Make this summer less sweet

Summer can be sweet in more ways than one. But I think we need to make it less sweet.  When it’s hot outside, the first inclination is to drink or eat something cold and icy. People reach for a cold can of a soft drink, a cold coffee or tea, or an ice cream. These may taste nice but are chockfull of sugar. Summer might, in fact, may be the time of year when folk unwittingly begin to put on weight. They start consuming more cold sugary treats, thinking that they’ll cool them down, and because it’s too hot, they become lethargic.

Coffee shops and supermarkets are already packed with options for cold sugary beverages and other treats throughout the year anyway. But in some countries, they’re just too cold for the winter. But in the summer sales of these items soar. Unfortunately there’s never a healthy version of these beverages as a choice, with low sugar, less fat, fewer calories, etc.

With that said, just because healthier versions aren’t readily available, that doesn’t mean that you have to fill your body with sugars and fats. You can make your own something cold and sweet without endangering your health.

Ice creams are a little hard to swap but being creative is the key here. Instead of ice creams how about a frozen yoghurt, and not one from the shops? Take a low-fat yoghurt, crush your favourite fruits, like blueberries, strawberries, pineapples or peaches, stir it into the yoghurt and then freeze it for a couple of hours. An even simpler method is to buy some low-fat fruit yoghurt (with probiotics is even better) and pop that in the freezer for a couple of hours. I do it all the time and it’s just like eating ice cream, only better for me. I get the ice cream fix but it’s healthier because it’s low fat and has no sugar.

Ice lollies and ice creams on sticks are also something people reach for because they’re easier to eat on the go. But I do not believe there are any healthier versions of this out there. There are some that claim they’re made from real fruit juice…but are they really? There’s really no way to know. What I feel is, if in doubt, leave it out. What I like to do is to make my own ice lolly on a stick. There are so many moulds available now and you can make ice lollies using real fruit juice. You can also turn that frozen yoghurt idea into an ice cream on a stick by pouring the yoghurt and fruit mix into these moulds.

Drinks are also a little difficult to swap but not impossible. There appear not to be any low sugar versions of your colas and 7Ups. If they say sugar-free or zero calories or light then the chances are they have added something else to sweeten them. I mentioned aspartame in previous weeks and would like to reiterate that they’re not good for you. The alternative is to make something yourself. It’s not going to be a cola or 7Up but something fizzy and satisfying. One of the things I often do is buy bottled sparkling water, add lemon or lime to it and pop the bottle in the fridge. That goes down very nicely and satisfies that need to drink something fizzy. Sometimes I will add a cordial to it instead of lemon, but just a dash, to give the fizzy drink that kick it needs to hit the right spot.

Some people just like to freeze sliced bananas and pop them in the freezer for them to have something cold but healthy to put in their mouths in summer. Others like to freeze berries. I’m not a fan of putting sliced fruit in the freezer or fridge before consuming it because eating something absolutely frozen or too cold has a tendency to numb your mouth, especially your cheeks. When that happens you will inevitably accidentally bite into it no matter how carefully you chew. It’s painful and you can’t eat. So freeze things that will melt and not something that needs chewing.

Enjoy your summer.