Tip of the Week: 50 Awesome Flavored Water Ideas

As Bikram yogis we know that we should be drinking water frequently throughout the day to stay hydrated during our practice. The following are some awesome ideas from 52kitchenadventures.com for flavoring your water if you need a little tasty alternative to unhealthy sugary drinks.

The Health Education Council has launched the Rethink Your Drink campaign. They are encouraging healthy drink choices, like replacing sugar-sweetened beverages (think soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks) with water. Their goal is to read 8,000 pledges by the end of September.

As someone who constantly carries around a water bottle, I am on board with this campaign and immediately pledged to drink water instead of sugary drinks for the next 30 days. I know that for most other people, this would be a tough challenge. Many people drink soda everyday, or don’t think twice about picking up a Red Bull or a mocha. It’s shocking how much sugar is in pretty much any drink you can get at Starbucks. I don’t want to spoil your annual pumpkin spice latte, but seriously check it out and think about making it homemade or opting for water instead.

I came across this eye-opening photo online. I think it’s particularly important to watch what our children are drinking and eating. Do they need all that sugar in sweetened chocolate milk or soda? Instead, let’s encourage them to have water.

I know, I know. Water is boring. I hear people say that all the time. Well, not anymore! You can add tons of different fruits, veggies, and herbs to make water taste better. Fill up a pitcher, toss in some combination from below, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours (the longer you let it steep, the more flavor you’ll get, but you can also enjoy it immediately).

Without further ado, 50 awesome flavored water ideas. I hope this gets you thinking outside the box and trying out more water.

1. Watermelon
2. Cucumber
3. Lemon
4. Cantaloupe
5. Orange
6. Cherries
7. Lime
8. Grapefruit
9. Basil
10. Mint
11. Grapes
12. Blood orange
13. Rosemary
14. Lavender
15. Strawberries
16. Blackberries
17. Raspberries
18. Pineapple
19. Kiwi
20. Papaya
21. Honeydew melon
22. Fresh ginger root
23. Mango                                                                                       And don’t forget fun combinations of the ingredients above! Get creative and combine them so it never gets dull. The possibilities are endless but here are some of my favorites:
24. Watermelon and mint (pictured above)
25. Cucumber and mint
26. Lemon and mint
27. Cherry and lime
28. Watermelon and cucumber
29. Ginger and lemon
30. Orange and pineapple
31. Lemon and lavender
32. Lime and mint
33. Cucumber and lime
34. Lemon and basil
35. Strawberry and mint
36. Blackberry and ginger
37. Lemon and blueberry
38. Thyme and blackberries
39. Cucumber and rosemary
40. Cantaloupe and watermelon
41. Cucumber, lemon, and mint
42. Lemon and lime
43. Strawberry and basil
44. Cranberry juice and lemon (use a capful of unsweetened cranberry juice)
45. Ginger and lime
46. Pineapple and mango
47. Strawberries and lime
48. Orange, lime, and lemon
49. Lemon and a pinch of cayenne
50. Papaya and mango

…and I could keep going. Seriously, there are so many potential combos!

For the herbs, crush or chop them up to get the best flavor. Similarly, squeeze citrus wedges, slice or cube melons, and crush berries.