The Best Water for your Health + Plus 24 Infused Water Flavor Ideas

I’m assuming you clicked on this blog post because you want to know what the best brand of water or type of detox water is to improve your health and cure what ails you.  I have the answer and you may be surprised to hear what it is.

The best detox water is any kind of water that you will drink!  Sorry for the clickbait title, but it’s true. Whatever water that tastes good to you and that you drink consistently is the best detox water.  You don’t need alkaline water, special ionized water, extra electrolyte water, lemon and cayenne pepper water or water from a unicorn’s butt every morning.  You just need WATER.

You can drink specialized waters like alkaline water if you want, but they don’t contain any magical powers to change the pH of your body. Ingesting food and drink does not change the pH of your blood.  That’s just physiology 101. If somebody tries to tell you differently, they’re probably trying to sell you a product. If something seems to good to be true, there’s usually a product that’s trying to be sold.  If the pH of your blood does change for whatever reason, you should probably get to the hospital because that means you have something majorly wrong with you.

The benefits of drinking water

Basically, water is life.  After all, our bodies are  75% composed of water.

Water is involved in all of the following:

• Boosts energy
• Improves mood
• Cognition
• Necessary for metabolism
• May reduce the signs of aging in skin
• Combats bad breath
• Aids digestion
• Lubricates joints
• Regulates body temperature
• Detoxifies by flushing out waste

The benefits of drinking water are truly amazing and completely necessary for a healthy brain and body.  You know that point in the afternoon where you may feel cranky, tired and have a headache?  That could simply mean that you are dehydrated! It’s amazing that you can improve your mood simply by preventing dehydration!

Or maybe you’re like me and feel like you have a bladder the size of a pea.   I also sit at the computer for way too long at a time, so getting up to pee is a great excuse to get up, stretch your legs and rest your eyes. Plus, sitting is the new smoking these days in terms of deleterious effects on health, but that’s probably another topic for another time.

When should I drink water?

Don’t only wait until you are thirsty to drink water.  I get it.  We’re all busy and if you don’t have a water bottle right in front of your face, you don’t think about taking a sip.  As we age, the “I’m thirsty” alert in our bodies does not work as well as it did when we were younger.  Drink water on a consistent basis throughout the day to ensure you don’t become dehydrated.

What is the healthiest water to drink?

The healthiest water to drink is the kind that encourages you to drink consistently.  Aim for your urine to look light in color, similar to the color of lemonade. The general 8-9 cup recommendation is a pretty good guideline, but everyone is different and your environment, health issues, and activity level may determine if you drink more or less.  For example, if you exercise, sweat profusely, live in very dry climates or are pregnant/breastfeeding, you’ll need more water.  If you have kidney issues and are on dialysis, you’ll need less.

What if you don’t enjoy drinking water?

I’m assuming if you don’t like drinking water it’s because water is boring and doesn’t have much taste.  I hear the question often:  “how do I get myself to drink more water?”  I have a simple solution  Make water taste flavorful!  For the longest time, I could not convince my husband to drink water.  Listing the benefits of drinking water or the consequences of not drinking water did not help.  It all changed when I made him fruit infused water!  Suddenly, he was a water drinking machine!  Eventually, he didn’t need the extra flavor and continued drinking plain water.  I think this perhaps could be the highlight of my professional life! 🙂

Infused water

The great thing about fruit infused water is that you don’t need a recipe!  Throw some slices of fruits, cucumber, herbs, and/or ginger and you’ve got yourself some flavor!

Pineapple infused water is at the top of my list.   Orange infused water, mint infused water and of course lemon and cucumber infused water are classics and super easy to make. You don’t even need to use fresh fruit to make delicious fruit infused water. Try using frozen mango chunks for mango infused water.

Get creative with your fruit infused waters!  Mix herbs and fruits for a great flavor punch.  One of my favorite combinations is orange, mint and ginger.  Another favorite flavor combo is strawberry, lime and cucumber water.  It’s amazing how potent those juicy strawberries can be when you let them infuse for about 30 minutes.

If you’re infusing water in your water bottle, it won’t take long for the fruit and herbal flavors to come through. If you’re making fruit infused water in a pitcher or large spigot jar, you really only need about 30 minutes to taste that great flavor.  Take the orange, mint and ginger water for example.  For a 7 cup pitcher, I might use 1 sliced orange, a small handful of mint (including stems), and a couple inches of sliced ginger root.  Once the water in the pitcher is gone, just refill with more water.  I keep the same ingredients in my pitcher for about 2-3 days before discarding.

Here are 24 of my favorite fruit infused water combinations