Wednesday, January 7, 2015

DIY Infused Water for your Health

Are you enjoying our 365 Days of DIY in 2015?  Here's an absolute fave of mine...Infused Water!
I drink Lemon Water almost every morning. Infused water is easy and inexpensive but is it healthy?  Let's find out!

First, I'd like to compare store bought Vitamin Water to my own homemade Organic Lemon Water

Multi-V Lemonade
1 bottle of Vitamin water is actually 2.5 servings!!! That means if you drink the entire bottle, you're consuming 32.5 grams of sugar and 125 calories.  Yes, there is a "vitamin" content to this drink but the sugar content (for me) makes this drink a big no-no!  And...who knows where those "vitamins" came from!
Per serving:
Vitamin A 20%
Vitamin C 40%
Calcium 4%

Homemade Lemon Water
I use the juice of 1 lemon per Quart of water.
1 lemon contains 20 calories and about 2 grams of naturally occurring sugar.  Lemons are a powerhouse of naturally occurring vitamins.  REAL vitamins!
Vitamin C 90%
Calcium 4%
Vitamin B6 4%
Magnesium 2%
Thiamin 2%
Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Niacin and Phosphorus 1%

% of the daily recommended amount.

The above facts should be enough to convince you that homemade is SO MUCH better (and cheaper)...But there's more!

Why do I start the day with infused water?
Drinking water in the morning gives you energy.  Adding real fruits or herbs can increase that energy.
Drinking water in the morning can help you lose weight.
Hydration! During the night we lose hydration and it's important to replenish
SKIN!  Since Skin is the largest organ of the body and humans are made up of approx 60% water it is safe to say water is vital to healthy skin.
Preparing jars for Basil Lemon infused water
Drinking Infused water helps me drink more water.  There are a number of healthy, low-calorie, low-sugar recipes to chose from.  My favorites are just plain lemon and Basil Lemonade (without the added sugar).

How do you make infused water?  That's simple!

You'll need
large glass container(s)
fruits or herbs
filtered water

For large batches I use a large glass pitcher.  For small batches I use glass Ball quart jars or recycled jars.  To make infused water, simply add ingredients to your jar, fill jar with water and refrigerate.  I usually refrigerate 6 hours or more.  It's that easy!

Basil and Lemon water
1 lemon and approx 1/2 cup loose Basil leaves per quart

Pineapple...YUM!
1/2 cup fresh pineapple slices per quart jar

Lemon Water
**I make 2 quart jars with 1 lemon sometimes**
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into 1 jar then chop the rind and add to the second jar.  Fill both jars with water and refrigerate.  This gives me 1 jar with the juice to drink right away and the second for later.

Sometimes I like to get a little crazy...

Ginger Basil "tea"
1/4 inch of chopped ginger, 1/4 cup of basil, 1 tablespoon raw (local) honey and warm water.
Add contents to a 1 quart jar and refrigerate for 6 hours or more.

Other great infused water variations are Grapefruit, Lime, Mint, Strawberry, Watermelon and Cucumber
Mix it up a bit!  Here are a few great combinations
Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit and Mint
Watermelon and Mint
Strawberry and Mint
Raspberry, Lime and Mint
Purple Opal Basil, Ginger and Lemon
Pineapple and Strawberry
Strawberry and Kiwi

Are you ready to Infuse?

1 comment:

  1. Thank you Mary. When I am not being lazy I make my own lemon water but NOW that I know how much sugar is in the other stuff, I'll drop it completely. thanks for doing the research.

    ReplyDelete

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