15 Best Healthy Drinks for Kids

Picking a healthy juice for your child can be a huge struggle as most juices are rich in sugar and preservatives or lack nutritional value. So, to find a drink or beverage that is appealing visually, satisfies the taste buds, and is healthy may seem like a never-ending task for parents. Fret not; guiding them toward a healthier lifestyle with healthier choices is possible. And, it starts with healthy drinks for kids. In this article, we aim to provide you with some easy, kid-friendly drinks to make at home that are way better than store-bought ones. These children’s nutrition drinks are not only healthier and tastier but also a bang on your savings!

What Is a Healthy Drink?

Do you know what the best beverage in the world is?

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan, the Independent Beverage Guidance Panel has categorised water as the best beverage for health (1).

For children, a healthy drink is not just something that is rich in nutritional value or easy to digest, it is something that keeps their energy levels up throughout an activity-filled day. Kids require a higher proportion of macronutrients amd micronutrients, as well as enough fluids for hydration. Adding nutritious drinks can add these essential nutrients for the good growth of children. Talk to your doctor to understand the differences between healthy drinks for toddlers, kids and adults.

Benefits of Healthy Drinks for Kids

Healthy drinks have many benefits for your child.

• It keeps them hydrated.
• Keeps constipation at bay.
• They contain natural sugars as opposed to store-bought ones.
• Certain fruits, like blueberries, mangoes, etc., are rich in antioxidants, which can build immunity.
• They are also packed with nutrients essential for your child’s development.

How to Make Healthy Drinks for Your Kids?

To make healthy drinks for your child, you don’t need to be a culinary specialist. All you need to know is what is bad and good for your kiddo’s health, and then you make decisive concoctions for your kids. For the base, you may take water, milk, and yoghurt, and then top them up with other healthy food items, like vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

You can easily whip up delicious milkshakes, fruit smoothies, juices, and green smoothies at home without having to rely on soda and soft drinks. Unlike sodas, these are free from microplastics, excess sugar, preservatives, dyes, and other ADHD-inducing chemicals in kids.

You can make tons of milkshakes like a vanilla milkshake, strawberry milkshake, banana milkshake, chocolate milkshake, and more. Similarly, you can make smoothies, like a kale smoothie, carrot smoothie, beetroot smoothie, etc. —choose your kid’s favourite vegetable and blend a smoothie around it!

Forgo ‘the bad’ sugar and build a sugar-free lifestyle at home, or you can start slow by reducing the amount of sugar consumption day by day. Instead, add healthy sugars like dates or jaggery.

When you are equipped with the right recipes, your children can easily get a break from mundane milk. So, let’s check out some amazingly healthy drinks for kids you can prepare at home without much fuss.

Healthy Drinks You Can Offer to Your Child

The best healthy drink for kids can be hard to define due to its subjective nature but here are a few recipes. We hope these will help you make a yummy and healthy drink for your little one.

Note: Honey is to be given to children only above 1 year of age.

1. Sun-Melon and Banana Milkshake

This milkshake is sure to keep your little sunshine’s tummy full and keep them away from junk and processed foods.

Ingredients:

• 2 Bananas
• A quarter of a Sun Melon
• Yoghurt
• Sea Salt

How to Make:

Begin by peeling the banana and cutting it into cubes, drizzle some sea salt on top and put it to aside, then cut the sun melon into quarters, using a spoon, scoop the sun melon out. Once this is done, add the banana, sun melon and some yoghurt into a blender, season with some sea salt (make sure you don’t overdo this as the banana already has some sea salt on it.) blend the drink till it becomes one consistency, pour into a glass and serve it chilled.

2. Papaya Lassi

Oh, my my! This probiotic Papaya Lassi is a match made in heaven between the drink and the gut health. If your little one is constipated or having gut issues, serve this heavenly drink and watch all tummy troubles walk away!

Ingredients:

• Yoghurt
• Papaya
• Pink Salt
• Honey

How to Make:

To make this drink all you have to do is cut the papaya into cubes, add them and with ¾ of a glass of yoghurt to a blender, season with pink salt and some honey for flavour, blend and serve chilled.

3. Ginger & Tender Coconut Chiller

Serve this ginger and tender coconut chiller as a mojito to your kids after their return from school and they will happily gulp it down in seconds!

Ingredients:

• Tender Coconut Water
• Ginger
• Lime
• Water

How to Make:

This electrolyte-rich drink is a cinch to prepare. First, grate ginger into some water and let it boil on a low flame. Ensure it boils so the juice of the ginger really infuses with the water, let the ginger water cool, then mix it with tender coconut water, squeeze some lime and serve chill.

4. Virgin Pina Colada

Virgin Pina Colada has a fan following from kids to adults! Trust us; it’s that delicious.

Ingredients:

• Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream
• Pineapple
• Cherries
• Mint
• Pink Salt
• Honey

How to Make:

This fun drink is full of nutrition and is world-famous for its flavours. To prepare this drink, first cut the pineapple into chunks, add a quarter glass of water with the pineapple in a blender with some pink salt and blend till it becomes a juice. Separately, add the coconut milk or coconut cream into a small mixing bowl, add some honey, and gently stir for a few minutes. Then add the freshly made pineapple juice and a couple of leaves of mint, and continue to stir till it looks like one mixture. Add the mixture to a blender and blend for 3 more minutes. Garnish with cherries and a mint leaf, and serve chilled.

5. Strawberry Milkshake

Nothing can beat cracking up old memories and a classic strawberry milkshake on a summer evening!

 Ingredients:

• Fresh Strawberries
• Milk
• Honey

How to Make:

This simple but classic drink is simple to make. First, wash and cut the strawberries. Add some milk with honey into a blender and blend for a few seconds till it mixes well, then toss in the strawberries and blend till it is smooth, add some additional cut strawberries into the milkshake for a fruity surprise and serve chilled.

6. Peanut Butter Surprise

A protein and potassium-packed smoothie is all your little one needs after a soccer practice!

 Ingredients:

• Chunky Peanut Butter
• Bananas
• Strawberry
• Mint
• Milk

How to Make:

To prepare this drink, first, blend some peanut butter with a little milk till it looks like one thick mixture, then add some chopped bananas and cut strawberries with a couple of mint leaves into the mixture, add some more milk to help reduce the thickness of the mixture and blend. Serve it cold with some snacks for a rich, healthy evening snack. 

7. Muskmelon Slushy

Get past those regular berry and orange slushies and try something new and something refreshing!

Ingredients:

• Muskmelon
• Ice
• Honey
• Pure vanilla
• Water

How to Make:

To make this drink, first cut half a muskmelon into cubes, then in a blender, blend ice with vanilla and honey. In a separate blender, blend the cubes of muskmelon with added water, strain the pulp and mix with the blended crushed ice. Mix well and serve with snacks.

8. Watermelon Lemonade

The best combination of the century – welcome watermelon lemonade! While lemonade is a perfect electrolyte, watermelon is an added bonus of hydration, nutrition, and flavour.

 Ingredients:

• Watermelon
• Lemon
• Ice
• Water
• Honey

How to Make:

To make this delicious recipe first cut and deseed the watermelon, add half a glass of water with the watermelon in a blender and blend into a juice, strain the pulp, squeeze some lemon into the watermelon juice, add some honey and mix, when serving add some crushed or cubed ice for a chilled summer treat.

9. Berry Smoothie

Can we ever get far more than this delightful and highly nutritive berry smoothie? Probably not.

Ingredients:

• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Blackberries
• Yoghurt
• Honey
• Mint leaves

How to Make:

To make this drink, simply add some blueberries, strawberries and blackberries with honey and yoghurt into a blender and blend till it becomes one smooth consistency, add some mint leaves to garnish and serve cold.

10. Apple Lemonade

We all need a break from boring old lemonade, right? How about an apple lemonade, then? 

Ingredients:

• Apples
• Lemons
• Water
• Honey
• Mint Leaves

How to Make:

To make this drink, first cut apples in halves, add some water and blend it till it becomes smooth, strain out the pulp, then add some freshly squeezed lemons and some honey, mix well and garnish with mint leaves and serve with some classic PB&J sandwiches for a healthy post playtime snack.

11. Cucumber & Mint Juice

Nothing quenches up summer thirst other than chill cucumber and mint juice!

Ingredients:

• Cucumber
• Mint Leaves
• Lime
• Water
• Honey

How to Make:

Cut limes in half and squeeze into a glass, add some water with honey and mix thoroughly. Then cut cucumber and blend with mint leaves for a few minutes till it becomes a single consistency. Add the lime juice to this mixture and mix well, add some more water to make sure the consistency is watery instead of being full of pulp. Garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves and serve.

12. Peach & Mango Smoothie

The thought of it just makes our mouths water!

 Ingredients:

• Peaches
• Mangoes
• Yoghurt
• Pure Vanilla

How to Make:

Cut and deseed the peaches and dice the mangoes. Add some yoghurt in a blender with pure vanilla and the cut mangoes and peaches, blend till it is smooth and serve after lunch for the perfect dessert and drink combination for your kids.

13. Spiced Banana Smoothie

Ditch the regular old banana smoothie and try something new and something spicy!

Ingredients:

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Milk
• Condensed Milk
• Cardamom
• Bananas
• Honey

How to Make:

Grate some cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg in milk and brink it to a boil on low heat. Once that is done, add honey and condensed milk and let it cool in room temperature, add the now spiced milk into a blender with some chopped ripe bananas and blend till it’s smooth. This drink can be served either hot, at room temperature or cold.

14. Blueberry Ginger Slushy

Oh, my my! Having the chance to enjoy a blueberry and ginger slushy is just out of this world!

 Ingredients:

• Ginger
• Blueberries
• Ice
• Water
• Lime
• Honey

How to Make:

On a low heat begin boiling water, add peeled ginger to the water when boiling to infuse the ginger flavour, heat till it begins to thicken. Let this ginger juice cool at room temperature. Once it is cool, add blueberries, a cup of ice, lime and the ginger juice into a blender, blend till it becomes a single mixture, in a bowl, crush some ice. In a glass add the crushed ice and top it with the blended ginger and blueberry mixture. Drizzle honey on top and serve.

15. Pumpkin Peach Smoothie

Pumpkin and peach are summer favourites. Blend ’em together to make a tasty and nutritive concoction for summer afternoons!

Ingredients:

• Yoghurt
• Pumpkin
• Peaches
• Honey
• Mint Leaves

How to Make:

First clean and cut the pumpkin into cubes, steam it so it becomes easy to mash. Once the pumpkin is mashed, let it cool at room temperature, cut peaches into cubes and in a blender add yoghurt, honey the mashed pumpkin and cubes of peaches, blend thoroughly and garnish with mint leaves. Serve at any temperature.

FAQs

1. What drinks should be avoided by children?

Soda and Sweetened Beverages, caffeinated drinks, and packaged juices should be avoided by children of all ages, as they are loaded with sugar, colours, preservatives, and additives. While sweetened beverages are linked to type 2 diabetes, weight gain, cavities, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, fruit juices are known to cause obesity, so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics has advised against giving juice to babies under the age of 1 (2) (3) (4) (5).

2. Are sports drinks safe for children?

Sports drinks are typically energy drinks and fitness waters that contain excess amounts of glucose, caffeine, sweeteners, artificial flavours, and other ingredients that can be detrimental for children’s health. Therefore, such packaged sports drinks should be strictly avoided (6). If your little one is low on energy, you can make homemade electrolytes and lemonades for instant kick in the energy.

3. What is the ideal intake of fruit juices by kids?

The maximum intake of fruit juice daily by children between 4 and 6 years of age is 4-6 ounces and a maximum of 8 ounces for children from 7 to 18 years of age (7).

4. Is it safe for children to drink sugar-free or diet drinks?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, diet sodas, diet shake mixes, diet energy drinks and flavoured waters, sugar-free drinks, and even food items like sugar-free gelatin, ice cream, hard candies, and puddings contain nonnutritive sweeteners or “high intensity” sweeteners as alternatives to regular sugar. These nonnutritive sweeteners that go by the name of Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Stevia, Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and more are around 180 to 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar, which is sucrose (7). Parents should avoid giving children foods and drinks with such sweeteners as they are harmful to children as well as adults.

5. How can parents regulate their children’s sugar intake?

Parents should always read the labels of the food items and drinks carefully before purchasing them. Avoiding items with high calories, added sugar, and sweeteners can be a wise choice in safeguarding the future. Introducing children to no-sugar regime from the beginning and keeping them hydrated and satiated with homemade foods and drinks can go a long way in keeping sugar intake in check. Serve milk and water instead of sugary drinks like fruit juices or packaged juices and shakes (8).

Remember, before preparing any drinks or food it is recommended that you consult your doctor and understand the nutritional needs of your child according to their age and to know if they have any food allergies.

References/Resources:

1. Healthy Beverage Guidelines; Harvard T.H. Chan; https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/healthy-drinks-full-story/

2. Heyman. M. B, et al.; Fruit Juice in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Current Recommendations; Pediatrics; https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/139/6/e20170967/38754/Fruit-Juice-in-Infants-Children-and-Adolescents?autologincheck=redirected; June 2017

3. Wojcicki. J. M, Heyman. M. B; Reducing childhood obesity by eliminating 100% fruit juice; American Journal of Public Health; PubMed Central; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3482038/; September 2012

4. Malik. V. S, et al.; Sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease risk; Circulation.; PubMed Central; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862465/; March 2010

5. Nseir. W, Nassar. F, Assy. N; Soft drinks consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; World Journal of Gastroenterology; PubMed Central; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2880768/; June 2010

6. Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks; Nemours KidsHealth; https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/power-drinks.html

7. Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes: Parent FAQs; American Academy of Pediatrics; https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Sweeteners-and-Sugar-Substitutes.aspx

8. How to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Child’s Diet: AAP Tips; American Academy of Pediatrics; https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/How-to-Reduce-Added-Sugar-in-Your-Childs-Diet.aspx

Also Read:

Healthy Foods for Kids
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Tasty Summer Drink Recipes for Children
Healthy Juices for Kids With Their Recipes