6 Easy Sugar Free Fruit Drinks in Just 1 Minute: easy and 100% natural.
I find it hard to drink water. It’s just so boring. I know it’s good for you: it keeps you hydrated, it helps you feel full and eat less, it’s essential for cellular health, it’s good for your kidneys and bladder, blah blah blah… But it is so uninviting on its own. The only time I can drink water properly is when I’m eating something stodgy that is about to give me the hiccups. Other than that, all I can do is take pathetic little sips. And unless it’s ice cold, no chance. And I know I’m not alone in this predicament.
In my previous life, i.e. life-before-keto, I would stock up with coke and lemonade and all sorts of unhealthy, sugary, fizzy drinks. Then diet drinks exploded everywhere. I, like many others, started buying sugar free but chemically sweetened soft drinks, or sodas, as they’re know on the other side of the ocean.
You chose keto for health, so why drink unhealthy drinks?
The ketogenic lifestyle, as you probably know, makes you feel so good about yourself that cutting out sugar and reducing carbs becomes…well… simply not enough. You soon start to question other aspects of your eating habits and, before you know it, you get the health bug. You despise pre-packaged meals. You’re suspicious of all health claims. You check ingredients with a microscope. Looking for organic, fresh, unrefined, GM free food becomes your daily quest.
And then the paradox. You know that packaged fruit juices are loaded with natural carbs and added sugars, so you stay away from those. But you continue to consume gallons of shop-bought diet fizzy drinks. It makes no sense, and you know it only too well…but you remain firmly in denial. I was exactly the same!
Just because something is labelled as diet, or healthy, or natural, or sugar free, doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Big corporations want your money. They don’t give a damn about you.
Soft drinks manufacturers know that what sells their products are the sweet flavour and that thirst-quenching fizz that so many of us love. They also know that the words diet and zero attract savvy sugar conscious consumers. Do they care about the harmful ingredients needed to make their drinks tasty, refreshing and sugar free? Nope. Not one bit. So they inject them with chemical flavourings, preservatives and harmful sweeteners, in the full knowledge that, once attracted by that inviting front label, we’ll buy their product. Yes, we. I fell for that too.
Water options.
Everything about tap water makes me feel physically sick: from fluoride to heavy metals to cleaned out body solids and fluids and hormones and drugs and Monsanto poisons. Gross! No thanks.
Of the bottled variety, there are 2 options: natural (i.e. plain) or sparkling. The sparkling bit can either come naturally from the water source or is created by adding carbon dioxide. Despite a few scaremongering stories, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that fizzy water affects teeth, bones or digestion. It may even be the contrary. I’m lucky that I spend a lot of my time in Italy, where bottled water is cheap (10-40c per 2 litre bottle is the norm) and comes in a huge variety of options and brands.
The bottled water I buy has a high pH and is either slightly sparkling or naturally sparkling. A high pH helps balance body acidity. Fewer bubbles means less burp and less bloat.
How to make water interesting and tasty. On a budget.
With my perpetual dislike of water I had to come up with healthy options. And, as I love fruit, I thought fruit infusions might work. As it turns out, they do work! After experimenting for some time, my collection of fruit drink ‘recipes’ has grown, and I can now share my favourites with you. These 6 easy sugar free fruit drinks in just 1 minute are simple, fun and tasty. I always use naturally sparkling water, but it’s a personal choice.
My 6 easy sugar free fruit drinks in just 1 minute obviously require fruit and you may wonder if that might affect your ketosis. It will not. All you’re doing is infusing the water with natural fruit flavours, you’re not eating the fruit itself.
All you need is 1 litre of plain or sparkling water and a bottle with a large neck opening. You can also use a carafe or jug. If you opt for sparkling water, the container you choose will need a sealing top or lid, unless you don’t mind the sparkling effect doing a vanishing act. Here are my 6 easy sugar free fruit drinks in just 1 minute:
# 1: Strawberry and Basil
Wash and slice 10 juicy strawberries. Put them in a bottle with 10 whole basil leaves. Add water and a little stevia sweetener to taste (optional). Shake and refrigerate.
# 2: Mint and Watermelon
Cube 200g watermelon and place in a bottle with 10 mint leaves. Add water, plus sweetener if you want, shake and refrigerate.
# 3: Ginger and Lime
Slice or grate 15g of fresh ginger (a thumb-size piece) and cut the 2 limes into thin wedges. Put ginger and lime in your bottle and add water. Sweeten if you prefer, shake and refrigerate.
# 4: Mulberries and Lemon
For this one you need a lemon and 60g of fresh black mulberries. If you cannot get mulberries, try raspberries or blackberries (they have a weaker flavour, however). Cut lemon into thin wedges and put them in the bottle with mulberries and water. Sweeten to your taste, shake and refrigerate.
# 5: Lemon and Mint
Easily the best. Cut 1 lemon into thin wedges and put them in the bottle with 10 mint leaves. Sweeten to taste, shake and refrigerate.
# 6: Cucumber, Lime and Mint
Peel and slice 1/2 a small cucumber lengthways. Cut the lime into thin wedges. Place in the bottle with 10 mint leaves. Add a little sweetener of choice, shake and refrigerate.
And there you have it: 6 easy sugar free fruit drinks in just 1 minute.
Don’t go overboard with the stevia or sweetener you choose. It is actually better to add a little more the next day, after fruit and leaves have had time to infuse the water. For the infusion to take place you need to be patient: several hours in fact. The best infusion is achieved after about 24 hours, so it’s best to prepare it in advance. Give the bottle a shake each time you open the fridge. Serve with plenty of ice.
You can keep these drinks refrigerated for 3-4 days. After that, the fruit and leaves will begin to deteriorate. Your infusion will remain fine to drink, but won’t be as nice.
Each of these 6 easy sugar free fruit drinks in just 1 minute is refreshing, delicately flavoured and healthy. No added chemicals or crap ingredients. You know exactly what you’re drinking. So give them a go. Ditch the shop fizz and feel great. You owe it to yourself!
