Lemonade: To Drink or Not to Drink

By Noor Salem, contributing columnist

Noor’s very own lemonade

The summer season is kicking in, and so are the cravings for ice cream, cold lemonade, and other cooling beverages. I’ve had a number of clients share their obsession with lemonade and similar drinks, and often imply that they’ve thought they made a healthy option choosing them at restaurants, food trucks, or at summer carnivals. Be wary, the majority of lemonades sold at popular places will be prepared from a highly sweetened syrup, extremely unhealthy powder, or pre-made drink with additives. If you are purchasing fresh squeezed lemonade from an organic juice bar, then rest be assured I am not referring to this type of drink. Nonetheless, you won’t be at loss asking if they include any other ingredients.

Try this simple raspberry lemonade recipe, and you’ll never crave the restaurant version again. I have a few alternative yet similar recipes in my book, Sunnah Superfoods. Adding mint leaves to this drink does not only incorporate a delicious taste into your drink, but also boosts the nutritional value of this scrumptious drink. You may alternate the lemons for limes, and switch the raspberries for strawberries, too. This lemonade is very high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, manganese, and copper. Enjoy this drink during the hot summer season, and you’ll definitely quench your thirst.

Ingredients:

3 (16oz each) mason jars

4 lemons, sliced

24 ounces of water

1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 ½ cups organic frozen raspberries

½ cup fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Fill the three mason jars with 8 ounces of water each.
2. Divide the remaining ingredients evenly, and place in the mason jars.
3. Shake; drink immediately or store in the refrigerator overnight to allow the lemons and mint to seep in the water.

Additional alternative: you may measure out the ingredients in each jar individually, and then blend them to puree the raspberries and naturally sweeten the drink further.  

Editor’s note: Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, Sunnah Superfoods, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.

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