Paleo Drinks that delight & refresh without added sugar

If you’ve been following a Paleo lifestyle and reading food labels you may have noticed that most commercial beverages are loaded with sugar. Even juice is off limits because of the high sugar content.

So what the heck do you drink? Especially in the summer months as heat and thirst grow.

I tend to drink more in spring and summer when breakfast cravings go from eggs and bacon to veggie and fruit smoothies.

Trying to figure out what to drink can be harder than figuring out what to eat on the Paleo diet.

That’s why I’ve come up with this list of drinks I enjoy, that range from fruity to creamy to satisfy all your cravings.

Frozen fruit ice cubes

If you like fruit-flavored “spa water” you’re going to love frozen fruit “ice cubes”. Bonus: they don’t melt and water down your drink. But they do add fruit flavor to your drink and serve as snacks when you’re done drinking. I used frozen pineapple, mango and strawberries to cool my water below.

You can add one drop of food grade lemon or lime essential oil for more fruit essence flavor if the taste of plain water bores you.

Hemp carob shake

This is a great dairy-free alternative to chocolate milk. Carob is often used as a replacement for chocolate.  It’s still a kid pleaser because carob is naturally sweet, instead of bitter like cocoa. I used hemp milk for this beverage but you can also substitute almond milk or coconut milk.

Hemp milk is ridiculously high in protein and anti-inflamatory omegas. I also love it’s slightly nutty taste. It’s a great choice for those allergic to nuts.

I get my carob powder here. And my hemp milk here.

Ingredients (simply blend together)

2 cups of unsweetened hemp milk
1 cup of carob powder
2 over ripe bananas
A dash of cinnamon or cardamom

SAlAD smoothie

Green smoothies are all the rage. I practically subsisted on kale smoothies last summer (a mix of kale leaves, coconut water, bananas and frozen fruit) but this kale-free smoothie is heavier on veggie than fruit. The veggies lend sweetness and lightness so even though this is an adult drink, it’s still sweet and refreshing.

The primary ingredient that makes it red is beets. Red is the new green with this drink.

Ingredients (blend together and enjoy)
One red or golden beet, chopped
One large carrot, chopped
One large cucumber, chopped
8 ounces of coconut water or plain water
3 over ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries

Mango lassi

This is one of my favorite things to order in an Indian restaurant, but unfortunately it’s also full of sugar. I use ripe bananas to sweeten my drinks and they work beautifully, supplying the right amount of sweetness, along with fiber to balance the body’s insulin response.

Ingredients (blend together and enjoy)

2 cups of plain yogurt
2 cups of mango (I used frozen mango cubes but you can also use one cup of mango pulp or 3 to 4 fresh sliced mangoes
2 over ripe bananas
If the mixture is too thick, you can thin it out with a little bit of almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk or dairy milk.
Optional: garnish with mint

Tulsi iced tea

Want a healthy alternative to regular ice tea? Tulsi tea (also called Holy Basil) isn’t bitter and astringent like black tea so it doesn’t demand sweetener like black tea does.

This is a great choice for iced tea if you’re trying to heal your adrenals or reduce belly fat. The active ingredient in Tulsi helps balance cortisol and the body’s natural response to stress.

The mild, sweet, vaguely fruity taste is also a bonus. My favorite Tulsi tea line is Organic India, and I love the Chai-spiced flavor with a touch of caffeine from black tea, but there’s also many caffeine-free alternatives to choose from here.

Ingredients

Tulsi tea and water.

Simply brew a cup of hot tea. let it cool a bit and a pour it over glass full of ice cubes, or my frozen fruit “cubes” from above.

Sweeten with stevia or a touch of honey or pomegranate juice. Or drink it sweetener-free like I do.

And stay tuned for part 2 of my summer drink series. Cheers.