Infused Water

There’s a lot of buzz out there over infused waters and teas. 

Just a few weekends ago a good friend of mine brought an infused tea to a picnic gathering, her cousin asked her, “Is infusing my water something I should be doing? Is it super good for you or something?”

Her answer to her was, “No better than eating the fruits, herbs, veggies etc, and then just drinking the water.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I think infused teas and waters are great, but they’re not magical. Sure, putting a few slices of lemon or orange into water gives you more vitamin C than plain water, but lets not forget that you could just eat the fruit in the first place and also get the vitamins along with some fiber (although I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to eat straight lemons). So I guess you could say that for certain fruits (like lemons and limes), or certain herbs/spices (like mint or ginger) infusing them into your water or tea may provide benefits simply because you might not be consuming them otherwise. But for the most part, the big benefits of infused waters and teas are the following in my book:

• It increases your consumption of water, particularly for people that say they “don’t like the taste of water” or that “water has no flavor.” These people are usually not getting in the recommended 8-10 cups of water per day, so by infusing their water and making it more appealing to them, they have a better chance of meeting their hydration needs.

• In many cases, when people don’t like drinking water, they turn to less desirable beverage options such as soda or juice, which generally have little nutrition to offer besides calories from sugar (the exception here would be if you are “juicing” fruits and vegetables yourself with a powerful juicer). Even diet beverages, though devoid of calories, really aren’t the type of hydration that our bodies are seeking. Now, there is a whole lot of controversy out there even among the experts, as to whether or not artificial sweeteners are “bad for you” but here’s what the science has told us thus far consumers can safely enjoy the artificial sweeteners for sale in the U.S. But aside from the fact that there is no research to suggest that they’re harmful, there are other downsides to consuming artificial sweeteners. Namely, it has been shown that the consumption of artificial sweeteners can make you crave sugary foods and thus increase caloric intake from simple sugars. I usually explain it to people like this - the diet soda you’re drinking is tricking your body. You’re giving it sweet taste without sweet calories, and in some people, that can make you crave those sweet calories that your body thinks it should be getting. So, if you’re an avid diet soda drinker or if you are really into drinks like Crystal Light and have been wanting to cut back or quit, then infused water and/or tea might be a great switch for you to make.

- Renix Graham, III

"Water is the only drink for a wise man."  -Henry David Thoreau

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