Pretty much every time I think about “resolutions”, drinking more water is at the top of the list. The fact that it keeps getting on the “list” should be a clue that I haven’t found it easy to stick to.
What has helped me significantly is to infuse my water with various herbs, fruits and vegetables. It’s a refreshing, delicious way to keep hydrated without a lot of added sugar and caffeine.
Many herbs have health benefits – essentially turning your water into your very own (and less expensive, less sugar, fewer chemicals…) “vitamin water”.
I experimented the other day with a few combinations, and will continue to experiment as my garden grows.
The first was inspired by the lovely Dianne, who so generously dug up some of her lemon balm for my garden. I coupled the lemon balm with fresh rosemary which was crisp and clean. Dianne suggests combining watermelon with lemon balm – for sure will try that combination next!
Another fun combination included mint, lime and cucumber slices.
Perhaps my favourite was a turmeric/ginger blend that I was first introduced to in the fantastic cookbook “Get it Ripe” by Jae Steele. If you’re wishing to explore a vegan or vegetarian diet (even part-time), I encourage you to purchase this book – you will not be disappointed. Turmeric is the current darling in the natural healing world and for good reason. Its anti-inflammatory benefits rival that of pharmaceuticals without the potential side effects. It’s also rich in anti-oxidants. Coupled with fresh ginger, and you have a knock-out liver supporting, anti-inflammatory potion that your body will thank you for. Traditionally, this is made as a tea, but I simply combined the ingredients with room temperature filtered water, and let the ingredients sit for several hours. The benefit here is that you don’t lose valuable nutrients by heating. I used 2 litre Mason jars for all of the recipes. If you’re looking for a water system, we’ve been really happy with our Berkey water system from Scott of Conscious Water.
Lemon Balm Rosemary
2 litres fresh filtered water
1 generous sprig fresh rosemary
6 – 8 lemon balm leaves – I just put in a stalk
Lime Cucumber Mint
2 litres fresh filtered water
1/2 lime thinly sliced
6 – 8 mint leaves (again, I just put in a stalk – and gently “wrung out” the leaves to release the oils).
Ginger Turmeric Lemon
1 chunk fresh ginger – approximately 1 1/2 inches long (I used my juicer, but you could grate with a micro-plane)
3 lemons – juiced (more for garnish if you wish)
2 teaspoons organic turmeric (If you have fresh root – juice about a 2 inch chunk)
2 tablespoons maple syrup (We love McCutcheon’s dark amber)
I welcome your suggestions, and we can post our favourite combinations at the studio for everyone to enjoy!
