By Kristin Stephens, MS, NTP

How many times have you been told to drink more water? And how many times have you said “I don’t like plain water!”

I hear it from clients all of the time. They don’t want to drink just plain water, so they turn to sweet tea, coffee, or juices. Unfortunately, they aren’t actually getting the proper hydration their body needs through these beverages.

Your Body Needs Water

There’s good reason to consume enough water each day. It…

  • regulates your body temperature
  • transports nutrients
  • cushions bones and joints
  • flushes toxins
  • empowers the body’s natural healing process

To determine your appropriate amount of water to drink each day, divide your body weight (in pounds) in half. That’s the number of ounces you should consume, up to about 100oz. Unless you are working out intensely each day, I wouldn’t go above the 100oz mark because you could over-hydrate yourself.

A Better Way to Drink Water…

If you’ve shied away from plain water in the past, try making infused water for a more tasty way to hydrate yourself.

By infusing your water with fruits and veggies, not only will you add a little flavor to your hydration, but you’ll also benefit from the nutrients. Although infused water won’t have the same nutritional content as actually eating the fruits and veggies, it’s still a nice little perk.

Here are some simple and delicious infused water recipes to ensure you get more water into your day. I recommend making several flavors at once and storing them in quart jars in the refrigerator so you can easily grab one.

Simple and Refreshing 
1 lemon, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
32oz of water

Sunshine Citrus
1/2 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1/2 lime, sliced
32oz of water

Strawberry Lemonade
1 lemon, sliced
2 strawberries, sliced
32oz of water

Berry Blend
1 tbsp blueberries
1 tbsp raspberries
1 tbsp blackberries
32oz of water

For a more in-depth conversation about how developing healthy habits can improve your overall health and wellbeing, please contact Pure Nutrition + Wellness LLC at [email protected], or call us at 844-787-3935. We’d love to hear from you!

Be well,

Donna Stephens, BCN, CNHP, LDHS
Kristin Stephens, MS, NTP