Low-carb drinks are not only refreshing and light but also easy to prepare. Kick start your day with a glass of drink low in carbohydrate and you yourself can feel the change it has on your body and mind. These drinks can be easily made at home, that is both fuss-free and quick to prepare.
The importance of healthy eating and drinking habits is catching up with people gradually but evidently. The ill effects of junk food and carbonated drinks and the need for healthier substitutes are being continuously encouraged.
The junk food and carbonated drink producers might still be retaining a fair share of loyal customers, but the number of people switching to healthy options is on the rise for sure.
Even the manufacturers of energy drinks might have flooded the beverage markets with their low-carb versions, but there exists a wide range of low-carb drinks that you can make at home yourself instead of leaving your health concerns at the mercy of commercial beverage producers.
Recipes for Drinks Low in Carbohydrates
A hot cup of herbal tea or a low-carb coffee drink might be the perfect way to get you started for the day. These drinks are great for any time of the day, are extremely healthy, and lip smacking. With the increasing trend of low-carb and sugar-free diets, several companies have come up with healthy sugar substitutes for almost any high-carb ingredient.
There exists a wide variety of low-carb substitutes for any and everything starting from the basic ingredients like milk or yogurt to sweeteners and flavoring agents. Using these ingredients, it is possible to replicate some of your favorite drinks starting from indulgent coffee drinks to creamy smoothies.
Preparation: Combine all the ingredients. Use a blender to mix until you get a smooth homogeneous mixture. Pour it into a glass and enjoy.
Herbal Tea
Herbal tea makes an exciting and healthy low-carb drink; a great substitute for any carbonated beverage or energy drink. It is an herbal concoction of several herbs, dried flowers, seeds or even roots. Just made of herbs or contain a mixture of tea with herbs. They not only refresh, but have health benefits like stress relief, improvement in digestion.
Preparation: Heat the water until boiling, before pouring it into a cup. Add the peppermint leaves, lemongrass and fennel seeds - in a minute the ingredients saturate its flavors into the hot water, strain to no bits are left behind. Add stevia and stir well. For more herb-based, try tulsi which is a renowned herb for its multiple health-related properties.
Soothing Smoothies
It is not very difficult to create exciting smoothies that are easy on the carb meter. The key is to eliminate sugar, and introduce fresh fruits that contain minimum sugar levels and are beneficial for health. Use of spices and herbs like cinnamon, ginger, mint, lemongrass etc. can add to its flavor and make it tastier.
In addition to berries, which are great for low-carb concoctions, you can also use fruits like plums, pears, apples, papaya, muskmelon, guava, and grapefruit.
Strawberry Mint Breeze
Ingredients: ■ Fresh strawberries - 2 cups ■ Freshly squeezed lemon juice - ¾ cup ■ Sugar substitute - Stevia (one sachet or more) ■ Fresh mint leaves - 2 or 3 ■ Ice-cold water - 2 cups
Preparation: Chop the strawberries and blend with the mint leaves, lemon juice, and stevia until smooth. Add the chilled water and blend again. Strain the mixture and serve chilled.
Peach and Apricot Blast
A creamy and delightful low-carb smoothie, which combines juicy peaches and apricots with soy milk and almonds. The almonds really give a creamy texture, whereas the peach and apricots blend well with the soy milk to create a delicious concoction to enjoy at any time of the day. If you are avoiding high-calorie desserts, this is good enough to satisfy you.
Ingredients: ■ Soy milk - 1 cup ■ Chopped peach -1 large (remove seed) ■ Apricot pulp - 2 tablespoons ■ Almonds - 4 pieces Preparation: Soak the almonds in lukewarm water for at least 4 to 5 hours beforehand. Use chilled soy milk prior adding to the mix. Blend all the ingredients, until it takes on a smooth finish. Strain the mixture and serve in the glass.
These mixes are good for those who want to keep an eye on their waistlines where, as you can see, you aren't really compromising on anything delicious as part of the recipes. Experiment with varied low-carb ingredients to give yourself a real treat.