Lime + Mint + Cucumber Green Tea Infusion
I have always been a big water drinker. Growing up I never drank pop, processed fruit juices from the grocery store or milk it was always water or tea. Oh expect for the odd ginger ale when I was sick, it always soothed my tummy (still does). I actually remember secretly wishing I drank pop when I was younger because I would have girlfriends who would stop drinking it and lose weight and I always thought if only I could have that vice then maybe I would lose weight. I never said I was the smartest in my younger, looking for the quick fix, naive days!
Water has so many benefits yet it is so easily overlooked and forgotten through the day for most people. What can drinking more water do for you:
Flushes out toxins from your cells
Improves Skin Complexion (natural moisturizer, wrinkles be gone, fountain of youth hello)
Regulates body temperature
Helps relieve headaches, migraines and even back pains
Replenishes nutrients to your vital organs
Good for your joints (they need water to stay strong, healthy and lubricated)
Boots your metabolism (drinking enough water helps your burn more calories throughout the day)
Helps maintain a healthy weight (promotes weight loss, keeping you fuller longer)
Helps you sleep better at night (when you are fully hydrated)
Knowing that our bodies are made up of over 70 percent water and our brain is nearly 80 percent water it is a pretty important little tool to keep in a bottle next to us. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps you stay focused, concentrate better and boots your energy levels keeping your more alert; it has actually been said drinking water will make you smarter, if that`s not enough to have you drinking more I don`t know what is!
Little tip: check the colour of your pee throughout the day; you can gage how much water you are in taking that way and whether or not you are getting enough. If your pee is clear you are doing great if it is a shade of yellow drink up sista!
Lately I have been playing around with different infused waters. I have been putting everything from veggies, to fruits to citrus to fresh herbs into my water, anything is game even a mix of the bunch. Today I have a fresh minty lime, cucumber, green tea infusion recipe that will be sure to have you sipping that crystal clear, fountain of youth elixir more often.
There are endless ways to spruce up your water if drinking it plain does not appeal to you. Either through yummy concoctions like mine above (think strawberry and basil or peach and grapefruit) or through herbal teas, green teas and white teas. Play around and have fun, just make sure to drink more than you think you need.
lime + mint + cucumber green tea infusion
ingredients
1 pot or tea kettle of water
2-3 bags of green tea or loose leaf green tea
half a cucumber
3 limes
1 ½ cups of fresh mint
honey to taste
directions
Boil some water, add the bags of green tea, let it brew for about 5 minutes. Once brewed transfer the water to a large glass pitcher to cool down.
Next juice two of the limes and cut the third into slices. Chop the mint and slice the cucumber and then add everything to the green tea (the juice of the limes and the lime slices). Drizzle some honey into the mix until sweetened to your liking. Place in the fridge to keep cool.
Serve over ice cubes and enjoy!
There are endless ways to spruce up your water if drinking it plain does not appeal to you. Either through yummy conctions like mine above (think strawberry and basil or peach and grapefruit) or through herbal teas, green teas and white teas. Play around and have fun, just make sure to drink more than you think you need.