Quench your thirst.. the healthy way!

Much too often, soft drinks and sweetened teas are the culprit of adding tons of empty calories to our diets.  A list of soft drinks is available everywhere we go.  Walk into a deli, and chips and a drink are almost the ‘natural’ add-on to any sandwich.  Just say no!!  Just ordering a glass of water may get a little boring, so I came up with a few ideas to make it more appealing for you.

Here are 7 ways to increase your water intake without sacrificing the sweet kick you are craving!

1.  Iced cold water with a boost.  Order iced cold water – but with lemon or even lime wedges.  Adding lemonto your water will actually make your water easier to digest!  Or mix it up – add some cucumber slices to your water.  This will make it so refreshing on a hot summer day – much better than a sugary soft drink that would spike your sugar level and leave you feeling tired later.

2.  Sweeten water up naturally – with FRUIT!  This is one of my favorite ways to jazz up water.  Fill up a large pitcher with water and ice, then toss in crushed fresh fruit.  You can put in whatever you have in the house – raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, and/or mint.  Mix it up then let it sit in the fridge.  This will be an awesome treat for you when looking to hydrate later in the day.

3. Craving carbonation?  Fight the urge!  Instead of downing 97 calories in just one 8 oz Coke (and c’mon who really drinks just one), pour some seltzer or club soda over ice and add a few wedges of citrus fruit like lemon or lime.

4.  Ice it up with frozen fruit ice cubes!  Bonus!  This is an awesome idea for impressing party guests as well.  Fill an ice tray 1/3 full with water.  Then add chopped strawberries, blueberries, and chopped mint.  Fill the last third with water so the fruit is suspended in the water.  Freeze – and you will have a beautiful looking and tasting glass of water!

5.  Make a pitcher of iced green tea.  Green tea has amazing nutritional properties – one being weight loss!  Boil a few cups of water then steep some herbal green tea bags and let cool.  Add some honey or agave to sweeten instead of processed sugar.

6.  Spritz it up!  Add one part dessert wine to two parts sparkling mineral water for a great treat.

7.  Water when you wake.  It is great to drink a glass of room temperature water as soon as you wake in the morning.  This will hydrate you early in the day, start your metabolism, and flush out toxins in the body.

Why is it so important to break your soda habit?  Sodas are to blame for hundreds of empty calories in a single sitting.  If you think you are doing yourself a favor by drinking diet sodas, think again.  Diet sodas are actually associated with higher weight gain than regular sodas.  The reason?  Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that confuse your body to taste something sweet when it isn’t.  Your body, in turn, craves actual sweet foods – causing you to snack more later in the day.

Please add one of your favorite healthy ways to hydrate during the day in the comments section below!