ahh citrus

Citrus fruits – and their juices – are supposed to help pull fat from our body.* Anything that wants to help me blast fat is a friend.
But just sucking on sour lemons or limes is not much of a treat. And a plain lemon in water may wake up my mouth, but it’s not treat-enough either, in my world. On these hot afternoons, I want something refreshing to drink that will trick my brain into thinking we’re having something naughty.

enjoy

dissolve stevia in hot water

slice citrus

a glassful

citrus drink

Carbonated drinks apparently leech the calcium from our bones, so I’ve stopped drinking anything carbonated because I don’t want to be one of those old ladies who are permanently stooped over. However, I did find a tasty alternative that’s really simple and it’s sweetened with Stevia. I’ve occasionally whined about Stevia because I don’t always think the sweetness infuses itself into foods. Dr. Oz has told us repeatedly not to continue with artificial sweeteners because they play tricks on our brain.

But Stevia is somehow considered sugar, without the calories. And now I think I’ve found a way to extract the sweetness in this drink.

Ingredients
1 cup hot water
2-3 TBS Stevia (Or other natural sugar substitutes)
1 lemon
1 lime (or other citrus fruit of your choice)
Many cups cold water (to fill your pitcher)

Directions
Wash the outside of the citrus fruit (If you know what’s good for you!)
Bring the cup of hot water to a boil and mix in the Stevia until it dissolves.
Slice the citrus fruit and put them into a pitcher, squeezing each piece as you go to release the juice into the pitcher.
Cover fruit with ice.
Pour in the hot water-Stevia mixture.
Fill the pitcher to the rim with cold water and more ice.
Stir and chill.
Drink a glass before each meal and snag a piece of the citrus for your drink.

The cleansing citrus water will last one or two days before the citrus tastes bitter, so drink up and make a new batch!

*Sources: Dr. Oz TV show and Reader’s Digest’s Digest Diet, 2012.