As registered dietitians and personal trainers, whether we are on the street, or at the grocery store, people frequently ask us for nutrition advice. The other day at the gym, one of my friends said “how can I ‘healthy up’ a little bubbly?” I immediately thought she was referring to a cocktail, but she soon clarified that she meant soda. She wanted to slash artificial sweeteners and in the process didn’t want to end up getting boatloads of sugar instead. She said she loves the flavor of watermelon (and so do we – and we are all about the health benefits), so we decided to step up the nutrients even more by adding basil and cucumber, and start creating a delicious and healthy bubbly! 🙂
In fact, we thought, why not make our soda as amped up withanti-inflammatory ingredients so that it’s just a powerful as our Watermelon Cucumber Basil our “detox” Drink. If you’ve spent much time our site, you know that we create “detox” drinks that are so powerful that we’ve even made them a huge part of 21-Day Body RebootTM (our life-changing program to help you jumpstart fat loss and feel energized and rejuvenated without feeling restricted).
This one is inspired by our favorite summer flavors but we will drink it all year round 😉 – sweet & juicy watermelon, refreshing cucumber, zesty lime, and fresh basil! But it doesn’t only taste delicious, this refreshing drink will also make you feel amazing by flushing bloat and keeping you hydrated any time of year! (Read below to find out how it works to benefit your health).
Want to check out more of our bloat-flushing “detox” drinks? Here are a few hotties!
Grapefruit Ginger Mint “Detox” Drink
Cucumber Blueberry Water Flush
Green Grape & Matcha Detox Drink
Apple Cider Vinegar & Lime “Detox” Drink
What makes this delicious flavor combo especially good for you?
It helps prevent sweet cravings
This lil’ number keeps sweet cravings at bay by filling up your belly so you don’t make hangry decisions. We all know how hard it is to say no to donuts when you’re hangry ;). When you’re filled up on good-for-you food and drinks, it’s so much easier to stay on track! Plus the natural sweetness of watermelon and basil gives your taste buds just what they’re looking for without loads of sugar or calories!
It flushes bloat
Watermelon and cucumbers are both chock full of potassium, which helps flush out sodium and keep fluid balance normal (buh bye bloat!). Basil also works wonders for flat bellies! It’s in the same family as mint, so it calms down your digestive system and keeps everything running smoothly. We’re pretty obsessed with both mint and basil – we’ve even been known to chew on a few leaves straight! Add all that to water, the ultimate bloat-flusher, and you can kiss puffiness goodbye!
It speeds up muscle recovery
As personal trainers, we know that working out is key to getting that flat-belly bikini body. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer from sore muscles. Research shows that watermelon helps speed up muscle recovery after exercise, so this drink will help you rehydrate and get back to feeling your best after a tough sweat session!
It’s a lifesaver for your skin
Ever wonder why cucumbers go on your eyes at the spa? Nope, it’s not for a snack in case you get hungry during a facial. Cucumbers do wonders for keeping your skin glowing and wrinkle free because of the vitamin C and silica content! Watermelon is your skin’s best friend too, especially in the summer. It’s loaded with “nature’s sunscreen,” lycopene, which helps prevent skin damage from sunburn to keep your skin healthy!
Watermelon Cucumber Basil Soda – DIY- Make-Your-Own Natural Soda
What we’ve done here is we take all the goodies from our Watermelon Cucumber Basil our “detox” Drink and made a concentrate to mix for making the soda to give you all the healing properties in a 20-calorie natural soda!
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
Watermelon Cucumber Basil Concentrate
Ingredients:
½ cup diced watermelon
½ cup diced cucumber
6-8 basil leaves
Juice of ½ lime
1 cup water
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a pitcher or large jar and smash them with the back of a wooden spoon to release juices.
- Add the water and stir.
- Let infuse in the fridge overnight, then strain.
- 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 info per serving 15 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 52 mg potassium, 3g carbohydrates, 0.4g fiber, 2g sugar, 0g protein
- ½ cup diced watermelon
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- 6-8 basil leaves
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 cup water
- Place all ingredients in a pitcher or large jar and smash them with the back of a wooden spoon to release juices.
- Add the water and stir.
- Let infuse in the fridge overnight, then strain.
- To make soda
- : combine ¼ cup concentrate with ¾ cup seltzer water and 1 tsp simple syrup (recipe below)
- Simple Syrup Ingredients:
- cup water
- cup sugar (organic, preferably); you can use honey if you prefer.
- 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).
