Harper - Fruit Infused Water: 101 Recipes: Your Natural Vitamin Water

Fruit Infused

Water Recipes

By Liz Harper

101 Fruit Infused Water Recipes

Copyright Liz Harper, January 2014

First published 2014

Published by Liz Harper

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a database and retrieval system or transmitted in any form or any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the owner of copyright and the above publishers.

Original Photographs by Can Stock Photo Inc. / tannjuska

Disclaimer

This recipe book is in not a medical manual. The recipes and information provided within this book are to be used under guidance of a medical practitioner who can advise on health, eating habits and a diet that is best suited for your circumstances.

If you have any medical condition or are taking prescribed medicines please check with your doctor before consuming the drinks listed within this recipe book. It is best to make an informed choice with your doctor before making any changes to your diet. If you choose to use any of the recipes within this book you do so at your own risk and responsibility. The author has taken all due care when reproducing these recipes from her own personal recipe files.

Other Titles in the 101 Recipe Book Series 101 Smoothie Recipes Under 300 Calories

Coming Soon 101 Green Smoothie Recipes101 Slow Cooker Recipes under 300 Calories Introduction

We all know that we should be drinking 6-8 glasses of water every day to keep ourselves hydrated. This is sound advice, but why do we find it so hard to follow?

My partner and nephews could not stand the taste of water. They would moan that it lacked flavor and always preferred sugary sodas or fruit juices instead.

Sound familiar?

Well, this is where fruit infused water comes in and solves the problem. It not only tastes good, it is full of vitamins and allows us to easily make up our quota of 6-8 glasses a day without even having to think about it.

Unlike commercial vitamin water or fruit flavored water, fruit infused waters are not just concoctions of chemicals with some added sugar. The vitamin water and fruit flavored water might help you drink more, but they generally are full of extra calories which can very easily lead to weight gain.

Fruit infused water is now a part of my entire families lives. My nephews now love helping me create new fruit infused waters. They find it fun learning which fruits to combine and excitedly wait to taste the results. Now that they consume less sugary drinks and drink more water the results over the last year have been astonishing. They have longer attention spans, which is helping at school, they are generally much more well behaved and are not arguing between one another. (Well, maybe sometimes).

FACT: The American Heart Association state that children from 4 - 8 years old should not be consuming more than 3 teaspoons of added sugar a day. The average American child in this age range consumes a whopping 21 teaspoons a day! Its no wonder that there are more incidents of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder within children today.

Why Drink More Water?

Simply put, drinking water is the best beauty treatment you can give your body and the best energy source for your brain.

Drinking 68 glasses a day ensures you have supple skin, shiny hair and strong nails. When you are dehydrated, fine lines and wrinkles are much more pronounced in the skin and your hair can become dry.

Drinking plenty of water helps with concentration, overcoming fatigue and being more alert.

Also, the water in our body aids in digestion, circulation, transporting nutrients and maintaining an optimum body temperature. Water also helps flush toxins from your body. Keeping yourself hydrated is the best way of allowing your bodily to function properly.

OK, so you understand WHY you need to drink water. Now lets get into making it taste great.

How to Infuse your Water?

Those delightfully tasty flavored waters that we have all tried at the day spa or while we have been on holiday are so easy to make at home. Here's how you do it...

Use your own preference for filtered, bottled or tap water for these recipes.Ideally you want to use a BPA-free water container. I like using glass pitchers or mason jars for my fruit infusions.If you are using containers with no lid, it is important to cover the fruit with ice. This holds the fruit down and keeps the flavor in the water. Just like putting a lid on your teapot!Always remember to wash your fruit thoroughly and use organic fruits whenever you can. This decreases the chance of ingesting any contaminants or bacteria. If you cannot buy organic, then peel fruits wherever possible to minimize the risk.For best results it is always a good idea to use ripe, in-season, fresh fruit.If this is not possible, then frozen fruits can work just as well. It is preferable to use frozen fruit over fresh fruit which is out of season. This is because frozen fruit is usually picked when it is perfectly ripe and is snap frozen to lose no nutrients.Keep in mind that most vitamins are water soluble so these recipes are as good as Vitamin Water. To benefit from the fibre content you will need to eat the fruit.You can keep topping up these drinks with fresh water throughout the day as you drink them. Always ensure that the pitcher is still half full of water so it retains its original flavour.Fruit infusions with citrus can taste quite bitter if you keep the citrus fruits for more than a day. To overcome this, remove the peel from any citrus fruit.

These recipes can be used as a guide, some people may prefer the flavour to be stronger or more subtle. One great thing about reading this book on your Kindle is you can highlight and make notes. This book is written in a way that it easy to flick between each recipe and return to the main index of recipes at the front of the book.

Before every recipe you can read the combined health benefits for the fruits used in each infusion. I hope you enjoy my collection of fruit infused water recipes. I have thrown in some fruit/herb infused recipes as well as they were too good too leave out! :)

Kiwi, Lemon and Strawberry Water

A detoxifying drink rich in vitamin C. This infusion boosts the immune system, aids in digestion, weight loss and improving the appearance of the skin. It lowers stress, anxiety and has energising and anti-aging properties.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 liters

4 kiwis, peeled and thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 pint or 2 cups of strawberries, halved

Top with ice

Top with water

Directions:

Add the kiwi, lemon and strawberries to your water pitcher. Muddle gently with a wooden spoon. Top with ice and water. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

This drink will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or until the fruit turns bad. The peel from the lemon may turn this drink slightly bitter after being infused for over 24 hours.

You can keep refilling it several times with new water. To retain its original flavor, ensure that the pitcher is still half full of water when refilling.

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Cucumber, Lemon, Mint and Rosemary Water

An infusion that boosts memory and the immune system. It also aids in digestion, weight loss and is good for the hair, eyes and skin.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 liters

1 cucumber, thinly sliced (peeling is optional)

1 small lemon, thinly sliced

4 sprigs of fresh mint

2 sprigs of rosemary

Top with ice

Top with water

Directions:

Crush the rosemary and mint first before adding the remaining ingredients to your water pitcher. Muddle gently with a wooden spoon. Top with ice and water. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

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