Did you know that your body is almost 60% water?
That is more than half of your body weight. No wonder every book and trainer keep telling you to drink more and more water. The biggest challenge is the flavor, or the lack of. Listen, I have heard this for years from every client at some point or another, “I just need some flavor, water is boring, etc., etc.”
It amazes me the variety of water alternatives that are out there–you have bubbles or no bubbles, calories or no calories, you even have water/fruit blends. Many of these pack in the sugar to achieve the right taste, others give it a jolt of caffeine, and yet others add in vitamins and minerals to make you think it will replace your better food options.
At the end, plain water is where it’s at.
Infused water is my favorite way to bring on the flavors without compromising on calories and goodness. It’s easy and fun! Adding in the essence of fruits, vegetables, and even herbs to your water will bring in some added micro-nutrients and just enough flavor to make it an enjoyable drink.
Nothing beats water, the hydrating effects you receive really can’t be matched. When you infuse your water, that extra bit of flavor tantalizes your taste buds and opens you up to drinking more than you would on a regular basis. In turn, you actually hydrate your body more effectively simply because you are drinking more than usual.
Here are my quick “grab and go” combinations that I love to make. Let these spark your creativity, and start to play around with other flavors until you find just the right combination for your needs.
I like to make big batches of water. Remember you need 8 glasses of water per day as your base and you add in 2 more for anything caffeinated or alcoholic. So with that said, a big batch goes a long way:
- Fill a big pitcher with purified or filtered water
- Mix in some chopped up fruits, veggies, and/or herbs. For a gallon sized jar you want about a cups worth of chopped fruits or vegetables. Remember this is your recipe, and if you want to make it stronger there’s no harm in adding more. When it comes to herbs like mint or basil, throw in a handful of crushed leaves, adding more in if the flavor is still lacking.
- Let it sit in the refrigerator for 2-8 hours (depending on how strong you want the flavor – I find my preferred flavor at the 4-hour mark) At this point you can either take the fruit out or leave it in, either way, you can store the water for up to 3 days.
There are no limits. I also like to do individual half-gallon mason jars. I make several at a time and leave them in the refrigerator for that “grab and go” type thing.
And then, of course, there are ready-made infusing pitchers and jars for larger batches. These come with a center section for the fruit and make it easy to pour the water without getting the fruit into your glass. Any way you do it, the result is refreshing goodness.
This is an ideal task for getting the little ones involved. Not only will they enjoy creating new flavors but this will teach them the basics of cooking and how flavors can be manipulated and combined. Cooking seems to be a lost art, but when we can add in some fun learning activities in the kitchen your little ones will enjoy their food that much more!
