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Fruit Mocktail Recipes

Beverage are often a high source of calories with very few nutrients but these fruit mocktail recipes are flavorful, light and fun. Even more importantly, they are tasty and refreshing too in the heat of the summer, It’s important to keep well hydrated in the summer.

Water is the most essential nutrient to life. The familiar term “getting 8 glasses a day” is a good recommendation to begin drinking and it can be individualized based on a person’s body size, health condition and fluid losses through exercise and the weather as well as our age and health conditions.

Many of us have a good regulator of fluid needs through our sense of thirst but this sensation often decreases when people get older and they may need to be reminded to “drink up”.  Staying well hydrated is a great way to help us achieve natural weight loss for people who’s health would benefit from a modest weight loss since many of us eat when we are dehydrated instead of grabbing a glass of water.

Making beverages out of fruits and vegetables also helps ensure that we getting our needed daily amount of 5 or more a day!

Healthy Beverages May Have Role in Balance of Electrolytes

In addition to our fluid needs, it is also important to maintain a healthy electrolyte balance. Electrolytes include sodium, calcium, chloride, bicarbonate, potassium, magnesium and phosphate. Normally, our bodies do a good job keeping in balance but certain diseases, medications, high intensity exercise and high temperatures may make it a challenge to maintain these electrolytes.

Here is a list of electrolytes and some of the best food sources of these. As with fluid needs, a healthy electrolyte balance and nutrient needs varies for each individual.

Electrolytes in Our Body and Food Sources:

Calcium: dairy products, green leafy vegetables, some beans and tofu

Sodium: table salt is usually the place where many of us get this

Magnesium: green leafy vegetables, legumes and whole grains

Phosphorus: animal products like dairy and meat, dried beans

Potassium: fruits, vegetables, fresh meat

Try these fun fruit summer mocktails that I have created seasonal local produce to make them!

Great Reasons to Have Non-Alcoholic Beverages Available for Celebrations

There are lots of great reasons to have non-alcoholic beverages as part of a celebration or even leaving alcohol off of the menu list. Here are just a few reasons:

  • Easy availability of alcoholic beverages make it easier for someone to drink and drive
  • If children are part of the celebration, they may accidently ingest an alcoholic drink especially if it looks a lot more enticing than their beverage with a garnish and in a fun glass.
  • There are many people who work hard on their sobriety and having lots of non-alcoholic beverages helps support their sobriety even when others drink alcohol. Although, it is important to let them know ahead of time that alcohol will be served and then they can make the decision if the gathering is right for them. It may be best to not serve alcohol as a way to support them.

Fruit Mocktail Recipes

Drinking a cucumber peach smoothie in my garden
It’s hot outside but this smoothie can help keep you cool!

Cucumber Peach Basil Smoothie Mocktail

Stay as cool as a cucumber this summer with a smoothie that features some of the stars of summer. Cucumbers contain vitamin K, molybdenum, pantothenic acid and potassium and peaches are high in vitamin A and C. Basil is rich in vitamin K, manganese, copper and vitamin K. This recipe makes one fruit smoothie mocktail.

It you have not had time to freeze the fruit ahead of time, add a few ice cubes. I had fun putting some of them in some vintage glasses and relaxing with these drinks outdoors!

1 cucumber partially peeled and sliced

1 peach sliced, place in freezer to get frozen

1/2 lime squeezed

1/2 tablespoon fresh basil

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

Honey to taste or other sweetener

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a tall, cool glass!

Watermelon and mint make a great summer beverage
Sit out on the patio or deck with this little drink!

Watermelon Cooler

In addition to the phytochemical lycopene which is connected to cancer prevention, watermelon has vitamin C, pantothenic acid, copper, vitamin and potassium. We often don’t think of herbs as having a lot of nutrients but mint has manganese, copper and vitamin C.  This makes two coolers that can fit into larger wine glasses.
 

3 cups watermelon, seeded, cut into chunks and frozen

Juice from one lemon

1/2 tablespoon mint

Place ingredients in a blender and process. Pour into glasses.

A cool summer tea with fruit added
An easy way to enjoy the berries of summer and get refreshed!

Berry Herbal Sparkler

Frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries become the ice cubes that don’t water down your drink when they melt. A sprig of fresh thyme for a stirrer gives this tea an added treat! Blueberries are rich in vitamin K, C, manganese, fiber and copper. Raspberries have vitamin C, manganese and fiber. Strawberries are high in vitamin C, manganese. Thyme has vitamin C, manganese and iron. So this is a beautiful combination of goodness. Makes one serving.

One sprig of thyme

Berry herbal tea (I used Wild Berry Zinger )

1/2 cup frozen berries, I used strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

Honey to taste or other sweetener if desired

Garnish with fresh berries

Make a mug of herbal tea and add honey if desired. Allow to cool, add water and add to a large glass. ( I used a mason pint glass.) Add frozen berries to cool and flavor the drink and add the garnish!

Additional Fruity Mocktail Recipes

Here are some more mocktails for summer.

Strawberry Mint Lime Fizz

The ingredients for a strawberry mojito are delicious without the rum. Try this version of my Strawberry Mint Lime Fizz. Use frozen strawberries for your ice cubes.

Here are some Refreshingly Healthy Mocktail Recipes some of them are fruit mocktail recipes!

Hope that you get a chance to sit back and relax enjoying a healthy, cool mocktail recipe that I shared! Your body will thank you and so will your taste buds. As a registered dietitian nutritionist living in Asheville, I love to share recipes with my clients that help them live the best life that they can lead.

You can find out more about me here.

Seasonal summer meal planning

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