With summer comes lemonade. You’d think it might be a reasonably healthy choice, right? Nope, it’s not, unfortunately. Most of it is loaded with more sugar than a candy bar.

But I’ve experimented, and I have my own summer lemonade that I think is awesome. It’s really refreshing on a hot day, and offers up a little variety to all the water I usually drink. Lemons are great for your health so you can feel good about what you’re having while also enjoying great taste.

All I do is add lemon juice (I love fresh best, but you can use bottled as well.) to clean, filtered water along with some stevia. This is all to taste, and that’s how you discover what works for you. If you are used to sugary drinks, this may taste too bitter for you. Here are some keys to moving from candy bar lemonade to healthy lemonade:

One, all stevia is not stevia. Too many name brands now have added all sorts of crap. Read the label. You want stevia. Just stevia. Also, taste can vary between brands of stevia, even if it is all stevia. My current favorite comes from Trader Joe’s – both the liquid and the powder. For more about stevia, read this: How to buy stevia that actually is good for your health.

Two, if you’ve never used stevia, it might require some time for your taste buds to adapt. So, if really needed, add just a bit of sugar. As little as you can. Or some honey. Don’t add any artificial sweeteners. You’re not doing your health any favors by using any of them as a replacement.

If, to enjoy this lemonade, you are adding sugar, scale down the tiniest bit each time. Challenge those taste buds. They will adapt. If you do it “perfectly” healthy and don’t like it, you simply won’t fix it that way. Doesn’t it make more sense to make it how you enjoy it, then try to scale down the unhealthy part bit by bit? That creates progress. And that’s what I mean when I speak of small steps. Little by little you’ll get to where you enjoy lemonade made only with stevia.

There are ways to still have what you enjoy — like lemonade – but make them healthier. This way, you can have your lemonade and drink it, too!