Do you love the sweet and tart taste of lemonade on a hot summer day? Lemonade is a childhood favorite and a summertime staple for many of us! Lemonade contains lots of vitamins and some impressive health benefits. If you’re avoiding gluten, can you still enjoy drinking lemonade?
Yes, homemade lemonade is gluten-free. Most commercial lemonade is also gluten-free. However, there are some lemonade drinks on the market that are not safe for those sensitive to gluten or contain questionable ingredients, such as artificial coloring and high fructose corn syrup. The best alternatives to lemonade are Olipop Ginger Lemon, Bai Lanai Blackberry Lemonade, and Spindrift Lemon Limeade.
This article will take a close look at lemonade, including its health benefits and nutritional value. We will also reveal the best alternatives to lemonade. So read on to learn all about this delicious drink and perhaps discover a new favorite gluten-free beverage!
Contents
The History of Lemonade
Some studies suggest that lemons have been around for about 8 million years. We know that people all around the world have been making lemonade-like beverages for more than 1,000 years. We also know that the modern-day drink we call lemonade was first introduced in Paris on August 20, 1630. In Paris lemonade was made from sparkling water, lemon juice, and honey.
In the United States, lemonade came into fashion in the 18th century along with European immigrants who brought the recipe and a taste for the drink. During Prohibition, lemonade was even served instead of alcohol at the White House during state dinners. In the 19th century, pink lemonade showed up in the United States via the traveling circus. Most pink lemonade is simply lemonade with red food coloring added. Some higher-end pink lemonades contain strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, or other fruits for their pink color.
Smart vendors began selling this tasty beverage to thirsty patrons on the route to Coney Island in the 1870s. Originally, vendors sold plain buckets of water to these patrons for 1 cent. Edwin Bok, a smart Dutch immigrant, decided to offer an upgraded bucket of water to these patrons for 3 cents. His upgraded bucket of water included lemon slices.
Lemonade stands became popular throughout the United States in the 20th century. Many children sold lemonade to raise money for their new clothes or toys and even today, you can find various types of lemonade stands in operation.
Is Lemonade Healthy?
Natural, homemade lemonade is a true superfood beverage!
- Lemonade contains vitamin C, E, A, B6, magnesium, zinc, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, iron, niacin, and thiamin. These vitamins are crucial to supporting our immune system fending off disease and are also shown to reduce symptoms of arthritis and osteoporosis.
- Lemonade is a powerful source of antioxidants and can help stop cellular divisions in cancer cells.
- Lemonade can help suppress appetite and therefore weight loss as it contains pectin.
Potential Drawbacks
As healthy as homemade lemonade can be, you really have to be careful when buying commercially made lemonade. Store-bought lemonade can be extremely high in calories, sugars, and harmful ingredients.
Some lemonade drinks contain high fructose corn syrup or extremely high levels of sugar. Some commercial brands are also high in sodium. However, there are some wonderful commercial lemonade beverages that contain healthy ingredients. It’s important to carefully review the label of any store-bought lemonade.
Nutritional Content of Lemonade
Homemade lemonade is the most healthful and you have the ability to control the type and amount of sweetener used in the drink. Homemade lemonade with simple lemonade, water, and sugar is clearly gluten-free. Instead of sugar, you can use honey, stevia, or xylitol to sweeten your lemonade.
Most commercial brands of lemonade (but not all) are also gluten-free. Some commercial brands are healthier than others and it’s very important to study the labels of any lemonade before consuming it. Below we will review some of the best gluten-free commercial lemonades and their nutritional values.
Simply Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Pure filtered water
- Cane sugar
- Lemon juice
- Natural flavors
Nutrition Facts (per 8 fluid ounces):
- 120 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 15 mg Sodium
- 30 g Total Carbohydrate
- 28 g Total Sugars
- 28 g Added Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Minute Maid Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Pure filtered water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Lemon juice from concentrate
- Citric acid (provides tartness)
- Modified cornstarch
- Glycerol ester of gum rosin
- Sodium benzoate
- Potassium sorbate
- Calcium disodium EDTA
- Yellow 5
Nutrition Facts (per 16 fluid ounces):
- 260 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 0 g Saturated Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 80 mg Sodium
- 70 g Total Carbohydrate
- 67 g Sugars
- 67 g Added Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Newman’s Own Virgin Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Pure filtered water
- Cane sugar
- Lemon juice concentrate
- Lemon pulp
- Lemon oil
Nutrition Facts (Per 8 fluid ounces):
- 110 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 0 g Saturated Fat
- 40 mg Sodium
- 27 g Total Carbohydrate
- 27 g Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Country Time Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Fructose
- Citric acid
- Ascorbic acid
- Natural flavor
- Soy lecithin
- Maltodextrin
- Sodium acid pyrophosphate
- Sodium citrate
- Magnesium oxide
- Calcium fumarate
- Artificial color
- Yellow 5 lake
- Tocopherol
Nutrition Facts (Per 8 fluid ounces):
- 60 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 25 mg Sodium
- 16 g Total Carbohydrate
- 16 g Total Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Best Alternatives to Lemonade
Spindrift
The Spindrift Beverage Company creates amazing beverages without all the harmful ingredients in most sodas. First, they made real fruit sodas, and later they made the first sparkling water in the United States with real fruit. Let’s take a look at some great Spindrift alternatives to lemonade.
Spindrift Lemon Sparkling Water
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Lemon juice
Nutrition Facts (Per 12 fluid ounces):
- 3 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 0 g Saturated Fat
- 1 g Carbohydrates
- 0 g Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Spindrift Lemon Limeade
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Lime juice
- Lemon juice
Nutrition Facts (Per 12 fluid ounces):
- 4 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 0 g Saturated Fat
- 1 g Total Carbohydrate
- 0 g Sugars
- 0 Protein
Spindrift Pink Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Sweet cherry juice
- Lime juice
- Raspberry juice
- Lemon juice
Nutrition Facts (Per 12 fluid ounces):
- 9 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 0 g Saturated Fat
- 2 g Total Carbohydrates
- 1 g Total Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Spindrift Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Strawberry puree
- Lime juice
- Lemon juice
Nutrition Facts (Per 12 fluid ounces):
- 7 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 0 g Saturated Fat
- 2 g Carbohydrates
- 1 g Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Olipop
The founders of this healthy, cutting-edge beverage believed they could make a product that tasted great without loads of sugar. They have created a tonic that is not only delicious and low in sugar but contains beneficial ingredients like pro and pre-biotics. Let’s review some great Olipop alternatives to lemonade.
Olipop Ginger Lemon
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- OLISMART (Cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, Nopal cactus, calendula flower, kudzu root, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark)
- Ginger juice
- Lemon juice
- Cassava root syrup
- Apple juice concentrate
- Ginger
- Himalayan pink salt
- Stevia leaf
- Organic natural mulling spice flavor
- Cinnamon
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 can):
- 35 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 25 mg Sodium
- 16 g Total Carbohydrate
- 9 g Dietary Fiber
- 2 g Total Sugars
- 2 g Added Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Olipop Orange Squeeze
Ingredients:
- Carbonated Water
- OLISMART (Cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, Nopal cactus, calendula flower, kudzu root, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark)
- Lemon juice
- Apple juice concentrate
- Mandarin juice concentrate
- Cassava root syrup
- Clementine juice concentrate
- Rosehip
- Acerola cherry
- Stevia leaf
- Himalayan pink salt
- Natural orange flavor
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 can):
- 45 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 35 mg Sodium
- 16 g Total Carbohydrate
- 9 g Dietary Fiber
- 5 g Total Sugars
- 5 g Added Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Olipop Cherry Vanilla
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- OLISMART (Cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, Nopal cactus, calendula flower, kudzu root, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark)
- Tart cherry juice concentrate
- Cassava root syrup
- Apple juice concentrate
- Lime juice
- Stevia leaf
- Himalayan pink salt
- Natural white cherry flavor
- Natural vanilla flavor
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 can):
- 45 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 25 mg Sodium
- 16 g Total Carbohydrate
- 9 g Dietary Fiber
- 5 g Total Sugars
- 5 g Added Sugars
- 0 g Protein
Bai
Flavored Water is on a mission to find new ways to deliver wellness into tasty drinks for everyone. Bai lemonade comes in three flavors and is made with real fruit juice with no artificial sweeteners. All three flavors have just 1 gram of sugar per bottle!
Bai Flavored Water, Lanai Blackberry Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Filtered water
- Bai Proprietary sweetener blend (erythritol, stevia leaf extract)
- Lemon juice concentrate
- Natural flavors
- Citric acid
- Tea extract
- Ascorbic acid
- Stevia leaf extract
- Blackberry juice extract
- Coffeefruit extract
- White tea extract
- Vitamin
- Malic acid
- Sodium citrate
Nutrition Facts (Per 8 fluid ounces):
- 10 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 10 mg Sodium
- 11 g Total Carbohydrate
- 1 g Sugars
- 10 g Erythritol
- 0 g Protein
Bai Flavored Water, Burundi Blueberry Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Filtered water
- Erythritol
- Clarified lemon juice concentrate
- Citric acid
- Vegetable and fruit juice concentrate (for color)
- Tea extract
- Blueberry juice concentrate
- Ascorbic acid
- Stevia leaf extract
- Malic acid
- Natural flavors
- Acacia gum
- Coffeefruit extract
- Sodium citrate
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 bottle):
- 10 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 10 mg Sodium
- 11 g Total Carbohydrate
- 1 g Total Sugars
- 0 g Added Sugars
- 10 g Erythritol
- 0 g Protein
Bai Sao Paulo Strawberry
Ingredients:
- Filtered water
- Erythritol
- Clarified lemon juice concentrate
- Citric acid
- Malic acid
- Tea extract
- Ascorbic acid
- Stevia leaf extract
- Strawberry juice concentrate
- Natural flavors
- Acacia gum
- Vegetable juice concentrate
- Coffeefruit extract
- Sodium citrate
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 bottle):
- 10 Calories
- 0 g Total Fat
- 10 mg Sodium
- 10 mg Potassium
- 11 g Total Carbohydrate
- 1 g Total Sugars
- 10 g Erythritol
- 0 g Protein
Conclusion
Lemonade is a delicious, refreshing summer favorite that has many health benefits. Homemade lemonade is gluten-free when only made with lemon juice, water, and sugar. Most commercial brands are also gluten-free, however, you should always check the label.
Lemonade can be high in sugar and calories, depending on the sweetener used. There are now many delicious alternatives to lemonade. Give one of those reviewed above a try and you might have a new summertime favorite!
Related Questions
Is lemonade vegan?
Usually, lemonade is vegan. Most traditional recipes for lemonade contain sugar as a sweetener. However, some homemade recipes as well as some commercial brands use honey or other sweeteners that would make it not vegan. Again, it’s important to read the label.
Does lemonade cause acid reflux?
While people react differently to foods, lemonade does not normally cause acid reflux. In fact, it can be used by some people as a remedy for acid reflux. Acid reflux is usually caused by other foods and conditions. Coffee, tea, tomatoes, chocolate, mint, onions, and spicy foods are more likely to cause acid reflux.