Infused Water

Good for Your Health

by A.L. Woods, Staff Writer

Infused water, or detox water, as it's sometimes commonly called, is all the rage now, and for good reason. It's delicious, easy to make, and has wonderful nutritive benefits.

Simply put, infused water is made by slicing select fruits and veggies (and sometimes herbs) into water and letting it stand, or infuse, anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. Much of the vitamin content of the fruits and veggies seeps into the water and you receive the health value when you drink it.

There are many recipes available for making infused water, and you're only limited by your creativity in terms of the fruit and veggie combinations that you put together. Some choose their ingredients based on the nutritional value of each fruit and vegetable; others choose based on the taste that they're seeking to achieve.

The most popular infused water recipes use lemons as a staple ingredient. The very first well-publicized notion of infused water was promoted by Prevention Magazine as a component of the Flat Belly Diet. Branded as "Sassy Water," the recipe for Sassy Water quickly went viral all over the Web.

Anecdotal evidence reveals that infused water encourages:

• Increased water consumption, thereby keeping one more hydrated
• Helps with detox
• Decreases stomach bloating and
• Facilitates weight loss in general

Some of my favorite infused water combinations are:

Lemon/cucumber
Lemon/cucumber/mint
Lemon/cucumber/lime
Lemon/cucumber/lime/orange/apple
Watermelon/lemon/mint

In terms of proportions, I just eyeball the amounts of each fruit and vegetable used based on the size of the pitcher, again, using lemon as the predominant ingredient.

Dr. Oz has promoted infused water in the past and believes strongly that it offers multiple health benefits to all who drink it. He also has a number of recipes with specific nutritional benefits associated with each fruit or vegetable used.

With the increase in popularity of infused water also comes an increase in the manufacture and sales of a variety of infusion pitchers and infusion water bottles. These items have a small vented cylinder that attaches to the top of the container in which the user can place her chosen fruits and vegetables for infusion. The advantage to using infusion pitchers and water bottles is that the fruits and vegetables can easily be removed from the container simply by removing the cylinder so that they don't overinfuse into the water, causing bitterness.

As summertime approaches, I heartily recommend that you try infused water for yourself. It's a great alternative to the sugary, expensive, and chemical-laden vitamin waters that you buy from the supermarket and it's a great way to stay hydrated with a minimal amount of fuss.


*Photo: Rachel B. Lane

[Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on 05/18/2014 (no longer published there).]