Homemade drinks – Hot or cold but not as sugary
Yes, yes, still water is healthier, from the tap when you are lucky or bottled water. And yes, yes, breastmilk is better for babies and Moms (except in serious cases). (WHO recommendations on infant feeding: https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en)
But when you want to indulge yourself… and especially for cold drinks, industrial products add tons of sugar. On the labels at my place, I can read 120g of sugar per litre for organic syrup. I can read the same amount of sugar for products that are not going to be diluted: still in my country, organic fruit juice peaks at nearly 100g/l and Coca-Cola at 128g/l. These are what I call directly sending formal invitations to diabetes!
So, yes, you can indulge yourself from time to time with a sweet drink if you don’t overdo it. The recommended daily dose of sugar is 25 g/day or six teaspoons.
I suggest three healthy recipes that can be drunk hot or cold. It’s to get you started! Afterwards, you will invent your own recipes.
1) Infusion of rosehip (rich in vitamin C): Put a bag of rosehip infusion in the teapot. Add simmering and not boiling water. Enjoy without sugar or sweeten with raspberry or blackcurrent syrup.
2) Green tea with mint (good for digestion): Use simmering, non-boiling water, which you pour over a bag of green tea and fresh mint previously placed in the teapot. Remove the tea after 2-3 minutes, leave the mint for at least 10 minutes. Drink as it is or mix with a spoonful of organic wholemeal sugar or organic lemon syrup or organic sureau flowers syrup.
3) Green tea with lime or yellow lemon (good for the liver): Cut the lemon into pieces. Place the black tea of your choice in the teapot (Earl Grey or Russian Earl Grey for me). Use simmering, non-boiling water, which you pour over a tea bag. Remove tea after 2-3 minutes; leave the lemon. Blend with a spoonful of organic wholemeal brown sugar (optional).
You can also press the lemon directly into the glass
Sugar – the elephant in the kitchen: Robert Lustig at TEDxBermuda 2013: https://youtu.be/gmC4Rm5cpOI
Excess sugar in food and drink needs tackling by law | Letters https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/10/excess-sugar-in-food-needs-tackling-by-law?CMP=share_btn_tw
Industry hits out at ‘scapegoating’ as France amends sugar tax: https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2017/10/30/Industry-hits-out-at-scapegoating-as-France-amends-sugar-tax#.Wn7z5Cm_OHA.twitter
