July’s Recipe of the Month: Flavored Water

Staying hydrated is important. It helps your body and brain function properly, and can help with weight loss and improved skin. So, how much should you drink per day? The Mayo Clinic suggests consuming half of your body weight in ounces of water or water-based drinks (100% fruit juice, tea, coffee, low-sodium broth) per day. That means if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water per day. Of course, this number can change depending on how active you are and how hot or cold the climate is. The best monitor for hydration is your urine. The darker your pee is, the more water you should drink. The objective is clear pee. Got it? Good. All of this hydration can get a little dull, so the beverage industry would love to sell you a variation on plain water to tempt your palette. The problem with that is that Americans consumed about 8.3 billion gallons of bottled water last year – about 26 gallons per person. That’s a lot of packaging and shipping and waste, and, as a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems. Consider the fact that bottled water costs more per ounce than gasoline, and you’re really in the market for some home brew.

Using tap water (filtered or unfiltered, based on your taste preference), a few things around the house and your favorite reusable container, add some pizzazz to your water by adding some flavor from scraps around the kitchen. Should you find yourself slicing some cucumbers for a summer salad or veggie party platter, save a handful and toss them into a pitcher of water. Cucumber water tastes light and refreshing – you’ll love it! Strawberry tops, sprigs of mint or basil, citrus wedges (lime, lemon, orange), cut lemongrass and lychee… There are endless options. Find a flavor you like and rock it!

If you’re more of a Gatorade guy or girl, you can make your own electrolyte water at home too. Just add a teaspoon of salt, 8 teaspoons of sugar (or sugar substitute of your choice) and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to a quart of water. For flavor, toss in any of the ingredients above.