More Water, Please!

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service recommends that adults drink between 8 and 12 8 oz. servings of water daily for optimum health. I think that's a great suggestion, but let's be honest here - who wants to drink 12 glasses of plain water a day? Water is boring! If you're anything like me, you need to find ways to jazz up your water in order to reach your H20 intake goals. There are so many easy ways to naturally flavor your water without using artificial ingredients or sweeteners. I'd like to share some of my favorites with you...

#1 - Citrus water! Just slice up some of your favorite citrus fruits and put them in the bottom of your water pitcher. Let it sit there for a few hours in the fridge - the longer you let it sit the more citrus flavor you'll get in your water. Personally, I like to cut up 1 small lime, about 3/4 of a small lemon and 1/2 an orange.

Here are the fruits before the water (in an awesome old glass milk jug I found at a barn sale):

And after the water:


#2 - Cucumber water! I learned this one at a small coffee shop in Illinois. You can do the exact same thing that you did with the citrus water, only slice up about 1/2 of a medium sized cucumber instead of citrus fruits. This water has a much more subtle flavor, but its very clean and refreshing.

#3 - Lemon and mint water. This is a refreshing variation on the citrus water that's especially good on hot summer days. Slice up 1 lemon and throw in about 8 fresh mint leaves. Let it sit over night and in the morning enjoy a cool, delicious, calorie free drink!

#4 - Decaffeinated clear tea. This is my favorite water to drink in the winter. If its decaffeinated and clear (so don't add any milk or cream) then it counts as a water serving. I use this all the time on cold winter nights to keep myself from snacking. For added health bonus try decaf green tea, which is loaded with antioxidants - cancer fighting agents. Celestial Seasonings and Bigelow teas have lots of flavored decaf green teas for you to try.

So jazz up your water and start drinking! And don't just stick to my suggestions, try infusing your water with all kinds of different natural ingredients - citrus, cucumber, mint, fresh ginger - go crazy! Let me know what combinations you like best. So raise your glass and give a toast to good hydration. Cheers!