Even on hot summer days when you sweat like a dog after 2 hours of frisbee, getting 8 glasses of water a day can still sometimes be quite a challenge.
Because, let’s face it, water isn’t the tastiest thing on earth. Or, to be exact, it doesn’t have a taste at all.
Since getting the required 2 or 3 liters of water solely from food is even more difficult, we’re left with not many choices but to improve the smell and flavor (or the lack thereof) of our water and make it more friendly to the taste bud.
Good news is, there are actually very simple ways to do it!
1. Add some fruit
Adding some juicy fruits definitely does wonder to the taste of your water. There’s the visual effect too: a pitcher of water looks a hundred percent more appealing with colorful pieces of fresh natural treats in it.
Slice up any of your favorite fruits and drop them into the glass/pitcher. Kiwi, strawberry, grapefruit, lemon, lime, passion fruit are the best. Non-tart stuff works perfectly too – I’ve tried fresh longan as an additive and it turned the bland liquid into a heavenly drink.
You can also add natural juices, which undoubtedly makes water taste even better and loaded with more vitamins. However, making a juice could be a bit more time consuming than simply chopping up the fruit, so it’s totally okay to opt for the lazy option. Plus, you can always finish up the fruit at the end.
2. Herb it up
If you for some reason don’t fancy the idea of fruits in your water, herbs can be quite an interesting alternative. Roughly mince some mint, rosemary, basil, or any herbs you like and sprinkle your water with it. I said roughly, because you don’t want green little pieces sticking on your teeth.
You can even leave the herb unminced, though the flavor will be a bit lesser.
For an even more exotic drinking experience (and a bunch of digestive benefits), use a slice of ginger root. It gives the water a warm, pleasant aroma and punches up the taste in a very interesting way – you may end up hating it, but you might also end up wondering how you have drank water all your life without it. Don’t overdo with this root though, or the tonic water may end up hurting your stomach.
3. Filter it
Sometimes the unpleasant taste of your water is not because of what it lacks, but because of what it has. And if you’re drinking from the tap, chances are your water has A LOT other than H2O in it.
If you notice yourself (and your kids and pets) unconsciously avoid drinking water, it’s time to check again if there’s a weird taste or an odor you don’t like but never noticed before. The unpleasant smell/flavor can come from traces of sulfur, iron, copper, fluoride, chlorine, or chloramine – these are most of the time in a safe level to consume, but they’re no truffle to your taste buds.
The ultimate solution is to install some kind of water filter in your kitchen. A quality faucet filter would do just fine to bring back the freshness of your drinking water. Or if you’re a purist, an RO undersink system, or better yet, several types of water filters combined, but those are usually more complicated and less friendly to the wallet.
4. Add minerals to make your water taste better
Pure water can taste a bit acidic at times, and it usually doesn’t hurt to alkalize it with a bit of healthy minerals.
A pinch of unprocessed/unrefined Himalayan crystal salt, or some mineral drops can lessen the tartness of your drink, leaving a “sweet”, more pleasant taste to it.
A less fuzzy way is to get a faucet filter with minerals add-back feature and place it right on your tap. They’re easy to install, and once they’re there, you can enjoy your fresh, tasty water for a whole month or two until it’s time to change the filter.
5. Fridge it
It could be that our taste buds become numb as we drink it, but for most people, water tastes much better cold than tepid.
Keeping your water in a fridge, or dropping some ice cubes to it can make water more drinkable. Or better yet, make juice/frozen fruit/coffee cubes to add both flavor and color to the otherwise boring liquid. You will find yourself drinking a lot more!
6. Drink your water in a nice glass
Why does the same food taste so much better at a fancy brunch place than in your kitchen? A lot of it has to do with the presentation of said food.
The same applies to water. While it technically won’t taste better in a more beautiful cup, the pleasant visual treat can elevate your desire to drink it.
Invest in a ritzy looking pitcher, a cute mug or a classy tall glass, it will make your drinking experience a lot swisher and more enjoyable!
7. Avoid fizzy/sweetened drinks
What does this have to do with boosting the savory of your water?
Sweetened and fizzy drinks are unhealthy for a start, but they’re also very delicious and addictive, as sugar is. And if your taste buds are used to the 30 gram of sugar in a Coke, they understandably will find pure water extremely bland and…unexciting.
Cutting sugar-loaded drinks cannot change the water, but it improves your perception of the healthy liquid, thus making it taste better.
If you’re heavily addicted to sweetened drinks and find it hard to fight against the crave, adding some honey into pure water is a great way to start. Gradually reduce the amount – your taste buds will adapt till the point you won’t even find cokes appealing anymore.