Tired of plain old water? Reduce your sugary beverage intake and get inspired with Infused Water 5 different ways!
You hear it all the time: Reduce your sugary beverage intake. Studies have shown that sugary beverages, which include soda, juice/punch, sports drinks, sweetened iced tea, lemonade, energy drinks, etc., can wreak havoc on your diet and waist line. Sugary beverages are the single major source of added sugars in the average American diet. Added sugars in foods and drinks have been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. (To learn more about sugar and it’s many names, see my post about it here.)
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommend no more than 10% our daily calorie intake be from added sugars. Furthermore, the American Heart Association recommends Men get no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar daily and women no more than 6 teaspoons daily. In a typical 20 oz. soda, there are around 16 teaspoons of sugar! Drinking just one regular soda per day can add up to 25 pounds of weight gain in 1 year. When clients of mine remove soda from their diet, they are amazed at the weight loss, improved energy and overall well-being they can achieve by making one simple change.
Get inspired to drink more #water with these 5 Infused Water combinations! Share on XWhen I recommend my patients to replace their sugary beverage with plain old water, I sometimes get some initial complaints. “Water is boring.” “Water is tasteless.” “I need something with more sustenance that just water.” “I get tired of water pretty quick.” I get it. When you are changing from something so sweet and flavorful it’s hard to switch cold turkey. If you can’t make the switch overnight, I usually suggest slowly cutting your intake down and replacing it with water a little at a time. Another suggestion I have is to try infused water.
If you have never heard of infused water, let me explain. Infused water is simply water with any combination of fresh fruits, vegetables or herbs in it to depart a slight flavor enhancement to the water. You can chop, crush, smush, or squeeze the fruit/veg/herb into the water. The number of flavor combinations are endless! Just pick what you think would taste good, fill up a pitcher or water bottle with your choice and start drinking! There are even special pitchers or water bottles you can buy that are designed specifically for drinking infused water, such as this water bottle (affiliate link).
Below are just 5 different ways you can enjoy infused water. You can put in as much or as little fruits, vegetables or herbs that you like. It’s up to you (that’s my favorite part!).
Cucumber Nectarine
Blackberry Kiwi
Citrus Bliss (Orange, Lemon, Lime)
Strawberry Basil
Grapefruit Mint
What are your favorite ways to drink more water? What are your go-to infused water combinations? Let me know in the comments!
Resources:
Cook County Rethink Your Drink
American Heart Association: Added Sugars
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