Believe it or not, there are people out there who drink their 8 glasses of water a day and enjoy doing it... But that is not the case for most of us. And THAT'S OKAY. There are ways to make drinking water more enjoyable, and we're here to show you how! The key? Infusion!
If you're new to all of this "healthy living" stuff, don't worry. Thanks to our pals over at AllRecipes, we've got a cheat sheet to help you out.
The infographic is pretty easy to read, so we aren't gonna spell it out for you here, but we are going to give you some helpful tips on how and why infusing can significantly boost your water intake.
The Water Itself
1. When you're infusing water, you can't just pull that week-old, half-full water bottle out of your car (unfortunately). Its best to use cold water, but room temperature fresh water will also work.
2. YOU DON'T NEED A FANCY INFUSER BOTTLE. Just. use. glass. Literally. Any glass container will do.
The Infusers
1. Use fruits that are already high in water content. These include strawberries, cucumbers, cranberries, oranges, grapefruit, and peach. There are also high-water-content veggies, but we wouldn't recommend infusing your water with radishes and celery... unless you really want to, I guess?
2. A few things here: Harder fruit = slice thin. Fibrous food = crush with muddler. Leafy herbs = tear gently. These methods will release the most flavor and nutrients.
3. Peel your citrus! Citrus peel can make water bitter. So, unless you're into that, peel your citrus.
The Process
1. Always put your water in the fridge for the infusion process. Othewise, it will begin harboring bacteria after a couple of hours.
2. Infuse the water for 3-4 hours, then try it. Some ingredients take longer to infuse than others.
3. If you do not drink the water within 24 hours, DRAIN THE SOLIDS OUT. They will get water-logged and begin coming apart in your water, creating a sort of....pulp-y goop.
Drinking enough water is hard. It always will be. We're just here to try to make it better.
Stay healthy!
