We all know we need to drink more water. But sometimes a glass of water is uninspiring and unexciting. Adding fruits or herbs to your water bottle can not only make it more enticing, it can also add surprising health benefits. Here’s some ingredients you should pop into your water bottle to really kick-start your health.
Lemon: Lemon aids in digestion, boosts the immune system, and helps to cleanse the body. This is why you often see it as the main ingredient for detoxes! Add a squeeze to your morning tea and some slices into your water bottle.
Cucumber: Cucumber aids in hydration and contains anti-inflammatory properties. It also includes vitamin B which helps as a pick-me-up, making cucumber a great addition to a 3:30pm drink of water at the office!
Mint: Mint settles the stomach and aids digestion. It’s also a really nice flavour, with a bit of natural sweetness to it.
Add these things individually to your water (hot or cold) to feel their benefits. Or, for a really super-charged drink, combine them all together in one pitcher or water bottle. It’ll be the healthiest fruit punch you’ve ever drunk!
More ways to flavour your water
If plain water feels like a chore, a few simple tricks make it far easier to drink enough through the day.
Five quick flavour ideas
- Fruit and herb infusions: slice your favourite fruit and herbs into a jug of filtered water and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Tea: add a herbal tea bag, or mix cooled green or white tea with a squeeze of lemon.
- Citrus ice cubes: freeze slices of lime, lemon or grapefruit and use them in place of ice.
- Fruit ice blocks: half-fill an ice tray with water and juice and add a berry to each cube for a no-added-sugar treat.
- A little sweetness: if you miss sweet drinks, a small amount of a no-calorie sweetener keeps the flavour without the sugar.
Make infused ice cubes ahead of time
Fill an ice cube tray halfway with water. Thinly slice fruit, or roll and chop herbs to release their flavour, and press them into the water. Freeze for a few hours, then top up with water so the fruit sits in the middle of each cube. Infused cubes keep in the freezer for weeks, so on a busy morning you can drop one or two into your bottle and head out the door. Basil with strawberry is a good combination to start with.
Infused water for winter
Infused water isn’t just a summer drink. A few combinations to try when it’s cold:
- Watermelon and mint: ½ cup of watermelon chunks and a handful of mint leaves in 500 ml of water.
- Mandarin and blueberry: two mandarins cut into wedges and a handful of blueberries in about 1.5 litres of water.
- Ginger, lemon and mint: a slice of lemon, a few mint leaves and a small piece of ginger in 500 ml of water. It works just as well with hot water from your cooler on a chilly afternoon.