Low Calorie Thai Basil Ginger Lemonade Energy Drink

Thai Ginger Lemonade

Any time I go into any gas station for a drink during my day someone is buying a Redbull.  I went in yesterday and they had placed the Redbull at the bottom of the display.  It took me 5 minutes to find it.  I told the attendant that I happened to know that I wasn't happy.  I told him that Redbull is usually the main thing people buy at gas stations and sure enough the guy in front of me told me he had one.  You can test my theory by asking who is buying a Redbull next time you are in line at one.

My point is that most of us are constantly looking for more energy.  There are constantly things we need to do and it seems like as a species we have figured out that energy drinks work.  To add to my discovery at gas stations I have figured out that citrus is cheap and abundant.  Especially in Houston, we have more citrus rotting on the ground than we know what to do with.  As I write this I have 30 or so grapefruit waiting for me to invent a new recipe.  Stay tuned and you will find a grapefruit drink on the blog soon.

Scurvy sailors figured out that putting citrus like lemons in their water not only made it taste better but also drastically improved their health with it's vitamin C content.   They didn't have the benefits of research that we have now but figured it out non the less.  Now I am also keeping a large water pitcher with a lemon drink at the ready.

How I made my lemon drink healthier

I also like to add ginger to mine which we keep on stock in our house as a staple in Thai recipes.  It's super cheap and makes so many things better.  Ginger is one of the most googled spices for its health and energy giving properties and you can easily grow it at home if you live out in the sticks.  If you want to add a bit more flavor you can also add some basil which I did but found that it is just as good with just the ginger and lemon.  To make it healthier we used stevia as usual to lower the calorie count as naturally as possible.

Some added health benefits

As recently as yesterday I had a home health patient complain of the very common experience of feeling light headed.  I'm no doctor, just a physical therapy assistant that sees patients in their homes with a supervising therapist available by phone.  What I have learned is that water intake is typically one of the main problems with this.  A few years ago I was having bouts of collapsing and spent a lot of money to finally be told my a cardiologist to drink more water.  He said that 90 percent of the time the problem is just inadequate intake of food and fluids.

I haven't had the problem much since then.  I also learned that with orthostatic hypotension drinking water can help very quickly.  I had the patient with the issue yesterday and sure enough she admitted that she is not a good water drinker.  Adding some flavor with little to no calories can literally be a life saver as falls are the number 1 cause of death in older adults.   Since dizziness can cause falls an ounce of prevention can definitely be worth a pound of cure.

Thai Basil Ginger Lemonade Ingredients

My Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced ginger
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 cups stevia depending on how sweet you want it
• 1 cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
• 1 bundle of Thai basil

Directions

1. Bring the water, lemon juice, stevia and ginger to a boil until the stevia is dissolved.
2. Turn off the heat and let it steep for up to several hours or a day if you are busy like us.  Thai people, at least in my wife's family leave food out more than we did in my American family.   Not that I recommend it, just an observation.  In this case at least several hours will give it maximum punch.
3.  Pour it into your large water pitcher and chill in the fridge for a constant supply of vitamin C rich Thai flavor.
4. You can also blend 3-5 ginger slices and mix them in finely ground to steep and give it a bit more of the benefit of ginger.
5. As always, my recipes are never complete.  I can always do something to make them healthier as research teaches us more and technology improves.  Your last assignment is to comment and let the recipe steep in your head.  When you have that eureka moment in the shower to make it healthier let me know and watch me reinvent it.  🙂

If you like this recipe you might also like one of these.

The Super Health Benefits of Ginger in a Ginger Matcha Latte with Creatine and GlycoMaize Energy Cocktail

Copycat Starbucks Chili Mocha Thai Style

Homemade Hot Ginger Tea

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Mini Peppers

Inspiration from this recipe from

Ginger Lemonade | Nam Manao King | น้ำมะนาว-ขิง