Cool, Healthy Summer Sips

If you’re trying to conceive, life isn’t all that different than after you find out you’re pregnant when it comes to what you should eat and drink. We now know that the healthiest bodies have the best chance of getting pregnant, staying pregnant and delivering healthy babies – so what you put into your body really does matter, even before you see that exhilarating + sign on the pregnancy test.

If you enjoy the occasional cocktail on a hot summer day, this new restriction can be a bit of a bummer. Never fear! Reproductive Resource Center has come to the rescue. We’re sharing three cool, healthy, summertime mocktails that you’ll enjoy almost as much (if not more!) than the real thing.

3 Cool Healthy Summer Sips For the Trying-to-Conceive (TTC) Crowd

Before we begin, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the healthiest “cool sipper” of all: water. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of fresh, cold water to keep your body hydrated, detoxed and free of unnecessary calories. If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, substituting sweet drinks with water is a simple way to keep blood sugar levels in better check.

Green Juice Mocktail

This refreshing and unique recipe is served up at The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu, a detox and fitness resort in California.  If you have a juicer, use it. If not, liquefy the following ingredients in your blender:

• The flesh of one, ripe honeydew melon
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 apple
• ¼-inch piece of ginger, peeled (chop it up if you’re going to use your blender)

Once you’ve rendered the juice, mix it with a 750 mL bottle of sparkling water and serve it over ice. We recommend adding a slice of orange for a colorful and tasty garnish.

Frosted Strawberry Lemonade

Are you a fan of strawberry margaritas? Those sweet and tart blended drinks are summer and poolside favorites. Unfortunately, the tequila they’re served with is not all that great for you when TTC, and the traditional margarita mixes are loaded with sugar.

As an antidote, we offer up the delicious, and lower-carb Frosted Strawberry Lemonade. The following recipe serves two, so we recommend doubling or tripling it.

Blend Together:

• 2 cups of your favorite lemonade, bottles is fine but homemade is even better.
• 1 ½ cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup of ice cubes (try making them with coconut water for added flavor and health benefits)
• A generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice – adjust according to taste

If you have fresh strawberries, we recommend throwing some in as well. Pour your frozen strawberry lemonade into glasses and garnish with a fresh strawberry, a slice of lemon, and/or a sprig of mint.

Hibiscus Cooler

This drink is as beautiful as it is refreshing. It’s loaded with hibiscus, which is known for having a multitude of health benefits. You’ve probably seen it used as an additive in herbal teas (often those that are called ‘zingers,’ because of its tart flavor). You can find bulk dried hibiscus flowers for sale in some grocery stores, health food stores or Latin American markets.

This Hibiscus Cooler recipe, courtesy of vegetariantimes.com, will serve 6.

Ingredients for the cooler:

• 3 Cups of dried hibiscus flowers (or 5 Red Zinger tea bags)
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 4-inches in length)
• 10 clove spikes
• ¼ crushed allspice
• 2 3-inch pieces of peeled ginger root

Ingredients for the simple syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

To make the cooler, add the ingredients together in a pan with 4-cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 10-minutes. Remove from heat and let the liquid cool for a bit. Once it’s cooled, strain it into a pitcher and let it chill in the refrigerator.

To make the simple syrup, bring the water and sugar to boil in a small sauce pan. Once it boils, the sugar should dissolve in a minute or less. Remove from heat and cool.

If you’re making the Hibiscus Coolers for yourself, add the simple syrup to the pitcher of cooler and sweeten to your personal preference. If you are serving it for guests, we recommend putting a small pitcher of simple syrup or a jar of honey next to the Hibiscus Cooler pitcher so guests can sweeten to taste. Serve over ice.

These three mocktails are delicious, refreshing and healthy. Start experimenting and find your favorites. Not only will they keep you from missing your favorite summertime cocktails, they’ll come in handy for the nine months of alcohol-free living you have ahead of you once you are officially pregnant.

Do you suspect it’s taking longer than it should to get pregnant? Contact us here at RRC and let’s talk. Scheduling a consultation may be the best way to determine what’s going on – or not going on – so you can create a more personalized fertility plan.

image: comfreak at pixabay.com