livewellwithlaurenblogAs summer heats up, we need ways to cool down. Infusing your water with herbs and fruits is the perfect way to not just add flavor, but electrolytes and vitamins & minerals too, without all of the added sugar.
The general rule of thumb to know how many ounces of fluid you should be drinking to have a good hydration status a simple formula:
Your weight in pounds, divided by 2 gives you are baseline of how many ounces of fluid you would have in a day.
Example: Your weight is 200 lbs, you should try to drink 100 fl ounces a day of fluid.
Note: this is your baseline and if you are exercising or outside, sweating you may need more than your baseline of fluids. Always check your urine and aim to see a pale-yellow color for good hydration.
Recipes for infused water are limitless, below are a few of my favorite go-to infused waters to get you started. Always check your refrigerator and garden for combinations of fruits, herbs, and spices to give your water a little flavor kick with nutritional benefit!
Hint: to get the most flavor from fresh herbs you can rub your hand together warming the herbs in between your hands or clap your hands popping the herbs in your hand. You will see the fresh herbs become more vibrant in color making those phytochemicals more readily available for our bodies to digest, as well as, bring out their flavor and smell.
Each Recipe is written for a 16-ounce glass of water
Watermelon Basil Lime
- 3-4 cubes of seedless watermelon
- 1/8 cup fresh basil, shredded
- ½ lime, squeezed
- 1 lime slice or wedge
- Fill with filtered water
- Ice (optional)
Strawberry Ginger Basil
- 3-4 small-medium strawberries sliced
- 1/8 cup fresh basil
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- Fill with filtered water
- Ice (optional)
Strawberry Blueberry Lemon Mint
- 3-4 small-medium strawberries sliced
- 1/2 fresh lemon squeezed
- 5-6 blueberries
- 1 wedge or slice
- 1/8 cup fresh mint
- Fill with filtered water
- Ice (optional)
Cucumber Strawberry Lemon Mint
- 1/8 cup cucumber, partially peeled, thinly sliced
- 3 small/medium strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 lemon, sliced
- 1/8 cup fresh mint
- Fill with filtered water
- Ice (optional)
Cucumber Watermelon Basil
- 1/8 cup cucumber, partially peeled, thinly sliced
- 1/8 cup seedless watermelon or 3 cubes
- 1/8 cup fresh basil
- Fill with filtered water
- Ice (optional)
Cucumber Mint Lemon
- ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
- 3-4 lemon slices
- ¼ lemon wedge, squeezed
- 1/8 cup fresh mint, shredded
- Fill with filtered water
- Ice (optional)
Sip, Savor, and Enjoy!
