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If you are bored of the same old nimbu-paani and sachet mixes for summer coolers, we have good news for you as we dug up some yummy yet low calorie summer drinks to quench the thirst this warm season. If you too feel that on a hot summer day, there's something magical about holding a light, refreshing, and fizzy drink in your hand, indulge in these recipes of low-calorie drinks suggested by fitness experts to help you beat the heat this summer.
1. Homemade Ginger Ale:
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dietitian, Nutritionist, Physiotherapist and a Certified Diabetes Educator Dr Archana Batra suggested, “A refreshing glass of ginger ale is a fantastic drink that is simple to make at home. Ginger ale feels incredibly fresh and cool when made with ginger cubes, lemon peel and club soda. Not only this, ginger is an all-star remedial ingredient for soothing muscle pains, fighting bad breath, aid cancer prevention, reduce inflammation, help in weight loss, lower blood sugar level and cholesterol level.”
She advised, “To make ginger ale at home, you will need 2-inch pieces of fresh ginger juice, sparkling carbonated water, lemon juice and honey. You must first grate the ginger and lemon and squeeze their juice. Strain the ingredients through a fine strainer. Then combine the honey and sparkling or carbonated water in your jar. Drink it up and enjoy!”
Dr Archana Batra added, “The drink can also be customized with few add-ins according to your taste that will elevate the taste along with nutritional value too. Cinnamon being ginger’s perfect mate, can help boost brainpower, fight inflammation and infections and also help you relax. For soothing refreshing summers, nothing beats the combination of mint and ginger! This combination is also beneficial for muscle pain. You can also add fruits like lemons and limes, cherries, oranges to your ginger ale in addition to herbs and spices to give it a whole new flavour.”
2. Aam Panna:
According to Nutritionist Dr Rohini Patil, “Aam Panna is one of the most famous and traditional summer drinks to fight against hot summers. Aam panna is made of Raw mangoes. This tasty and tangy drink contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, and C. And it is a good source of carbohydrates and essential minerals. This drink is good for eyesight, improves digestion, and boosts immunity.” Here is the recipe –
Ingredients:
• 1 big raw mango
• ¼ cup jaggary
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• ¼ tsp roasted cumin seeds
• ½ tsp pepper powder
• 1 tablespoon rock salt (kala namak)
• 2 cups of water
• 3tbsp fresh mint leaves
Method:
Wash raw mango and in pressure, cooker takes 1 raw mango and add 2 cups water. Pressure cooks for 4-5 whistles. Let it cool and remove the seed and remove the pulp from the cooked mango. Transfer the pulp to a blender. Add 3 tbsp fresh mint, ¼ cup jaggery. Blend until smooth paste without adding any water.
Add ½ tsp cardamom, powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp pepper powder and salt as per your taste. Mix well. And Panna's concentrate is ready. Serve in a glass take 1-2tbsp of Aam concentrate and pour cold water and mix well. Garnishing with mint leaves.
3. Blackberry with mint iced tea:
Eshanka Wahi, Dubai and Delhi based wellness advocate and nutrition coach, gushed, “Iced tea is a great choice for your health. Iced tea, whether black, green, or oolong, is low in calories, sugar-free and high in antioxidants.” Spilling the beans on her secret recipe of delicious and light Blackberry with Mint Iced Tea, Eshanka Wahi said, “This Blackberry Mint Iced Tea uses only three ingredients to capture the essence of summer in a glass. Some of the advantages of drinking blackberry tea include the fact that it is high in antioxidants, can improve cardiovascular health, aids in detoxification, boosts the immune system, has anti-inflammatory properties, is high in Vitamin C and vitamin K and high in fibre.”
Ingredients:
4-5 cups of water
4-5 tea bags of your choice
Handful of fresh mint leaves
5-6 fresh blackberries
½ tbsp raw honey, as per your taste
Method:
In a blender, add blackberries, mint, raw honey [as per your taste], and water. Blend until completely smooth. Strain the puree mixture into a small bowl using a fine-mesh strainer and set aside. Next, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then pour over the tea bags and steep for 10 minutes.
When the tea has finished steeping, remove the tea bags with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour in the blackberry syrup and give it a good stir. Take a taste and, if necessary, adjust the sweetness. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with a couple of blackberries and mint leaves when ready to serve.
