Drinks for Diabetics – Try Fruit Infused Water
Are you getting enough water in your diet? At least your eight glasses a day? We all know that nothing beats a tall glass of ice water on a hot summer day, but even the most water-happy drinker gets a little bored now and then.
If you are looking for some ways to excite nature’s best thirst quencher, look to the garden and farmer's markets for some fresh fruit. Fruit infused water has many benefits in addition to a great taste.
Fruit infused drinks may help detox your body or boost metabolism, and you cannot go wrong with some cold fruit infused water.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and review some great recipes to try.
Tips for Preparing Your Drink
Here are six tips to keep in mind when preparing your drink:
Thoroughly Clean Your Fruit Before Use
You never know how many people touched those before they came into your contact. Whether you peel or not is up to you.
The Recipes Are Just a Guideline
We are listing the ingredients, but you will need to work with quantities until you get a taste that you enjoy. More fruit = more taste. Citrus fruits tend to be stronger so less is okay and they also tend to flavor your water quicker.
In general, letting your fruit infuse in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before drinking will produce the best taste. However, some people really like the taste and look of the fruit directly in the glass. The combinations are endless, and the display is up to you.
Drink the Water Within 24 Hours
If you don’t drink it in 24 hours, the taste tends to get too strong and the fruit becomes mushy. I suggest reusing the fruit and add more water in that time period, but the taste may lessen as you continue to do so.
You Could Eat the Fruit Afterward
This is optional. Depending on the fruit you use, you could eat it after you've finished your drink, but honestly, I don’t recommend it as it’s really not very tasty.
Try Making Fruit Ice Cubes First
Just put some fruit pieces into the trays then fill with water and freeze. These will give you a lesser taste of fruit as you get started. As a bonus, they look really pretty in your glass.
Don't Have Mint? Use Peppermint Oil Instead
I always forget to buy mint leaves, so I substitute mint with a drop of peppermint essential oil instead.
Fruit Infused Water Recipes
The recipes below are typically good for flushing toxins from your body and help improve skin tone. Some of the fruits have additional benefits, and we will note those below.
Clean Eating and Detox
- Strawberries, lime (or lemon) and fresh mint. Mint is especially useful for helping with skin tone and digestion.
- Watermelon, cucumber, and mint. Watermelon and cucumber are excellent sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
- Mint, strawberries, and watermelon. Not only makes a beautiful presentation but is a very tasty detox. Kids seem to especially like this combination.
Appetite & Blood Sugar Support
- Cucumber, strawberries, and kiwi. Kiwi has some amazing health benefits. In addition to curbing appetite, kiwi is very high in vitamin C, so it’s fabulous for immune support. It’s also very high in antioxidants. This is helpful for clear skin and anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Cucumber, lemon, and lime. In addition to the above, cucumber also helps to aid digestion.
- Ginger, cucumber, and lemon. Ginger is helpful with any digestion issues and helps provide that appetite support keep the snacking at bay.
- Lemon, lime, and green tea. Work well together for a great taste and health benefits.
Lower Blood Pressure
In addition to a lower salt diet, these combinations of fruit infused water can also be helpful in lowering blood pressure. Though some of these are not fruits you normally might eat, they are excellent as far as taste goes.
- Kiwi, guava, and passion fruit. Guavas improve the sodium and potassium balance of the body, thereby regulating blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
- Pomegranate, cherry, and kiwi. Pomegranates have amazing antioxidant benefits. Also, they are very heart-friendly and known to help lower cancer risks. You do have to be careful though as they can affect some medications like grapefruit does so be sure to double-check this one with your doctor. Additionally, beware when using as the juice can stain fingers, clothes and even your countertops.
Metabolism Boosting
I always feel like whatever I’m doing is never enough to keep my metabolism hopping. Here’s a way to help boost your metabolism and get your daily water in at the same time.
Bonus tip: Guava fruit is also known to be a metabolism booster so adding it to any of the below combinations can give your metabolism an extra boost.
- Green tea, mint, and lime. Green tea has a lot of weight loss benefits, and metabolism boosting is one of them.
- Cinnamon, green tea, and strawberries. A tasty, healthy combination.
- Mint and lemon. Besides aiding in digestion, mint, and lemon together is perfect for a metabolism pick me up.
Immune Boosting and Digestion
- Anything with ginger in it will typically help with digestion. The citrus fruits are all great for immune boosting qualities.
- Lime, orange, and lemon. This combination is fantastic for immune defense and lemon is also good to aid in digestion and heartburn prevention.
- Pear, ginger, and a cinnamon stick. Not only is this very pretty in your glass but cinnamon is a great metabolism booster. It’s also known to help with blood sugar control.
Next time you are reaching for a can of soda, try making some fruit infused water instead. Your body will thank you for it. If you have a great recipe we missed here, please share it with us.