When little Belle fell asleep on take-off and didn’t wake up until landing in England, I should have known we’d used up our quota of luck. During our outbound flight, with a child sleeping softly next to each of us, the lovely husband and I exchanged looks of disbelief and relief. And so began two amazing weeks packed with friends, family, a wedding, a 21st, trips to the park, the animal farm, the exploratory, and lots and lots of fun in supergranny’s garden. With her cousin Theo, Chloé picked peas, dug potatoes, had her first golf lesson, made a house out of boxes and hung out in the paddling pool. It’s what childhood memories are made of and was a mixture of happy chaos and bliss. Until we flew home.On the way home, we were that family. The family that everyone hopes isn’t sitting next to them. The one with an excitable toddler and a wildly teething baby. As needs must, we abandoned Chloé to the iPad for the entirety of the flight, while we took turns with poor Belle. With four teeth popping up at once and the tail end of a throat infection she was not happy. We spent seven hours hushing crying and pacing the aisles. It felt like 70.So, having been scarred for life by the flight home, and possibly blacklisted by BA, we’ll be Island-bound for the foreseeable future. Good job then that we came home to an incredible Bermuda summer. After spending my early days with my teeth chattering on British beaches, I rarely complain that Bermuda is “too hot”. I am however, looking for ways to cool off healthily. On holiday, I also took time out from being a nutritionist, and after two weeks of Pimms and other naughty drinks, I need a better option.Sugary or “diet” drinks have long been my nemesis. Sugary drinks (sodas, iced teas, juices) typically contain the equivalent of 15 to 22 teaspoons of sugar. All that excess sugar contributes to weight gain and stresses out the insulin response. Diet drinks contain a cocktail of artificial sweeteners, perpetuate a sweet tooth and put pressure on the body’s detoxification pathways. If diet products were the answer to weight gain, their introduction would have correlated with a drop in obesity statistics. Instead, the opposite is true. So what’s the answer?Fortunately there are a few ways to enjoy a naturally sweet, low-sugar drink to liven up the monotony of water. You can try diluting your favourite 100 percent fruit juice (pomegranate, acai, cherry and noni are especially antioxidant rich) with still or sparkling water. Aim to dilute with the ratio of one-third juice, two-thirds water. You could also buy a green tea extract such as Herbasway from Rock On, which you add to water and comes in great (natural) flavours like peach or honey-lemon. They seem expensive but as one bottle makes over 30 drinks, they are actually an economical buy. Finally, try making your own iced tea at home!Whilst large-scale, well-controlled studies of the health benefits of tea are rare (as many have not been corrected for the effects of other dietary components), many medical researchers stand behind claims that tea does contain health benefits. For example, Lenore Arab PhD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the University of North Carolina states that science is unearthing a larger and more convincing body of evidence suggesting that tea is chemo-protective. So far, the anti-cancer properties of tea have been linked especially to prostate and colon cancers. Further, tea also contains polyphenols which have been proven to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol good news for your heart.So in the summer, iced tea can be a healthy and delicious option. Just make sure that you avoid the commercial brands that are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Instead try the recipe below, which (if you choose to sweeten yours) uses agave syrup as a more natural, low GI sweetener. You may not need to sweeten yours at all though, as the fruit and ginger add a lovely, spicy flavour. This tea uses Rooibos tea which is available at Down to Earth and most other health stores, as well as most of the major grocery stores. It’s naturally caffeine-free, very relaxing and super-rich in antioxidants. Enjoy!