Why flavored water? Water is essential for good health and physical functioning. According to WHO in temperatures higher than 90F, which it is most of the time in the southern parts of India, a 70Kg adult should drink around 6 liters of water every day. Six liters? I don’t even drink one liter! I think flavored water can help solve this problems. Interesting flavors and blends water more tasty and we automatically drink more water.
Now that may not be much of a problem during winters, but fluid loss is quite steep in summer. Inadequate water can cause dehydration. Flavored water can help you reach your water drinking goals throughout the year and keep you hydrated and energetic during the summers. Dehydration has both short-term and long-term effects on your health. Some of the common effects of dehydration are,
- Fatigue,
- Skin disorders,
- Digestive disorders,
- Bladder and Kidney problems,
- Joint pain and stiffness, among others
How to Make Flavored Water
You can mix different fruits and herbs to make flavored water for your summer lunches and grilling parties, or make some every day.
Cucumber Flavored Water
This was my first experiment in flavoring water with something other than a lemon. Cucumber is a major source of water in summers. You can see street vendors selling cucumbers as a snack during summer in the northern parts of India.
The overall cooling effect of the cucumber flavor adds a nice twist to the cold water and leaves you with a refreshing feeling.
Mint-Watermelon Water
Mint is, well, minty. Nothing can be as refreshing as a strong flavor of mint combined with cool water. You can combine mint with many different fruits. Here I tried to mix in a bit of watermelon juice and fruit.
Watermelons are so juicy that some juice oozes out when you cut the fruit. Use this juice and fruit slices to make your water tasty.
I would suggest that you use this mostly at your home and use a pitcher to make the Mint-Watermelon flavored water. Don’t forget to get the fruit slices out after a few hours.
Tulsi – Holy Basil Water
Holy Basil is easily found throughout India. The plant and its seeds are known to have a cooling effect on the body. A lot of people consume these seeds to cure acute acid reflux conditions. Moreover, the leaves have a strong, somewhat spicy taste that can make drinking more water easier and leave you with a refreshing breath.
Lemon Flavored Water
This is the easy one and the best option when yo are in a hurry. Cut a few lemon wedges and drop them in your bottle and you have a hint of citrus to your drinking water.
You can keep refilling your bottle all day long and then dump the wedge at the end of the day. Keeping the wedge in water for too long can make it somewhat bitter so make sure that you get the wedges out after a few hours if you are making a big pitcher for the day.
Musk Melon Water
Musk Melon, Cantaloupe, or Kharbuja, is a quintessentially summer fruit and I love this juicy fruit. Full of water and flavor, it is an ideal candidate for salads. But you know what, it tastes great in water too.
Cut a couple of wedges from the Musk Mellon and add them to the jar of cool water. Refrigerate the water and you have a fresh, refreshing drink you open the refrigerator every time.
Lemongrass
Until I had tried Thai food, Lemongrass was essentially a thing that we mostly added to our tea. But the invigorating taste and smell of lemon grass works just as well with the cool drink.
Cut a few slices of Lemongrass root and add these to your refrigerator bottles. It is a good idea to give the root slice a pounding or two before adding then to the water. Strain the water after a few hours to get a sweet smelling water that you can drink all day.
Ginger-Cinnamon-Apple Water
Fed up with the summer heat and longing for the fall? Here’s something to remind of the fall. Try mixing Apple slices, a few slivers of ginger and a couple of inch long Cinnamon sticks.
Make sure you lightly pound the Ginger and infuse the water for a few hours. The sweetness of the Apples and the tart, spicy Ginger flavors will get you thinking of the nippy fall breeze in hot summers.
Leave a Reply