The REAL 5 Alive!

As a kid, my mom rarely allowed us to have pop. When we did, it was a special treat. Once in a while, usually when my parents entertained, my mom would buy some “5 Alive” as a treat for the kids. I LOVED the citrusy-sweet-bubbly combo and now that I’m an adult, I still like those tangy flavours, but I don’t want the fruit juice, the chemicals or the high-fructose corn syrup that comes with the store-bought brand. I am not even much of a fan of the trendy, sugar-free sparkling waters popping up everywhere these days. They all include “natural” or “articifial” flavours, which are code words for chemicals that I just don’t want to add to my water. I would much rather just make my own!

Getting back to 5 Alive, a lot of people assume that because it’s made with juice, then it must be healthy. Wrong! In fact, because of the added fruit juices (sugar), there is more sugar in 5 Alive than in Coke. Did you know there are almost 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 341 ml can of the stuff?! Doesn’t that boggle your mind?! I mean, the daily MAXIMUM added sugar for kids is 4 teaspoons! And it’s only 6 teaspoons for women. 9 for men. So, in ONE can of 5 Alive, kids get over double their daily allowance, women do, too and the men even go over their limit…in ONE can.

It’s so scary to me how BIG SUGAR has been allowed to harm us and our children in this way. It’s insidious. And it makes me ever more passionate about teaching people to never, ever trust their food decisions to the marketers who try to sell it to us, addict us, and leave us coming back for more.

Instead, I keep my eyes wide open and I choose real, whole foods as much as possible. If I want something citrusy-sweet and bubbly? No problem! I make my own, and I promise you, if you have a juice or pop addiction, this tasty bevvie may be just the thing that helps you kick that habit to the curb. Soda pop is really not doing you any favours, and the alternative will truly make you feel…alive!

Here goes:

(Note that this recipe is for 2x 8-ounce glasses)

Healthy 5 Alive
Sarah Roberts
Servings: 2

Why I Make This: Taste it and you will see! REAL always makes you feel more ALIVE than the imitation.

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces of sparkling water (I love my Soda Stream for having unlimited quantities of the stuff with no waste!)

Lots of ice

The juice of 1/4 grapefruit, 1/2 and orange (any kind works), 1/2 lemon and one whole lime

Drizzle of maple syrup or local honey (optional–I don’t personally use it)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Juice the fruit into a measuring cup
  2. Divide the juice into 2 glasses
  3. Fill glasses with ice
  4. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a slice of orange, if desired. Taste it, and if you reaaally need to add a little sweetness, drizzle a tiny bit of maple syrup or local honey into each glass.

Enjoy!

Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.

P.S. If you have quit drinking and now can’t seem to wrangle your sugar monster or if you’ve been battling sugar addiction, feelings of frustration around diets and restricting, calorie-counting or anything else that has made you feel frustrated when it comes to food, sugar, weight and body image, then I invite you to join me for a FREE LIVE WEBINAR (online) tomorrow, Wednesday, April 24th at 7 pm ET. It’s called “The Truth About Sugar And How To Live A Life of Freedom Around FOOD” and I would love to connect with you! You will see me, but I won’t see you while we dig in a little deeper with regards to your health and wellness goals. Click here to sign up! I’d love to have you with me. 🙂

P.P.S. If you’d like to prioritize your health for 14 days, I’d love for you to sign up for my 14 Days of Wellness. Simply enter your name and email address up on the right to begin receiving the messages today. It’s FREE, with no diets, products, challenges or catches…just a chance to remember how amazing you are…for 14 days.

P.P.P.S. Speaking of taking care of your health, on May 4th and 5th, 2019, Roger and I are hosting The Healthy Brain and Body Show for our THIRD year! We are so excited to bring this show back even bigger and better! We would love to see you there as an attendee, where we have so much we want to share with you. We can’t wait to explore, connect, learn and shop at the show WITH you! Please say hello if you come. Roger and I will both be there the entire weekend. It would be a thrill to meet you. 🙂 

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