We all know that we need to be drinking a minimum of 64 oz of water everyday but sometimes it can be hard to get it down (especially when Diet Coke or Juice seems more appealing taste wise!) So how can you easily boost your water intake every day and ENJOY it?
By making your water taste GREAT..Cranberry Water! A cooling, slightly sweet/tart and thirst quenching drink, Cranberry Water has high levels of antioxidants and numerous health benefits. Cranberry Water is also very low calorie and very low-glycemic as the Cranberry juice you will be using is unsweetened (Stevia is used to sweeten your water). Cranberries are considered a “functional food”, meaning they provide natural health benefits far beyond basic nutrition. Drink 64 oz of this every day and you will feel GREAT and best of all, you won’t feel like you are forcing yourself to drink water.
What are Cranberries good for?
* Detoxifier helps keep the liver’s detoxification pathways open
* Digestive Aid and helps remove fat deposits remaining in your lymphatic system. MAY even help Cellulite Reason enough to drink 64 oz per day!
* Cholesterol Zapper – Cranberries contain flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds which help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol the “BAD” cholesterol.
* Natural defense against atherosclerosis and heart disease
* Help prevent bladder infections by stopping the bacteria, E. Coli from sticking to the lining of the bladder.
* Minimize bad breath by preventing bacteria from gathering on the surface of your tongue
What do you need to make Cranberry Water?
(Purchase from Whole Foods or other organic food stores).
* Water Bottle
* Filtered Water filter your own or try to use brands that use BOTH reverse osmosis and carbon filtration.
* Pure, UNSWEETENED Cranberry Juice. (I.e. Mountain Sun from Whole Foods.)
* Liquid Stevia (i.e. Sweet Leaf from Whole Foods). Stevia is a natural sweetener made from herbs and contains no calories or carbs and does not spike your blood sugar. Liquid Stevia has no bitter after taste. Also, NuStevia by NuNaturals has a Packet version that is non-bitter as well.
How do you make Cranberry Water? (32 oz)
* Fill your Water Bottle with 28 oz of filtered, cold water
* Add 8-10 drops of Stevia, depending how sweet or tart you like your drink
* Add 4 oz of Unsweetened Cranberry Juice (Only 30 calories)
And voila! You have a GREAT drink that will taste like a treat all day Drink up to 64 ounces per day (8 oz of unsweetened Cranberry Juice).
Options: Add 4 oz of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice instead of Cranberry Juice. They too have additional Health Benefits, are low calorie, low-glycemic and taste great
***Winter Variation of how to get your daily water intake in an enjoyable way: Buy 5-6 herbal teas and sip 5-6 cups every day. I constantly drink herbal tea to keep warm and keep my water intake up during the cold months. Green tea, Coconut White tea, Peppermint, Bengal Spice, Cinnamon and Gingerbread are all some of my favorite natural, non sugar hot teas. Visit your natural food store and go wild in the tea section.