Lemon Water has been the most talked about drink in 2014, with so many ways and benefits being constantly discovered and discussed on the internet. Enter 2016 and it’s not just lemons anymore, it’s all kinds of citrus ( I once saw a jug of water with Yuzu in it. And I am not ashamed to admit that it was just great!). So this got me wondering, are there real benefits to putting fruits and vegetables into the water we drink? I mean, if we want flavoured water, don’t we have tea for that?
Apparently flavoured water (or infused water) does more than tea. Or so people would have me believe. I am a huge tea drinker, so while I may not buy that flavoured water has that many benefits, it certainly adds a kick to drinking regular water. Here’s why you should be crazy enough to add chopped citrus to your water. Yes, everyday.
1 – It makes drinking water exciting
Don’t frown, there are so many of us who absolutely detest drinking water on its own. A flavored, sprightly one would be great, but water, iced or warm, on its own, tasteless and bleah, is just that; tasteless and bleah. The fruits give flavor and add an exciting dimension to water, you can see the colors of the fruit in it!
2 – It helps with weight loss
Its official: drinking infused water increases your body’s abilities to burn calories. Beacuse it is heavily falvoured from natural sources and not unhealthy stuff like copious amounts of sugar, you tend to eat less throghout the day as infused water fills you up. It also works on increasing your metabolic rate. Coupled with the right exercises, infused water can help your achieve your ideal weight!
3 – It can be loads better than eating the fruit itself
If you’re one of those who hates eating fruits, then this is simply perfect for you – have them with water! Drink the water and it’ll be like you’re eating the fruits! (well, not really. But hey, at least you’re closer to eating the fruit, no?)
4 – Citrus infused water can help you load up on the Vitamin C
This is especially fantastic if you’re not into taking Vitamin C tablets. And you don’t have to worry about consuming too much vitamin C, as access of the vitamin has a way of exiting your body when not needed.
5 – Slow the ageing process
The antioxidants present in the fruits and vegetables you use in infused water, especially citrus fruits, help slow signs of aging and combat skin-damaging free-radicals. Drinking infused water is also a natural way of increasing collagen production.
6 – Its detoxifies you.
We all know that with the advent of Cold Pressed Juices, everyone is into detox regimes. People pay to reap the wonderful benefits of a juice detox made with cold pressed juices, specially because the juices are the fruits themselves, in water form. Infused does what these cold pressed juices do, especially when you have it first thing in the morning. Maybe not to the same extreme, but it still works, especially if you’re drinking infused water throughout the day.
7 – It wakes you up.
Here’s yet another benefit of infused water: it makes you wake up and take notice of what’s happening around you everyday. Yes, I can hear (and relate to) your caffeine woes. While infused-water is not quite like drinking coffee every morning (at all. Period.), it serves as a different, non-addict, wake up call in the morning.
8 – Keeps the energy up
Drinking infused water helps keep the energy up due to its potency in vitamins. It can also act as a substitute to 100 plus, to be consumed after a workout or during a highly exhausting day.
So how about this? Mix up a bunch of roughly chopped fruits and throw them into your bottle of water before heading out in the morning. The different fruits everyday will keep you wanting to drink the water, and you can refill it as you go! You can do this with anything from red and green apples, different types of berries, peaches, oranges, grapefruits and yes, lemons. Come up with a few combinations (link 7) and tell us how it has worked for you!