The Real Vitamin Water

Posted January 31, 2013

GUEST POST BY LEANNE VOGEL.

Throughout my journey to live a healthier life, I’ve found that caring about what I put in my body becomes effortless when I’m inspired to create excitement around the foods that I’m eating. Whether I’ve transformed an apple into a healthy muffin or a tablespoon of nut butter into a tasty dip, a bit of creativity goes a long way in making me feel good about my eating habits.

I approach my water consumption with the same vigor as I do everything else in my life – I want it to be full of color, flavour and authenticity. No artificial flavours or colors, fizzy water, water with extra vitamins, or water that costs $5.00 per bottle either. I just want the plain stuff… with a bit of pizzazz.

 

 

When I was studying to become a holistic nutritionist, I was working nine-hour days as a marketing manager during the day and attending five hours of classes at night. Eating healthy was important to me, ensuring I was drinking enough water was imperative, but I didn’t want to lug around a bunch of snack containers with me day in and day out. That’s when the idea of adding fruits, veggies and herbs to my water took form. I let the mixtures sit overnight, drank my flavoured water, then ate the fruit and veggie leftovers.
Not only was this new practice helping me to drink more water, but I was eating better as a result too! And all it took was a bit of colorful produce to get me inspired to do it.

 

 

You can follow these 4 simple steps to make your very own batch of flavoured water:

1. Grab a clean mason jar or recycled glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Throw a bunch of washed herbs, fruits or veggies into the jar.
3. Fill with your favorite water (ionized, reverse osmosis, spring, etc.)
4. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Here are the flavour combos that I prepared for today’s post:

+ Apple spice water: 1 sliced apple, 1 piece of cinnamon bark (or 1 cinnamon stick), 6 whole cloves, and 3 whole nutmeg.

+ Mojito water: 8 slices of English cucumber, 1 sliced lime, and 3 fresh mint stems.

+ Cranberry ginger water: 4 slices of fresh ginger, 1/2 cup fresh cranberries squeezed between your fingers just slightly or poked with a fork.

 

The best part is that you can be as creative as you want. Add herbs like coriander (cilantro), play around with fresh pineapple, mango, carrots, kale… have fun and watch yourself become inspired to drink up your creations!

What strategies do you use to make sure you’re drinking enough water? I’d love to hear about them!

Author bio: Leanne Vogel is a holistic nutritionist on a pursuit of self-discovery through allergen-free recipes, travel, yoga and inward reflection. During a recent trip to India, Leanne was inspired to embrace her true self and begin to live authentically. After returning home, she quit her highly successful corporate job of 7 years and moved across the country all in pursuit of the life she’d always dreamed of. You can find her living out her journey as she documents her latest adventures on her blog, www.healthfulpursuit.com.

 

Connect with Leanne…

Facebook: healthfulpursuit
Twitter: @be_healthful

 

Positive affirmation for the day: I am patient while my dreams come true.

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