Addiction by subtraction
best way to wean kids off soda is to try to making healthy drinks at home
Everybody knows that junk food is to be avoided like the plague. So I don’t keep any in the house, and our family saves Oreo-eating binges for camping trips. I try not to be overly zealous in knocking junk food, though, in order not to give it more attention than it deserves. Ignore it, and so will the children, as my theory goes.
Having said that, there are some junk drinks I never buy, road trip or not: soda pop, frozen sweetened “juice beverage” concentrates, or powdered drink mixes. There are plenty of delicious alternatives to these (try chilled tap water with a lemon twist, for starters) that children can make at home.
The main reasons to mix your own soft drinks, aside from saving money, is that you can control the amount of added sugar, there are many flavor combinations to try besides the typical grocery store fare, and you can mix drinks in smaller quantities than the ubiquitous 12 oz. can, which is more than most children can drink at one time.
If you’re trying to wean your pop-addicted family away from the bad stuff, it might be useful to invest in one special piece of bartending equipment, a soda siphon. This will allow you to make your own carbonated soft drinks at home with flavored syrups, without stocking a closet-full of bottled soda water.
Below are recipes for cool soft drinks to make this summer. Even the youngest children can help with these; preschoolers love to pour and mix, and all ages of children seem to have a real attraction to playing with ice cubes. Older children can learn to juice a lemon or an orange with a manual juicer, which is way more exciting than opening a bottle.
Go wild and experiment with other combinations of fruit juices and herbal teas. On really hot days, use your blender to make crushed ice for slushie-type drinks.
Sparkling Grapeade
Into each glass put several ice cubes. Then, to each glass add ½ cup unsweetened grape juice and a teaspoon of lime or lemon juice. Fill the glass up the rest of the way with chilled soda water, and serve.
Homemade Italian Sodas
Fill each glass with ice cubes, and then fill ¾ full with chilled soda water. Pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of flavored beverage syrup over the top, stir, and top with a dollop of whipped cream or a splash of heavy cream, and serve.
Fruity Tea Cooler
Make herbal sun tea using a fruit-flavored tea such as Celestial Seasonings Cranberry Apple Zinger Wild Berry Zinger, or Country Peach Passion.
Put 2 or 3 tea bags in a quart-sized clear glass jar, fill with clean tap water, screw the lid on tightly, and put in the sun to brew for several hours or all day. Remove the tea bags and chill overnight.
Into each glass put 2 or 3 tablespoons (or more if desired) of natural strength lemon or lime juice, several sprigs of fresh mint, and a few ice cubes.
Pour the chilled tea into the glasses. Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey if desired. Serve immediately.
Variation: Use ½ cup cranberry, pineapple, orange, or peach juice instead of lemon or lime.