Hey, there. Lacey here with "A Sweet Pea Chef." Welcome back. Are you trying to add more water
into your daily routine, but you were just super struggling because water is kinda boring?
That happened to me, too, and I had so much difficulty adding more water into my routine.
And it took me a little bit to figure out the best ways to do it. And many of you guys
have been asking how to add more water every day, how to make it fun, and how to just make
it more enjoyable so you wanna drink it.
So, today, I'm gonna share with you five super easy and fun ways to infuse your water that's
gonna make you actually enjoy it. And I'm gonna share what I did and some tips that
I used to really get more water every day into my diet. Sound good? All right, awesome.
Let's get started.
All right. Right now, before we get started, go and subscribe to this channel so you never
miss my new weekly recipe videos and healthy eating inspiration. Do it right now.
All right. So, we all know that water is great for us and that we should be drinking more
water, and that we should have as much water as we can every day. But do you really know
why water is good for you? Water helps with weight loss. If you feel hungry, it might
actually be your body telling you that you're thirsty. So, if you drink some water, your
hunger might actually go away. Water provides extra energy for your muscles and helps reduce
your cramps when you're working out. Water improves your judgment and thinking. Water
prevents headaches and minimizes illnesses. Water improves your mood. Water helps make
your skin look great. And everyone's favorite, water helps your bowel movements be more regular.
So, all that stuff is really amazing. Water is so helpful and that's why we need to add
more into our everyday life.
So, I really like infusing my water with fruit because it's naturally sweet. It's yummy.
It makes your water look amazing and pretty, and fun. And fruit is awesome. Plus, adding
fruit to your water is actually nutritional for you because you're gonna be getting some
of the antioxidants and the nutritional compounds from that fruit. So, you're essentially making
your own vitamin water without all the processed ingredients and without that high price tag.
So, first, we're gonna make a cucumber mint-infused water. So, start with a large bottle or a
water container, and we're gonna add in some sliced cucumbers and some fresh mint leaves
to the bottom. Then, pour in your cold, filtered water and stir to combine. We wanna make sure
we're using cold or room temperature water for this because hot water will actually break
down the vitamins and the enzymes in the food you're adding.
So, I like to use one-quart glass mason jars with my reusable Mason jar lids. They are
super easy to use. They are eco-friendly. They're affordable and they just look so pretty
with all the fruit in them. If you wanna get these for yourself, I've listed the links
for them in the description below or you can click on the screen.
Next, we're gonna make a watermelon basil-infused water. That is so sweet and so tasty. We're
gonna use diced seedless watermelon for this and add that to the bottom of your container.
And then follow that up with some fresh basil. Then, pour in your cold or room temperature
water and then stir to combine. So easy.
So, you can drink these infused waters right away. But if you let them set longer, you're
gonna get a lot more of the flavor and the vitamins into the water when you drink it.
I like to either put my waters out on the counter for about one to two hours or I refrigerate
them for a minimum of three to four hours. And that's when you get that real sweet spot
of tasty, infused water. Infusing it up to eight hours will make it pretty strong. But
if you'd like a stronger flavor in your water, that is A-Okay, and it'll still taste really
good.
That all being said, if you don't get to drinking your water within 12 hours, I recommend removing
all of the pieces from the water. And then, you can store that infused water without all
the pieces of fruit in the refrigerator, and that will last for three to four days. And
you can just grab them and go.
All right. Next, we're gonna make a cherry-lime infused water. So, just like with the others,
we're gonna add our fresh cherries that have been pitted and halved into the bottom of
our container followed by some sliced limes. I leave the peel on my limes but that means
I definitely wanna make sure that I remove the lime because citrus can get a little strong
after just a few hours. Then, fill the bottle up with water and stir to combine. This is
so pretty.
You could also use frozen fruits for these infused waters. But the flavors won't be quite
as strong and the frozen fruits will break down a little bit more in the water. But that
is totally fine if you can't find the fresh fruits in your store.
So, how much water should you be drinking each day? Very good question. Luckily, there's
a really easy rule and that is to drink half of your weight in ounces per day of water.
I weigh 140 pounds, so I try to drink about 70 ounces of water each day. And then, I always
add in more if I exercise, which I do every day. So, I always add in more. Again, I have
so many tasty infused water recipes to enjoy that is not even hard.
So, next, we're gonna make a blackberry, orange, ginger-infused water. So, get your Mason jar
and add in your blackberries followed by some sliced oranges, and then some ginger that's
been peeled and sliced into coins. Then, fill with your water and stir to combine. Especially
with this recipe, with that fresh ginger, you're gonna wanna let this one set a little
bit longer because that ginger will really release its flavor over time.
All right. Next, we're gonna make a strawberry and lemon-infused water, which is a really
tasty, light take on strawberry lemonade. So, into your jar, go ahead and add in some
halved fresh strawberries followed by sliced lemons. Then, pour in your water and stir
to combine. You could also add in some fresh herbs into this one, like some fresh rosemary,
basil, or mint for an added kick.
Seriously, there are so many combinations and flavors you can add to your water. There's
apples, peaches, kiwis, cinnamon, melons, all sorts of stuff. It's really just what
flavors you like and what you're gonna be excited to have in your water. Keep in mind,
the more fruit you add, the stronger the flavor in your infused waters. And you can totally
reuse the fruit over time. So, if you finished your water and you want some more, just add
in some more water into that, let it set for another one to two hours, and then you have
infused water reusing that same fruit. Though over time, your fruit will lose a little bit
of flavor. So, I recommend only doing that for about one to two days.
While adding fruit-infused waters is a great way to add more water into your daily intake,
here are some more tips for how to add more water every day.
Drink a full glass of water before every meal and don't take a bite of that food until all
of your water is gone. P.S., this is also a really great way to eat less food in each
sitting. Choose a water bottle that you really love and you enjoy drinking water out of.
This is also why I use my Mason jars because they're pretty and they make you feel good
when you're drinking water. Set a reminder on your phone to ping you so that you drink
your water. For example, you could try every 30 minutes, drink a half a cup of water. Remember
that coffee, tea, and iced tea are all types of water as well. But try to keep as much
as possible to clear liquids and have it be as unsweetened as possible.
Order a water at restaurants and this will also save you a ton of money. Pay attention
to the color of your pee. Yes, neon yellow means you need to drink water. So, please
go drink some water. You wanna aim for kind of a pale yellow. And it is totally okay to
do a little celebration when you have pale yellow pee. And then, just get started. The
more water you drink, the more your body is gonna want it, the more you're gonna crave
it, and the more you'll enjoy it. And you can totally eat the fruit when you're done
with it, but it will taste like water. It's up to you.
Do you have any more tips for drinking water? Please share them in the comments below. And
also, let me know which fruit-infused water combo sounds the best to you.
Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. Go have a glass of water and I will see you
next time. Bye-bye.
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