Mainely Dish Recipe Video: Honey-Sweetened Lemonade

I love quick and simple recipes, and this one only has 3 ingredients: lemon juice, water, and honey! You can create your own flavored lemonade by adding mint after blending or by adding your favorite fresh or frozen fruit like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or sliced peaches into the lemonade mixture before or after blending. I am definitely going to blend fresh strawberries to the next batch I make!

Did you know an 8 ounce serving for a pre-made lemonade contains about 28 grams of added sugar? It’s hard to say if this is a lot of sugar or not just by seeing the number of grams. Now, imagine pouring 7 teaspoons (or 7 sugar packets) of sugar into your glass and drinking that instead! Being able to visualize how much added sugar is actually in the drinks we consume can help us decide what would be a healthier option. By making your own homemade lemonade you can control the amount of added sugar you are consuming. Added sugar includes all sugars that are added during the processing of foods, we use honey as a sweetener in this recipe which would be considered an added sugar. This homemade lemonade recipe has 17 grams of added sugar (about 4.25 teaspoons of sugar), but can be reduced more based on your preference when you make it yourself. To learn more about added sugars use the Interactive Nutrition Facts Label.  Also please note that honey should not be given to children under the age of one due to the risk of botulism. To learn more about honey, read Clemson Cooperative Extension’s All About Honey handout. 

 

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By Alex Gayton, Nutrition Education Professional