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Picking a healthy juice for your child can be a struggle as most juices are rich in sugar and preservatives or lack nutritional value. Here are some freshly prepared alternatives that are way better than store-bought ones.
What is a Healthy Drink?
For children, a healthy drink is not just something that is rich in nutritional value or is easy to digest, it is something that has to keep their energy levels up throughout an activity-filled day. Kids lose essential minerals every day; a healthy drink has to ensure they replenish these minerals while also adding nutritional value to other aspects of their diet. Talk to your doctor to understand the differences between healthy drinks for toddlers, kids and adults.
Benefits of Healthy Drinks for Kids
Healthy drinks have many benefits for your child.
- It keeps them hydrated
- Keeps constipation at bay
- They contain natural sugars as opposed to store-bought ones
- Certain fruits like blueberries, mangoes, etc are rich in antioxidants which can build immunity
- They are also packed with nutrients and minerals essential for your child’s development
Healthy Drinks you can Offer to your Child
The best healthy drink for kids can be hard to define due to its subjective nature but here are a few recipes. We hope these will help you make a yummy and healthy drink for your little one.
1. Sun-Melon and Banana Milkshake
Ingredients:
- 2 Bananas
- A Quarter of a Sun Melon
- Yoghurt
- Sea Salt
How to Make:
Begin by peeling the banana and cutting it into cubes, drizzle some sea salt on top and put it to aside, then cut the sun melon into quarters, using a spoon, scoop the sun melon out. Once this is done, add the banana, sun melon and some yoghurt into a blender, season with some sea salt (make sure you don’t overdo this as the banana already has some sea salt on it.) blend the drink till it becomes one consistency, pour into a glass and serve it chilled.
2. Papaya Lassi
Ingredients:
- Yoghurt
- Papaya
- Pink Salt
- Sugar
How to Make:
To make this drink all you have to do is cut the papaya into cubes, add them and with ¾ of a glass of yoghurt to a blender, season with pink salt and some sugar for flavour, blend and serve chill.
3. Ginger & Tender Coconut Chiller
Ingredients:
- Tender Coconut Water
- Ginger
- Lime
- Water
How to Make:
This electrolyte-rich drink is a cinch to prepare. First, grate ginger into some water and let it boil on a low flame. Ensure it boils so the juice of the ginger really infuses with the water, let the ginger water cool, then mix it with tender coconut water, squeeze some lime and serve chill.
4. Virgin Pina Colada
Ingredients:
- Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream
- Pineapple
- Cherries
- Mint
- Pink Salt
- Sugar
How to Make:
This fun drink is full of nutrition and is world famous for its flavours. To prepare this drink, first cut the pineapple into chunks, add a quarter glass of water with the pineapple in a blender with some pink salt and blend till it becomes a juice. Separately, add the coconut milk or coconut cream into a small mixing bowl and add some sugar, gently stir for a few minutes. Then add the freshly made pineapple juice and a couple of leaves of mint, continue to stir till it looks like one mixture. Add the mixture to a blender and blend for 3 more minutes. Garnish with cherries and a mint leaf and serve chill.
5. Strawberry Milkshake
Ingredients:
- Fresh Strawberries
- Low Fat Milk
- Sugar
- Blueberry Jam
How to Make:
This simple but classic drink is simple to make. First, wash and cut the strawberries. Add some low-fat milk with blueberry jam and sugar into a blender and blend for a few seconds till it mixes well, then toss in the strawberries and blend till it is smooth, add some additional cut strawberries into the milkshake for a fruity surprise and serve chill.
6. Peanut Butter Surprise
Ingredients:
- Chunky Peanut Butter
- Yoghurt
- Bananas
- Strawberry
- Mint
- Milk
How to Make:
To prepare this drink, first, blend some peanut butter with the plain yoghurt till it looks like one thick mixture, then add some chopped bananas and cut strawberries with a couple of mint leaves into the mixture, add some milk to help reduce the thickness of the mixture and blend. Serve it cold with some snacks for a rich, healthy evening snack.
7. Muskmelon Slushy
Ingredients:
- Muskmelon
- Ice
- Honey
- Vanilla Essence
- Water
How to Make:
To make this drink, first cut half a muskmelon into cubes, then in a blender, blend ice with vanilla essence and honey. In a separate blender Blend the cubes of muskmelon with added water, strain the pulp and mix with the blended crushed ice. Mix well and serve with snacks.
8. Watermelon Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Watermelon
- Lemon
- Ice
- Water
- Sugar
- Water
How to Make:
To make this delicious recipe first cut and deseed the watermelon, add half a glass of water with the watermelon in a blender and blend into a juice, strain the pulp, squeeze some lemon into the watermelon juice, add some sugar and mix, when serving add some crushed or cubed ice for a chilled summer treat.
9. Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Yoghurt
- Honey
- Mint leaves
How to Make:
To make this drink, simply add some blueberries, strawberries and blackberries with honey and yoghurt into a blender and blend till it becomes one smooth consistency, add some mint leaves to garnish and serve cold.
10. Apple Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Apples
- Lemons
- Water
- Honey
- Mint Leaves
How to Make:
To make this drink, first cut apples in halves, add some water and blend it till it becomes smooth, strain out the pulp, then add some freshly squeezed lemons and some honey, mix well and garnish with mint leaves and serve with some classic PB&J sandwiches for a healthy post playtime snack.
11. Cucumber & Mint Juice
Ingredients:
- Cucumber
- Mint Leaves
- Lime
- Water
- Sugar
How to Make:
Cut limes in half and squeeze into a glass, add some water with sugar and mix thoroughly. Then cut cucumber and blend with mint leaves for a few minutes till it becomes a single consistency. Add the lime juice to this mixture and mix well, add some more water to make sure the consistency is watery instead of being full of pulp. Garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves and serve.
12. Peach & Mango Smoothie
Ingredients:
- Peaches
- Mangoes
- Yoghurt
- Vanilla Essence
How to Make:
Cut and deseed the peaches and dice the mangoes. Add some yoghurt in a blender with two to three drops of vanilla essence and the cut mangoes and peaches, blend till it is smooth and serve after lunch for the perfect dessert and drink combination for your kids.
13. Spiced Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Milk
- Condensed Milk
- Cardamom
- Bananas
- Honey
How to Make:
Grate some cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg in milk and brink it to a boil on low heat. Once that is done, add honey and condensed milk and let it cool in room temperature, add the now spiced milk into a blender with some chopped ripe bananas and blend till it’s smooth. This drink can be served either hot, at room temperature or cold.
14. Blueberry Ginger Slushy
Ingredients:
- Ginger
- Blueberries
- Ice
- Water
- Lime
- Honey
How to Make:
On a low heat begin boiling water, add peeled ginger to the water when boiling to infuse the ginger flavour, heat till it begins to thicken. Let this ginger juice cool at room temperature. Once it is cool, add blueberries, a cup of ice, lime and the ginger juice into a blender, blend till it becomes a single mixture, in a bowl, crush some ice. In a glass add the crushed ice and top it with the blended ginger and blueberry mixture. Drizzle honey on top and serve.
15. Pumpkin Peach Smoothie
Ingredients:
- Yoghurt
- Pumpkin
- Peaches
- Honey
- Mint Leaves
How to Make:
First clean and cut the pumpkin into cubes, steam it so it becomes easy to mash. Once the pumpkin is mashed, let it cool at room temperature, cut peaches into cubes and in a blender add yoghurt, honey the mashed pumpkin and cubes of peaches, blend thoroughly and garnish with mint leaves. Serve at any temperature.
Remember, before preparing any drinks or food it is recommended that you consult your doctor and understand the nutritional needs of your child according to their age and to know if they have any food allergies.
