Lemonade-How to sweeten

[lancastermike]

I love lemonade. My favorite beverage. In an effort to cut back on sugar consumption I have started drinking Crystal Light mix. This product has two things in common with lemonade. it is liquid and it is yellow. There is not another relationship in the two.

My daughter in law's roomate from college is now a physician and advises me that artificial sweeteners are the work of the devil and she holds them as a major cause of cancer

My wife has take to using Truvia as her sweetener of choice. it is stevia based, but includes sugar alcohol and the process to make it look like sugar remains unclear.

So, what should I do? It seems any of the substances are bad for me in one way or the other. The one that makes lemonade taste best is sugar.

Should I go back to sugar? Truvia? A sugar Truvia blend?

Help me out here. Try as I may, I can't seem to consume enough bourbon to stay hydrated.

Edited June 26, 2013 by lancastermike (log)

[Mjx]

I'd stick with sugar (with a tiny pinch of salt added to round out the flavour), unless you have a health problem that makes this a bad idea. I've tried many other sweeteners, and frankly, they don't seem to work as well; they're too present/have distracting flavours of their own.

[HungryC]

I dislike sugar substitutes, as some trigger my migranes and others taste like horrible bitter poison (or what I'd imagine horrible bitter poisons taste like).

I like brown sugar in my lemonade, rather than white table sugar. I also find that introducing another flavor (like fresh ginger, mint, or strawberry) allows me to reduce the sugar needed.

Try honey as a less-processed sweetening alternative.

[Katie Meadow]

I like to keep a jar of simple syrup in the fridge and use it to sweeten freshly squeezed lemonade, certain cocktails, etc. When you use syrup you don't have to worry about getting the sugar crystals to dissolve. Just pour a cup of boiling water over a cup of cane sugar, mix until completely clear and store in the fridge to use as needed. Add a sprig of mint rubbed between your hands to fresh lemonade for a big thrill.

An exotic alternative: pick a few flowers of lavender and simmer a few minutes in simple syrup. Let cool and pull out the flowers. Lavender syrup is great in lemonade or an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea half lemonade.)

Agree with mjx. Unless you have some particular health issue with cane sugar, you can't beat it for flavor. Moderation is the key. There has been a lot of bad press about sugar lately, but really the problem is that we have an extreme case of sweet tooth in this country.

[Lisa Shock]

Agreed. Sugar all the way, and simple syrup makes it a lot easier.

[rotuts]

Crystal Light: i used to drink this stuff. a lot. easy. big can. etc the looked at the ingredients

I grew up drinking Home Made Meyer Lemon-aide from out own trees. real sugar

use a little zest from real lemons. add other natural flavorings mint etc. use carbonated water and real sugar.

make it on the tart side.

[Emily_R]

I like a sugar and truvia blend, because I don't want to be consuming as many empty calories as lemonade made with only sugar involves. If you have those calories to spare, and are in generally good health blood-sugar wise, I don't see any reason to not sweeten with sugar since you like it best. But I certainly wouldn't be taking your daughter-in-law's roomate's opinion on artificial sweeteners as gospel.

[SylviaLovegren]

I think artificial sugar and truvia are different things as truvia is not an artificial sweetener but is derived from the stevia plant. So far, there have been no studies showing any side effects of using stevia, unlike aspartame, saccharine, etc.

One problem with artificial sweeteners is apparently they make your body crave sugar, which leads to overeating, particularly of high carb foods. Don't know -- but don't think -- that stevia has that effect.

[LT Wong]

I love lemonade and make it every week now that the hot weather is upon us.

As highlighted by others, sugar is the best for the clear taste of lemon as other sweeteners like honey add different flavours to it. I make a sugar syrup and deliberately make the lemonade less sweet, but let others add more syrup if they want it sweeter. I also keep lemon and lime slices and mint handy for people who want them.

[Beebs]

How about syrups such as agave, maple or brown rice? Or date and palm sugars and stevia? I don't know the caloric and nutritional comparisons between those and regular sugar though (if that is that concern with reducing sugar intake).

Any aversion to Splenda?

I had a maple syrup-sweetened lemonade at a restaurant and really liked it.

[Lisa Shock]

Splenda also causes carb cravings, in addition to insomnia, miscarriages, diarrhea, and an increased risk of cancer.