Infused Water

In Emma Olliff Nutrition style, I'm taking water to another level with my Infused Water. Infused water with fresh fruit, fragrant herbs, raw veggies, and spices. In this guide learn how to make your own healthy, nutritious flavoured water with nothing artificial just the goodness of real foods, herbs, and spices; I also share some of my favourite flavour combinations. A note, these infused waters don’t contain an entire days worth of vitamins or anything extreme like most store-bought “vitamin waters” with added vitamins- this is all about natural and subtle flavours and natural nutrients. Keep it simple.

The warmer months are approaching (well at least I'm hoping they are), for some of you it’s been warmer for a while now; either way hydration is of utmost importance year round. Mother nature has a strong presence and voice in the spring and summer time as we’re always called outside to play, be more active, enjoy the wind, feel the sunshine, appreciate nature and the ethereal qualities of blooming flowers and plants, and all the amazing outdoor activities with loved ones!

Engaging in these activities and naturally moving more requires more fluids to keep our active bodies well hydrated. This is where the most important beverage of all comes into play, water! I hear too often many of my clients tell me “Emma, I hate water” “I don’t like the way it tastes”, “I forget to drink enough”, etc. Water doesn’t have a taste and maybe therein lies the whole challenge to drinking enough or more water, it lacks flavor. Now of course, simple and plain water is the perfect choice, but if that’s not going to do it for you, lets infuse it!

Following the above comment, I all too often hear clients drinking “natural” waters, infused with “fruit” and “vitamins” , or even cordials. Have you ever read the nutrition labels or ingredient lists on any of these so called natural waters? Most of them include a variety of preservatives, artificial sweeteners, added vitamins/minerals, artificial colourings (Red 40, Blue 1), sodium, sucralose, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, and refined sugar (gasp!). Leave the vitamin waters, sports drinks, and other “fruit” and “natural” flavoured “vitamin” waters on the supermarket shelves…it’s time to make our own!

LET’S MAKE IT!
Let’s take a look at some ingredient ideas and also I share my favourite combinations for you all to try for yourself. A general rule of thumb, is to experiment and have fun with this! Choose ingredients you enjoy and try new things you haven’t tried before.  To get you started, here are several “menu” options no how to mix and match these ingredients.

FRUIT

• Citrus | grapefruit, lemon, lime, blood orange, orange, pink grapefruit, tangerines
• Berries |  strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries
• Tropical | pear, pomegranate, mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi, starfruit
• Melons |  honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon
• Other | apples, grapes, plums, peaches, nectarines

VEGETABLES

• cucumber, carrots, celery, peppers (hot or sweet)

HERBS

• mint, sage, rosemary, basil, coriander, thyme, stevia, lavender

SPICES

• ginger, cinnamon stick (ground cinnamon will float), black pepper

WATER

• filtered water, sparkling plain water (St. Pellegrino, etc.)

NEXT STEP…

1. First, simply add the fruit // vegetables in the glass first, take a muddler (or just use a wooden spoon or regular spoon) to slightly mash and breakdown the fruit//vegetables.
2. Tip: peel the citrus fruits from their skin to avoid a bitter taste.
3. Next, simply take the herb//spice of choice and gently bruise the leaf (i.e. gently mashing), this helps release the natural extracts and oils from the herb//spice.
4. Lastly, add either sparkling water or  filtered water and drink!

STORAGE
These can be stored in airtight glasses as shown above, simply in a mason jar, glass pitcher, water bottle, gallon jug, etc. Whatever works for you. Best kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or until the flavour is no longer present and you may add more “infusions” here.

NUTRITION
Since you’re not consuming the questionable ingredients above in most commercially bought vitamin waters, you’re receiving natural occurring vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Note, this is an INFUSION, not a juice. Therefore, with these Simply Infused Waters the amount of sugar and calories is negligible; it’s called an infusion for a reason. You’re simply infusing the water with flavors and all natural nutrients from the fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

How do you like to drink water? Do you find it helpful to have a little flavour in your water? Comment below and share your ideas below!

Hydrate Yourself!

Emma xx