Let’s hydrate smarter, not harder.
Below are 10 ideas to make water a bit more appealing and flavourful, without adding sugar or calories, so we hopefully drink more of it.
On the list of our daily human needs, water is one of those non-negotiables. Let’s be honest, the liquid of life can seem a little boring and tough to swallow. We might get some natural taste variations depending on the source of our water or the amount of minerals it contains, but in general, water isn’t exactly bursting with flavour.
However, good old H2O is still the very best beverage around. “Water has zero calories, zero sodium, zero sugar, zero saturated fat and zero any of those things we are often told to avoid or cut back on,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA,RDN,CDN, creator of BetterThanDieting and author of Read It Before You Eat It — Taking You From Label to Table, who is based in New York City. Our bodies are made mostly of water, so we need to replace the amounts we lose by breathing, sweating, and everyday functioning. Many of us could be walking around irritated, listless, and feeling weak, when we could just be mildly dehydrated. A January 2023 study posted in eBioMedicine even linked greater hydration to longer life!
We’d all do better if we just drink up. There’s now even an entire TikTok trend that has arisen of late around flavouring your water to make it more interesting. The so-called “WaterTok” phenomenon encourages experimenting with various flavour infusions in the form of powders, juices, or syrups. Some of the viral suggestions though do add calories, sugars, and preservatives, which defeats the purpose of water as a low-calorie, sugar-free beverage.
Fortunately, there are plenty of healthier alternatives to make our water a bit more appealing.
1. Add Some Fresh Fruit
Fruit-flavoured water is simply a few slices away. “I love to keep a big pitcher of water filled with ripe cut fruit in the fridge,” says Taub-Dix. “Not only does it look beautiful (I actually serve this at dinner parties), but it also provides hydration.”
Which fruits to include, citruses like lemons, limes, and oranges are classic water enhancers, but other fruit flavours might also be tempting to our taste buds. Taub-Dix recommends watermelon, strawberries, and ripe peaches. Think of it as a wine-free sangria!
2. A Veggie Infusion
It may sound unorthodox to put vegetables in our water, but several veggies can work just as well as fruits to add some inspiring flavour. Consider pairing them with fruits to balance their savouriness with a hint of sweetness. Mild, naturally water-rich choices like cucumbers or zucchini tend to make the best options. If you fancy some more unusual choices like earthy carrots or spicy radishes, feel free to try them.
3. Adding Herbs
While we’re on the infusion train, let’s not forget about fresh herbs. A few sprigs of thyme, lavender, rosemary, mint, or basil are all it takes to up the wow factor in our water, and its calorie-free flavour. Get creative by coming up with your very own signature blend of herbs, fruits, and/or veggies.
4. Use Juice
A splash of juice in our water not only adds the much-needed flavour, but it also creates some attractive colour and the right juices add the minimal calories. One hundred percent juices also typically contain micronutrients like vitamin C, plus we get the beneficial antioxidants.
Any fruit juice can be a good base flavour for our water, but tart juices like cranberry, pomegranate, grape, and apple can be especially delicious. Preferably go for all-natural juices with no added sugars.
5. Add some FIZZ
Does sparkling water count toward our daily fluid intake? You bet! A study by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that fizzy water was just as hydrating as still varieties. If plain old water isn’t inspiring to you, try a naturally effervescent mineral water, which will give you the added benefit of the minerals, or try a flavoured carbonated water. These days, sparkling waters come in innumerable flavours, from limoncello to apple cider.
Pick an appealing iteration and drink it by itself, or experiment with adding a bit of sparkling water to your still water, and through trial and error, you’ll find the ratio that suits you. Should you become a seltzer devotee, you might want to consider getting a seltzer maker for your home.
6. Creativity with Ice
Do you love a tall glass of ice water? There may be a scientific reason for its appeal as a past study posted in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) revealed that cold water suppresses taste bud sensitivity, which may prevent us from tasting all the impurities. So, let’s fill our glass with our favourite kinds of ice, whether crushed or cubed, and see if its refreshing chilliness does the trick.
Even though ice is just frozen water, it offers us some opportunities of its own to make our water more appealing. “You can add cut fruit (like lemon, lime, and orange slices) to ice cube trays of water,” Taub-Dix suggests. So, when it’s time to fill our bottles, pop in these colourful cubes and let them infuse it with flavour as they melt. Other flavoured ice ideas include frozen juice, coffee or tea, and if we want to have even more fun, we can use trays that make interesting shaped cubes, like stars, circles or fish.
7. How About Adding a Tea Bag
Like sparkling water, tea is every bit as hydrating as regular water, and it can add a whole new world of charisma to our cups. Hot or cold, unsweetened tea has zero calories and often packs antioxidants, depending on the variety.
In addition to the array of global flavours we can find online and in stores, we can also infuse our tea with fruit, just like with regular water. “One of my favourite tips is to add a cut fruit, like an apple, into a steamy mug of herbal tea (like apple cinnamon tea) and at the end of my beverage, I have a deliciously cooked fruit that tastes like a baked apple,” says Taub-Dix.
When choosing a tea, be sure to check its caffeine content, as sipping a caffeinated blend all day could leave us a bit jittery.
8. Bone Broth or Stock
Many intermittent fasting plans permit bone broth because it’s so low in calories that it won’t break the fast. But broth, stock, and other similar liquids can be cozy, comforting ways to hydrate. They’re basically water that’s had bones and/or aromatics steeped in them, which draws out some minor amounts of protein and collagen, reports Cedars-Sinai. While the health benefits of bone broth and stock is still being debated, it is known that both is nearly as hydrating as pure water, whether we use them in soups and sauces or just sip them straight out the cup.
A word of caution though, certain heavy metals, including lead, are stored in animal bones, one small study posted in the NLM found that organic chicken broth made from cooking those bones, contained several times the lead concentration in the water used to make it. More research is needed, but it’s best to sip in moderation or to stick to low-sodium vegetable stock.
9. Add Fast Flavour
The WaterTok trend offers no shortage of suggestions for infusing water with flavour using powders and syrups. But as mentioned, these extras can add high amounts of calories and sugars. So, if we’re looking for a quick-and-easy flavour booster, let’s consider sugar-free drink mixes or low-calorie electrolyte powders without artificial sweeteners, as these will amp up the flavour without derailing our health goals.
10. Try a Filter
No, not the TikTok kind! Rather, installing a water filter in your home or purchasing a bottle with a built-in filter, as it can help remove unpleasant flavours which will make for more enjoyable sipping. Depending on where we live, the water that comes out of our taps might not be especially tasty, so you’ll be surprised at how filtering out impurities can improve its appeal.
Munchies4U does not provide professional dietary advice. If you or someone you care for has special dietary requirements, medical needs or an eating disorder, please seek advice from a registered healthcare professional.
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