Would you want to drink more water, if you're already feeling bloated? Seem kinda dumb right? Well, if you aren't drinking enough water. that's exactly what you should do!. When you haven't drank enough water, your body decides its boss and will hold on to whatever water is already in your body not letting you excrete any. This means the water in your body will continue to cycle in normal bodily functions and will cause you to appear bloated. The only way to get rid of that bloated look, and fix your digestion, is to actually drink MORE water to flush out the excess salt.

All too often, I hear clients drinking “natural” waters, infused with “fruit” and “vitamins,” or even flavor droppers. 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 colorings (Red 40, Blue 1), sodium (SALT), sucralose, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, and refined sugar (gasp!). Leave the vitamin waters, sports drinks, and other “fruit” and “natural” flavored “vitamin” waters on the grocery store shelves…it’s time to make our own!

How to make INFUSED WATER

Take a look at some ingredient ideas below then check out my favorite combination at the bottom of this article for you to try for yourself. A general rule of thumb is to experiment and have fun with infusing your water! Just know, once it's in, it's IN! You will have to add more water if you don't like the flavor. Choose ingredients you enjoy and try new things you haven’t tried before. To get you started, here are several “menu” options and how to mix and match these ingredients.

Fruit

• Citrus | grapefruit, lemon, Meyer lemon, key lime, lime, blood orange, orange, 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, cilantro, thyme, stevia, lavender

Spices

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

Water

• filtered water, sparkling plain water (La Creaux, etc.), unsweetened coconut water

NEXT STEPS

1. First, simply add the fruit/vegetables in the glass, take a muddler (or just use a wooden spoon or regular spoon) to slightly mash and break down the fruit/vegetables. Tip: peel the citrus fruits from their skin to avoid a bitter taste.

2. 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.

3. Lastly, add either sparkling water or good ole’ filtered water and drink!

Try my FAV - Watermelon / Lime / Mint

Cube one cup of fresh watermelon and add it to a pitcher of water. Then, stir in between four-six mint leaves and juice from half a lime. If you don’t want your water to have a powerful mint flavor then only use about four leaves (or even less if you prefer). Remember, you can always add more mint flavoring, but once the leaves have infused into the water you can’t take the taste away.

Cheers!

Rachel

#HEALTHYSKIN #INFUSEDWATER #HYDRATE #BLOAT #DIGESTION #FRUIT #LOWCALORIE