Healthier Summer Drinks

These easy summer drinks can help you meet your health and wellness goals this year.

This post was updated: 12-20-19

Summer has unofficially arrived and so has the heat here in Atlanta.  With that comes the urge to splurge on cool summer treats, often in the form of frosty drinks.  

You don’t have to let summer drinks keep you from achieving your health goals.  Here are a few of the most common liquid gutbusters and ways around them.

Frozen and Blended Treats

While smoothies can bring cool relief to a hot summer day, they are calorie bombshells. A 20 oz. fruit (and sugar) filled smoothie can run as much as 500 calories! 

Try this: Make your own smoothie at home with fresh seasonal fruit, ice and yogurt (for a protein boost).  Sweeten with cinnamon or a drizzle of honey to keep calories in check. Keep the portion small.

And that frozen coffee drink? It comes in at more than 400 calories for a 16 oz. serving. The problem is that most people have these as snacks, in between meals, so these seemingly harmless drinks turn into extra calories which can throw a wrench into your weight management plan.

Try this: Enjoy your favorite frozen coffee drink with care: order it with nonfat milk and skip the whip (whipped cream that is)!

Favorite healthy smoothies

Tropical Carrot Cake Smoothie

Triple Berry Oat Smoothie with Hemp Seeds

Grapefruit Berry Smoothie

Iced Tea, Lemonade & other Ades

Did you know that a large sweet iced tea runs around 300 calories?

Doesn’t sound so bad but if you had an extra one of those every day
you could gain an extra 30 pounds this year. In theory.  Opt for calorie-free refreshment whenever possible or make your own lemonade and iced tea. 

Making your own allows you to scale back on the sugar (therefore the calories) or even to sweeten with fruit.

Mixed Drinks

Mixed drinks can sneak up on ya. An average 8 oz. piña colada has about 450 calories; a margarita… just under 400 calories.

• Keep it festive and refreshing with a wine spritzer (equal parts wine to club soda) which weighs in at just 80 calories per serving and half the alcohol of a regular glass of wine.
• You may also opt for a light beer at about 80 calories for the bottle.
• Alternate water every other drink or enjoy sparkling water with a twist of lime.

Remember though to stay within moderation: one drink per day for women and 2 for men.

Try these healthier cocktails

Peach White Wine Slushies

Frozen Mango Coconut Daiquiri + How to Make a Healthy Cocktail

Grapefruit Basil Cocktail

My favorite form of refreshment is plain water.  I know… kind of boring but it’s the best way to quench a thirst.  

If I have leftover mint, basil or cucumber or citrus, I toss it into cool water and take it on the go for flavorful refreshment.  When I feel the need for a little variety, I reach for a cold sparkling water with grapefruit, lime or lemon juice added.

How do you refresh?