Beat the Heat: Healthier Alternatives to Your Favorite Cold Drinks and Frozen Treats

By rethinking your typical summer treats and trying out a few new recipes, you can make better choices and feel healthier all summer long.

As the summer heat kicks in, many of us turn to summer staples to cool off and satisfy our sweet tooth. From ice-cold lemonades and sugary sports drinks to ice cream sundaes and milkshakes, summer is full of sweet treats. But many popular summer drinks and desserts have a lot of added sugar, and consuming too many is linked with weight gain and a higher risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Take a look at some healthier homemade alternatives and check out the recipes below to stay cool, keep hydrated, and satisfy those cravings all summer long.

Why It Matters

While it’s OK to splurge on your favorite summer drinks and treats every now and then, it’s important to maintain a healthy diet throughout the summer months too. Eating a balanced diet supports your overall health, and cutting back on sugary products, like many store-bought sweet drinks and desserts, can also help lower the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

By rethinking your typical summer treats and trying out a few new recipes, you can make better choices and feel healthier all summer long.

Recipes to Try

Sports Drink Alternatives – Sports drinks often contain added sugar and sodium. During long or very hard workouts, some people may need extra carbs and salt, but for most everyday activity, water is usually the best choice. For most people, a simple electrolyte drink can be made with water, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of citrus for flavor. If you’re doing a long and very intense workout, you can add a small amount of sugar or honey for quick energy, but keep the amount as low as you can. If you have a heart condition, kidney disease, or high blood pressure, or if you have been told to limit your salt intake, talk to your provider before adding salt to your drinks.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthy Teaching Kitchen has a recipe for a coconut summer beverage with electrolytes.
Citrus orange twist – For this recipe, mix two cups of water, a very small pinch of sea salt, and a splash of orange and lemon juice. If you need extra energy during a long, hard workout, add up to one teaspoon of honey.
Natural Coconut-Lime – Combine two cups of 100% pure coconut water, a small pinch of sea salt, up to one teaspoon of raw honey, and 1/3 cup of lime juice. This recipe is only for long, hard workouts. Coconut water can provide some potassium, but it also has natural sugars. Choose unsweetened coconut water and skip the added honey for everyday hydration.

Ice-Cold Drinks – Many ice-cold drinks, like store-bought lemonade and specialty coffee drinks, have a lot of added sugar. Some creamy drinks, like milkshakes and specialty coffee drinks, can also be high in calories. Making your favorite drink at home can save you lots of calories and money.

VA’s Healthy Teaching Kitchen has a recipe for a tropical smoothie that contains your choice of milk, a banana, spinach, your choice of tropical fruit, and optional add-ins like chia seeds or ginger, making it a healthy, refreshing, and filling alternative to a store-bought smoothie that may contain a lot of added sugar.
VA’s peanut butter and banana milkshake recipe uses bananas, peanut butter, and low-fat milk to give you a cold drink that’s high in protein and fiber but good enough to feel like a summer treat.
Icy lemonade – Blend one cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3-4 cups of ice, and 1/2 cup of water or sparkling water until you reach a slushy consistency you like. If you want it sweeter, start by adding 1-2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup to the whole batch. Then taste and adjust. You can also add some berries for additional sweetness.
Eating Well shares several ice-cold drink recipes, including healthier versions of popular summer mocktails, electrolyte drinks, whipped raspberry lemonade, and much more.

Flavor-Infused Ice and Water – If you want a drink that’s hydrating and healthy, look no further than flavored ice and water.

For flavored water, combine chopped fruits and herbs with 5-6 cups of water and one cup of ice. Let it infuse for a few hours to get the best flavor. Some fun recipes to try include strawberry, basil, and lemon water (1/2 cup strawberries, five basil leaves, and one thinly sliced lemon), blackberry, orange, and ginger water (1/2 pint blackberries, one thinly sliced orange, and a two-inch piece of ginger sliced and peeled), honeydew cucumber, and mint water (1/2 cup honeydew melon cubes, one sliced cucumber, and 10 fresh mint leaves).
For flavored ice, place small, chopped fresh fruit and herbs into a silicone ice tray, fill with water, and freeze. When the cubes melt, they’ll add a natural flavor to your glass of water. Try berries and mint, lemons and basil, or cucumber and lime for some fun flavor combinations.

Sweet Treats – Many classic summer treats have a lot of added sugar and calories. Making them at home can help you control how much sugar you use.

Homemade fruit sorbets can be a lighter option, especially when they’re mostly fruit and don’t add much sugar. VA shares a recipe for chocolate-raspberry-banana sorbet that uses frozen bananas, raspberries, and low-fat milk. VA’s recipe for berry-lime-banana sorbet uses frozen bananas, berries, and some ginger to create a refreshing treat.
Frozen yogurt is easy to make and customize to your favorite flavors. Blend plain Greek yogurt with fruit in a blender until smooth. If it needs sweetness, add a small amount of honey or maple syrup, or skip it altogether if the fruit is sweet enough. Pour into a container of your choice and freeze until firm. Flavors to try include mango and pineapple, strawberries and blueberries, bananas and mango, peaches and bananas, and more.
Popsicles – Making your own popsicles can be healthy and refreshing. Blend some fruit with water or unsweetened coconut water and freeze the mixture in popsicle molds for a few hours. If you use juice, keep it to a small amount, since juice still contains sugar. Try flavors like watermelon, mango, or pineapple.
Frozen yogurt bark – For a cool treat with added protein and calcium, try some frozen yogurt bark. Start by spreading a layer of plain Greek yogurt onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add small pieces of fruit, seeds, nuts, or even a few chocolate chips on top. Freeze for a few hours, then break the bark into pieces.
Frozen yogurt bites – Instead of spreading the yogurt into an even layer on the parchment paper, pour the yogurt into a large freezer bag, snip the corner of the bag, and pipe little circles of yogurt onto the parchment paper. Freeze the yogurt circles and then peel them off the wax paper, and enjoy.