Registered Dietician’s Healthier Drinking Tips and No- and Low-Calorie Myth-Busting

How To Avoid Free-Sugar

Adults of all ages are over-indexing on free-sugar intake. British classics like Pimm’s, iced tea and lemonade may be tasty thirst-quenchers but these can easily pack in most of our daily free sugar allowance in one hit.

Making small changes – like changing up your summertime drinks – can make a big difference to your overall intake and there’s no reason for these drinks to be any less sweet. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners, and sugar-free or low-calorie mixers are the obvious substitute for some of the sugary mixers and syrups that make up our favourite drinks.

There’s a lot of suspicion around non-sugar sweeteners, but they are one of the most researched ingredients worldwide, and their use in food and drinks is tightly regulated and rigorously tested by European and international authorities, including the European Food Safety Authority. Using sweeteners as an alternative is a great way to help cut down on free sugars, without compromising on taste.

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Helen Bond’s Healthier Drinking Tips

1. Drink Plenty

In the heat, it’s even more important to drink plenty of fluids (6 – 8 glasses a day). Water is best – it’s calorie and sugar free, so good for waistlines and teeth. But if you’re bored of H2O, mix up the types of fluid you drink to ensure you stay hydrated. Lower fat milks, tea and coffee (without added sugar or syrups), and sugar-free squash also count towards fluid intakes.

2. Experiment with sugar- and calorie-free soft drinks

There are 11 different low- and no-calorie sweeteners approved for use in the UK, including familiar ones such as acesulfame K, aspartame, sucralose, and stevia. Each has its own unique taste profile. Try to experiment with different low- and sugar-free soft drink brands to see what option, or combination, is most appealing.

3. Add natural freshness

Mix up your drinks flavours by adding something fresh: lemon and lime wedges, mint and basil leaves, cucumber slices or berries can make drinks taste amazing, without adding extra calories or sugar. Frozen fruit is a great way to add vitamins and a punchy zing, with the added bonus of cooling your drink down too. How about a drinks fusion of sugar-free cloudy lemonade with frozen pineapple, fresh mint and lime?

4. Get creative with cocktail mixers

Cocktails can be especially sugary from the alcohol, mixers, fruit juices and syrups used to create them. So, if you need a tipple lower in free sugars and calories, why not try making your own? You can normally halve the sugar content of summer classics by using a low-or-no calorie granulated sweetener.

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2x New Lower-Sugar Drink Recipes To Try Instead

Nectarine and Strawberry Punch (serves 10– 12)

317kJ/76kcal, 6.59g sugar per 200ml serving

Simply swapping regular lemonade for a diet version can help to reduce free sugars intake. Make this easy switch in this recipe and you’ll lose almost 5g sugar (around one teaspoon) per glass of this light, fruity summer punch.

250ml Pimm’s
750ml bottle Prosecco
1 litre diet lemonade
2 nectarines, stones removed and sliced
2 handfuls strawberries, hulled and chopped
Handful of mint, leaves picked
Ice, to serve
1. Pour the Pimm’s, Prosecco and lemonade into a large serving bowl and stir together.

2. Add the nectarines, strawberries, mint and lots of ice.

3. Serve into glasses, decorated with some of the fruit.

Homemade Lemon & Limeade (serves 6)

59kJ/14kcal, 1.1g sugar per 260ml serving

Homemade lemonade traditionally uses heaps of sugar to sweeten up the sharpness of the lemons. This version replaces the sugar with a low-and no-calorie granulated sweetener, typically saving around 43g sugar per serving.

5 unwaxed lemons
5 unwaxed limes
15g (around 30 tsp) powdered or granulated sweetener, or to taste
Ice, to serve
1. Use a peeler to pare the zest from 4 of the lemons and 4 of the limes. Put the zest into a large bowl.

2. Cut the peeled lemons and limes in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Don’t worry if any pips go in.

3. Pour over 1.2 litres of boiling water, stir then set aside until completely cool.

4. When cool, place a fine meshed sieve over a large bowl and pour in the liquid. Discard the lemon and lime zest.

5. Stir the sweetener into the lemon and lime juice, tasting as you go and adding more if you want a sweeter drink.

6. Slice the remaining lemon and lime. Transfer the lemonade to a jug. Add lots of ice as well as the lemon and lime slices and serve.