Stay Hydrated This Summer with These Delicious & Refreshing Alcohol-free Drinks

We all know it’s important to stay hydrated, especially in the summertime, but drinking tons of water can get a bit dull. While the requisite lemon wedge is always nice, we’re often left wanting more. Let’s explore some ways you can jazz it up a bit and transform your water from hydration to libation.

Here’s a simple formula with some recipes to try:
MUDDLED FRUIT + HERBS + LIQUID BASE + CITRUS + OPTIONAL ADD-INS

MUDDLED FRUIT:

Soft fruits work best. A drink muddler is meant for this task (the kind they use to muddle fruit in glasses for mojitos), but you can also place fruit in a bowl and break it up with a fork or use a mortar and pestle to gently break apart fruit. These fruits are well-suited for the task:

• Berries
• Ripe nectarines or peaches coarsely chopped
• Pitted cherries
• Watermelon
• Melon

HERBS:

Here are a few of our favorite combinations – just chop coarsely and muddle with fruit before adding liquids.

• Mint + Watermelon
• Basil + Peach
• Rosemary + Grapefruit
• Sage + Blackberry
• Lemon verbena + ANYTHING!
• Cilantro + Lime + Honeydew

LIQUID BASE:

Go for color and flavor.

• Herbal Tea – We love hibiscus for its gorgeous color and rich flavor. Steep four bags in a cup of boiling water to increase the density of flavor.
• Green Tea – Everything from matcha to yerbé mate, it’s all good. Be sure to select caffeinated varieties as the health-promoting flavonoids are destroyed during the decaffeination process.
• Lemon Tea – Add the rind from a lemon to 2 cups of boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes then let sit to infuse.
• Ginger Tea – Peel and coarsely chop 2” piece of ginger and bring to a boil in two cups of water. Simmer for 5 minutes then let sit to infuse.

• CITRUS:

Squeeze in to finish and add some slices for visual impact.

• Lime
• Lemon
• Orange
• Grapefruit

ADD-INS:

• Splash of sparkling water – Everyone loves a little fizz!
• Cucumber – Nothing screams refreshing quite like cucumber! Just peel and process in a blender to purée. About 1/2 cucumber per drink works.
• Chia seed – Add chia seed to make a Chia Fresca! This seed holds more than 30x its weight in water and can help maintain hydration long after you have emptied your glass. Try adding 1 teaspoon to your glass and stir well. Let sit for 10 minutes before drinking.
• Stevia or a touch of honey for added sweetness

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Try these delicious recipes

• Cilantro-Lime Melon Cooler: honey dew + cilantro + matcha green tea + lime juice + cucumber
• Ultimate Aqua Fresca: strawberry + mint + hibiscus tea + lime + sparkling water
• Fuzzy Peach-Basil Chia Fresca: peach + basil + peach green tea + lemon + chia seed
• Blackberry-Sage Cooler: blackberries + sage leaf [just one will do] + berry green tea + sparkling water
• Citrus Rosemary Refresher – nectarine + rosemary [just a few leaves with stem for garnish] + green tea + grapefruit + cucumber

Feeling thirsty is a late sign that you’re dehydrated. Inadequate fluid intake can contribute to kidney stones, loss of cognitive function, constipation, and fatigue. Having a pre-filled water flask always on hand is one of the best ways to ensure adequate hydration, but even with the super sleek containers available today, most people still do not achieve adequate hydration. Enjoying a glass or two of one of these refreshing drinks can help you meet your daily hydration requirement of drinking 1/2 your weight in ounces.

Interested in more ideas on beverages and meals?
Check out our delicious meal plans.

The contents of this blog are intended for educational purposes only. The information presented here is not a substitute for proper medical attention, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider before starting or making any changes to an existing treatment plan, exercise program or dietary regimen, and before using nutritional supplements.