The Healthiest Popsicles To Stay Hydrated All Summer Long

Let's face it; water can start to bore our taste buds as we work to stay hydrated during the summer months. Thankfully, we can mix things up with the help of foods, such as celery, cucumber, and watermelon, which are largely made up of water. 

Alongside hydrating fruits and vegetables, popsicles are another popular summertime treat. However, while delightful flavors like cool raspberry or cherry blast may make our taste buds sing, some commercial popsicles can be loaded with sugar. As outlined on the product's nutrition label, a single grape, cherry, or orange frozen pop from Popsicle contains 8 grams of sugar — and who among us can resist reaching for more than one?

Luckily, there are ways in which we can enjoy popsicles and continue to replenish our body with fluids as temperatures climb. One way is to keep an eye out for healthier ice pop products available for purchase. To get the greatest health benefits, however, DIY-ing your own popsicles is the way to go.

If you'd rather stick with ready-to-go popsicles, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Bonnie Taub-Dix offers her healthiest brand suggestions, telling Eat This, Not That, "GoodPop includes organic ingredients while providing several types of ice pops made with real fruit and no artificial additives, preservatives, and added sugars." If you're looking to get a little adventurous with some new flavors, Taub-Dix alternatively recommended Ruby Rockets fruit and veggie pops. Feeling particularly daring? Give their sweet potato flavor a try.

If you'd like to focus more on the hydration aspect of ice pops, Pedialyte Freezer Pops come in a variety of fruity flavors and are a quick solution to lost fluids or electrolytes. As such, these frozen treats can lower the risk of mild dehydration due to illness, an intense workout, or spending a little too much time outside in the summer heat. In more severe cases, here are warning signs of hydration you should never ignore. If you'd like to know exactly what ingredients are going into your or your children's popsicles, however, you're better off making them yourself. What's more, it takes next to no time at all.

What's great about DIY popsicles is that you can make them as simple or as creative as your heart desires. For a healthy, hydrating strawberry-watermelon ice pop that's sure to be a kid-pleaser, Mediterranean Diet Registered Dietitian Brynn McDowell writes via The Domestic Dietitian that all you need is 1 cup of watermelon, 1 cup of hulled strawberries, and a thorough squeeze of half a lime. This recipe goes a long way, providing you with ten ice pops in total. Puree all the ingredients together in a blender, pour the mixture into a popsicle mold tray, and leave it to work its magic in the freezer for two hours.

For all the at-home chefs out there, Florida-based sports dietitian Tara Collingwood suggests trying your hand at a healthy strawberries and cream popsicle. She writes via Playground Magazine that you'll need 2 ½ cups of freshly washed, hulled strawberries along with 3 tablespoons of honey, and 2 ½ cups of 2% or full-fat plain yogurt (although Greek yogurt may be an even healthier option than regular yogurt). Use a blender to puree the honey and strawberries together before blending in the yogurt, pour into a popsicle mold, and let the mixture freeze for approximately 6 hours. Whether store-bought or straight from the kitchen, know that you can beat the heat with healthy ice pops all summer long. Want more ideas? Check out another satisfying homemade fruit popsicle recipe.