As registered dietitians who undeniably were born with our sweet tooth leading it’s way to what foods we’d like as picky kids, we giggle when we think about how excited we’d get about certain sweets that our healthy, cook-it-from scratch granola-baking mom didn’t give us too often. When we were eight, our mom let us choose what we wanted to do for our birthday party and we chose a “Make-your-own Pineapple Sundae Party.” Sure, there was ice cream involved, but surprisingly, we were all about the sweet pineapple (we did love the ice cream too!), and we were so excited about the thought of the sweet that we even came up with a theme song and dance for the party with our bestie, Mary, and it was all about the pineapple—“Pineapple sundaes, yum, yum, yum”—we’d sing it endlessly and rub our bellies, fall back on the bed, and do it all over again! Oy!

Now, we’re still fans of the sweet, delish flavor of pineapple, but as registered dietitians, we’re also obsessed with the health benefits of pineapple. So when you requested recipes for an all-natural soda that doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners, we couldn’t help but to concoct a soda that contains pineapple—and we stepped it up a notch so our DIY natural soda actually even has health benefits—in fact, we figured that while you’re trying to get healthier and get less soda or if you’re just trying to avoid it all together, we could make a delicious DIY alternative and even insert a bit of the benefits from some of our “detox” drinks in the process–so that’s what we did! (woot, woot! ).

Psst… looking for great drinks to save calories and flush bloat? Please feel free to search this site! And here are a couple to try:

Cucumber Blueberry Water Flush
Lemon Ginger Detox drink
Vitamin C Infused “Detox” Water

If you want to immediately get your mind and body back on the healthy track and you’re craving soda, this natural, lightened up soda (only 18 calories—and nothing artificial!!) is your ticket. It helps to flush bloat, restore your body and mop up the toxins and damage. And although your body is equipped to detox and cleanse itself naturally, certain health-promoting foods and drinks, like this one, can be monumental when it comes to assisting in its process. This refreshing drink packs in some great nutrients that are especially helpful when you want to look and feel your best and quickly get your body feeling lighter. Plus, as you sip this, you’ll set the tone for a healthy day, knowing that you’re doing something great for yourself by simply drinking it—let alone if you’re drinking instead of soda in which case you’ll also be slashing artificial chemicals or huge amounts of excess sugar! And this drink will fill your stomach and help to prevent you from feeling hungry and from overeating and from diving in to junk food or the first unhealthy food you see simply because you’re ravenous.

Here’s how this drink works it magic (and we all certainly can use a little magic every now and then):The water + seltzer: They both help to flush bloating sodium and waste from of your body and keeps your kidneys and intestines in tip top shape. And water helps the body to run optimally as every process in the body relies on water.

The pineapple: For starters, for us, it adds that delicious sweetness to the 18- calorie drink (Yes, you read that right!) so that we get the sweet flavor our sugar tooth is after but without the calories and sugar bloat! Plus, having something sweet helps to dodge sugar cravings, woohoo! Pineapple is an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that aids in digestion and can help prevent indigestion and bloating. Plus, pineapples provide antioxidants and vitamin C, which both help repair muscles and tissues and aid in recovery. They help your cells to heal themselves and fend off damage from toxins or irritants. By protecting your cells, they keep your body in better working order and help to fight some of the damage done from overindulging in unhealthy foods and drinks so that your insides can settle, avoiding inflammation and added puffiness.

The lemon: Lemon helps to promote the activity of a liver enzyme that converts harmful, toxic substances to less harsh chemicals (via the liver through a compound called d-limonene.). Lemon, like the pineapple is packed with vitamin C, which is a potent antioxidant which mops up free radicals from environmental toxins, stress, alcohol, fatty foods and other toxins and helps to prevent them from damaging your body. Vitamin C also keeps the skin radiant and youthful by helping to boost levels of collagen, which helps to keep the skin elastic. And lemons add a refreshing perk to any drink! 😉

The ginger: (Yes, I, Lyssie, admittedly am obsessed with ginger and add it to most of my home-cooked dinners—buh bye bloat, buh bye damage from toxins!). Ginger contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components. As an antioxidant it is able to neutralize free radicals, chemicals that can travel through the body and cause damage to healthy cells. When you overindulge on food and drink and your intestinal tract is acting out in response, i.e.–you’re feeling bloated and your tummy is full of discomfort, ginger is great! You simply need to settle your insides so they can start calming down, repairing, de-puffing, rebooting and rinsing the bloat. Your body responds to poor food choices and toxins with inflammation. So preventing that inflammation means not only will you have a less inflamed inside and less stomach distress, but also that you’ll be healthier in the long haul! Chronic inflammation causes damage to tissues in the body and it speeds the aging process. It also wreaks havoc on your insides so preventing it means less bloating and puffiness so that you can feel your best! Ginger also fights bloat by helping to ease stomach and intestinal discomfort and it is even used in anti-gas medications .

Note: If you make our Pineapple Lemon Ginger “Detox” Drink, the proportions of the ingredients are different here to make the concentrate to make the soda mix.

Pineapple Lemon Ginger Soda- DIY- Natural Make-Your-Own-Soda

Each recipe makes 1 cup concentrate, 4 cups of soda.

To make 1 cup soda: combine ¼ cup concentrate, ¾ cup seltzer water, and 1 tsp simple syrup

For concentrate:
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen/thawed pineapple
½ lemon, sliced
1 tsp chopped or sliced ginger
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a pitcher or large jar and smash them with the back of a wooden spoon to release juices.
2. Add the water and stir.
3. Let infuse in the fridge overnight, then strain.
4. To make soda: combine ¼ cup concentrate with ¾ cup seltzer water and 1 tsp simple syrup (recipe below)

Simple Syrup Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (organic, preferably); you can use honey if you prefer.

Directions:
Simmer the water and sugar, stirring occasionally until completely dissolved. Let cool.
Note: Start by adding a teaspoon of syrup to your natural soda and slowly add more, if needed. Each teaspoon simple syrup has approximately 15 calories and 4 grams of carbs (sugar).

Nutrition Facts Per Serving with 1 teaspoon syrup: 18 Calories, 0 g Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 0 mg Sodium, 4 g Carbohydrate, 0 g Fiber, 2 g Sugar, 0 g Protein

Pineapple Lemon Ginger Soda- DIY- Natural Make-Your-Own-Soda

 

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Each recipe makes 1 cup concentrate, 4 cups of soda. To make 1 cup soda: combine ¼ cup concentrate, ¾ cup seltzer water, and 1 tsp simple syrup

Author: NutritionTwins.com

Ingredients

• For concentrate:
• 1 cup frozen/thawed pineapple
• ½ lemon, sliced
• 1 tsp chopped or sliced ginger
• 1 cup water
• Simple Syrup Ingredients:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar (organic, preferably); you can use honey if you prefer.

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a pitcher or large jar and smash them with the back of a wooden spoon to release juices.
2. Add the water and stir.
3. Let infuse in the fridge overnight, then strain.
4. To make soda: combine ¼ cup concentrate with ¾ cup seltzer water and 1 tsp simple syrup (recipe below)
5. Simple syrup directions:
6. Simmer the water and sugar, stirring occasionally until completely dissolved. Let cool.
7. Note: Start by adding a teaspoon of syrup to your natural soda and slowly add more, if needed. Each teaspoon simple syrup has approximately 15 calories and 4 grams of carbs (sugar).
8. Nutrition Facts Per Serving with 1 teaspoon syrup
9. : 18 Calories, 0 g Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 0 mg Sodium, 4 g Carbohydrate, 0 g Fiber, 2 g Sugar, 0 g Protei

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