What's the Deal with Infused Water?
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Growing up, I was always told to drink eight cups of water because about 60% of our bodies are made up of water. Water has many benefits, like boosting your immune system, helping regulate your body temperature and flushing toxins from your body. I try to drink as much water as possible, especially in hot weather, because dehydration can cause many problems, like headaches, dizziness, dry skin and muscle cramps.
Filtered water fountains around campus make it easy to stay hydrated. However, you can also get water from other sources, such as fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries; vegetables like spinach and beverages like milk, coffee and juices. I have also observed that many people want to drink more water but don’t enjoy the taste of it, so they drink infused water instead.
What is Infused Water?
Infused water is water that contains fruits, herbs or vegetables, which serve to add flavor.
"It’s main purpose is to help people drink more water and stay hydrated, although the water can absorb small amounts of nutrients like Vitamin C if you add lemons, limes or oranges,” Leslie Jefferson, a certified nutrition specialist at Giant in Lanham Maryland said.
Infused water is beneficial to people who don’t like the taste of regular water. It also helps people who are trying to avoid sweet drinks like juices and sodas because it doesn’t have any artificial flavoring, especially if it is made at home.
Another benefit of infused water is that it introduces people to different fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind, however, that when you eat whole fruits and vegetables, your body will utilize more nutrients and substances like fiber and electrolytes compared to it would if you just drank infused water. However, infused water is a great way to discover new fruits and vegetables that you may not have tried before.
Infused water has become more than just adding lemon to your water like most restaurants do; it is also a great way to incorporate different types of fruits into your diet, while also showing creativity by mixing different flavors together.
A helpful tip to remember when making the infused water is to wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
“If you don’t wash the fruit thoroughly before putting it in the water, it can introduce germs in the water,” senior dietetics student Darlyn Szczepanik said.
In terms of hydration, there is no extra benefit to consuming infused water over plain water. The end goal is for people to drink more water.
Senior dietetics student Malisa Nguyen said, “I don’t drink infused water but if it helps people drink more water, great.”
A hidden benefit of infused water is its appearance.
“[Infused] water is beautiful to look at, it is part of wellness, and if that’s what works for you [that’s] great,” Szczepanik said.
Adding beauty to your day in any way is always a good thing. If the sight and smell of cucumber and mint in water brightens up your day, then that alone is a great reason to add infused water to your diet.
