Cherry White Russian

Research on beverage consumption and dietary health consistently finds that the single most impactful change available to most people seeking to improve their dietary quality through beverage choices is replacing sweetened commercial beverages — soda, sweetened iced tea, fruit drinks — with unsweetened or minimally sweetened alternatives. The average American consumes approximately one hundred fifty calories per day from sweetened beverages — calories that provide no nutritional benefit and that research associates with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity independent of total calorie intake. The summer drinks described in this article — infused water, cold brew tea, homemade lemonade with controlled sweetness, shrubs, agua frescas — provide the sensory satisfaction and the cooling pleasure of summer drinking with a fraction of the added sugar and none of the artificial ingredients of their commercial alternatives.