It’s no secret that we all need water to survive. It keeps us hydrated from the inside out and delivers vital nutrients to every cell, organ, and system in the human body. It helps to flush away many of the toxins and impurities that build up in our bodies over time as well. According to many studies, water also helps keep our skin clearer and can be an important tool for weight loss.
Despite all those benefits, many people just can’t force themselves to swallow the recommended 90 to 125 ounces, or 11 to 16 cups, of water per day. Straight out of the tap, water in many areas tastes and smells so chlorinated it’s impossible to stomach. It’s a bit like trying to drink your daily allotment out of a swimming pool. In areas where hard water is a problem, tap water tends to take on the flavors and odors of all the minerals it’s harboring. That’s just as bad.
Bottled water is a nice alternative, but it poses its own problems. For quite a few people, the sheer volume of plastic waste it creates is enough to turn them away from it. Besides that, it still doesn’t have the sweetness and flavor most people have come to expect from their beverages these days.
Conventional Water Flavorings
For those reasons, dozens of water flavor packets and concentrated liquids have been developed to help make this essential fluid more exciting and encourage people to drink more of it. Some of them taste good, and many of them claim to provide an array of important nutrients. Certain ones may contain electrolytes and ingredients to give you extra energy as well.
Of course, those flavor add-ins aren’t exactly natural. They contain synthetic flavors and sweeteners, preservatives, and a variety of other hard-to-pronounce ingredients. With that being the case, they’re really no healthier than, say, diet sodas and processed sports drinks. The only difference here is that you’re adding the flavors and other synthetics yourself instead of having it done for you at a production facility.
Flavoring Your Water the Healthy Way
Fortunately, there’s a healthy, natural, and even more delicious alternative at your disposal: infusing your water with fruit and other natural ingredients. You can create an endless array of amazing, refreshing, wholesome flavors with a few simple, unadulterated items. You can tailor those flavors to your own tastes as well.
Is Homemade Infused Water Good for You?
Homemade infused water is one of the healthiest beverages you could choose. It gives you all the advantages of water without any of the potentially harmful side effects of the synthetic, and unnecessary, ingredients you’ll find in processed drinks and store-bought water flavorings. It also infuses your water with all the benefits of the natural ingredients you use for even more healthy effects. You can even choose your ingredients based on the health benefits you’re looking for.
How to Make Infused Water: The Basics
Making infused water takes a little time and effort, but you’ll get back far more than you put into it. First off, you’ll need a large pitcher that has its own lid or that can be covered with plastic wrap to protect your water while it’s in the refrigerator. Using filtered water is generally recommended to minimize impurities. If you have a whole-house water filtration system in place or a filter installed on your faucet, that’s perfect.
Otherwise, you can buy a filter pitcher. Those work just as well. Be sure to add a few high-quality hydration bottles to your drinkware collection as well. That way, you’ll be able to take your incredible infused water everywhere you go, and it’ll stay cold, refreshing, and luscious long enough for you to fully enjoy it.
Choose Your Ingredients
With your pitcher filtered water on hand, it’s time to choose your ingredients. Almost any type of fruit can be added to infused water. You can even toss in some herbs, spices, and vegetables if you like for extra flavor and health benefits. It’s best to choose ingredients that are ripe but not past their prime.
Preparation
Once you’ve picked out your ingredients, be sure to wash them thoroughly to prevent dirt, germs, wax, and other unpleasantness from making its way into your water. From there, you’ll need to prepare the ingredients. For the most part, all you really need to do is slice larger fruits like apples and oranges to maximize their flavor infusion. You may also want to peel citrus fruits. If you leave the peels on, they may make your water taste bitter.
You can chop berries to get more of their flavors into your water, but you don’t necessarily have to. If you want to leave them whole, they’ll still work well. For strawberries, though, it’s best to remove the caps and cores. If you use cucumbers, slice them before adding them to your water. You can peel them as well, but it’s not a must. When using herbs, many people recommended crushing them a bit beforehand to release their oils, flavors, and health benefits.
Infusing
When your ingredients are ready, simply place them in your pitcher with your filtered water. Let them steep in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours for maximum flavor. You can drink infused water before the 12-hour mark, but the flavors won’t be quite as strong. Remove the fruits, herbs, and other ingredients after 12 hours to ensure they don’t start decomposing in the water.
Keep in mind, you can customize these infusions to your unique tastes and preferences. If you prefer lighter flavors, steep the ingredients for less than 12 hours. At the same time, if you use herbs or spices, you can place them in a tea ball during the infusion process to make removing them easier.
Storing Your Infused Water
Always store your infused water in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator to keep it cold and fresh and prevent it from spoiling. After removing the solid ingredients, you can keep it for up to three days. Beyond that point, it’s best to discard the leftovers and start a new batch.
Infused Water Recipes
You can create an endless array of flavors when you’re making infused water. Some people prefer to keep it simple by adding a couple of sliced lemons, oranges, or limes to a pitcher of water. Still, there’s no harm in branching out a bit. Take a look at the following recipes for more ideas and inspiration.
Cranberry Orange Infused Water
Cranberries and oranges make a fantastic flavor combination for the holidays, but you don’t have to save this recipe for Christmas. Add about two cups of halved cranberries and four medium sliced oranges to a couple quarts of water. Let them steep for up to 12 hours. Then, relish the beautiful flavors that come through.
Oranges are known for their antioxidants and immunity-boosting power. Cranberries offer the same benefits. Both of these ingredients are also great for heart health. Cranberries are famous for warding off or easing the effects of urinary tract infections as well. Those are only a few of the positive effects these two ingredients offer.
Cucumber Lime Infused Water
Cucumbers and limes meld together wonderfully. They create an amazingly refreshing sensation for hot weather and post-workout rehydration. To make cucumber lime infused water, simply slice a couple of cucumbers and a couple of limes and mix them with two quarts of filtered water. For even more of a refreshing burst, you can add a few lightly crushed mint leaves to the mix.
It’s important to keep in mind that, for whatever reason, some cucumbers have a bit of an unpleasant flavor. It’s a combination of bitter, sour, and overpowering that’s not at all enjoyable. Because of that, be sure to taste test your cucumbers before adding them to your water.
Like oranges, limes have ample amounts of vitamin C, so they can help strengthen your immune system. They also have anti-inflammatory properties, so they can fight the effects of many chronic illnesses and even help to slow the aging process based on some reports. Cucumbers can have many of the same positive effects, and they may aid in lowering your blood pressure.
Strawberry Watermelon Infused Water
Strawberry watermelon is yet another amazing flavor combination for infused water. For this recipe, add about a cup of halved, cored strawberries and around two cups of cubed watermelon to your filtered water. Of course, you can adjust the ingredients for more watermelon or strawberry flavor depending on what you like.
Strawberries contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, and they’re a terrific source of antioxidants. Watermelon contains lycopene, which has been found helpful in fighting cellular damage and potentially warding off certain types of cancer. It can also reduce inflammation. Both of these ingredients contain vitamin C for strengthened immunity.
Brightening Your Days and Boosting Your Health With Homemade Infused Water
At least half of adults don’t drink enough water. Instead, they turn to sugary, chemical-laden drinks to quench their thirst. Those drinks can have serious side effects if you drink enough of them, and they do very little to actually keep you hydrated.
Homemade infused water is a healthy and tasty alternative, and it can provide a long list of benefits. You can use a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices to create unique flavors from cantaloupe and carrots to whole cloves and cayenne pepper. Any fresh ingredient you add is sure to give you plenty of health benefits in return. Infused water is a great way to ramp up your water intake without sacrificing flavor and excitement. All the potential advantages of the ingredients you add are definitely bonuses as well.
