summer. Water helps flush toxins out of your body. Your best bet is to drink pure water at room temperature, especially after periods of activity. Other tips:
- Drink 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after you eat so you don’t dilute your gastric juices necessary for food digestion.
- Avoid electrolyte replacement beverages, soft drinks, and other sugary drinks filled with chemicals. Just avoid them all.
- When you are active, be sure to take plenty of pure water with you.
- Drink mostly water, and have special drinks like those listed above occasionally when you feel that you need something with some flavor. Coconut water is also a good option.
- The Institute of Medicine suggests letting thirst be your guide to summer hydration. There’s no need to force beverages.
- How can you tell if you are dehydrated? Along with thirst, urine color may be a good indicator you need more water. If your pee is amber colored, you get thy water glass to thine lips!
- Alcoholic, sugary, and caffeinated beverages dehydrate you, which is another reason water is best.
