From The Straits Times    |

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Image: Cover Media

At the centre of pretty much all healthy diets is water. We all know we should be drinking a decent amount of it each day, with guidelines suggesting women need around 1.6 litres a day and men 2 litres (that’s eight glasses for women and ten for guys). It’s important to keep on top of your intake to keep your body functioning well, and remember to up what you drink if it’s hot or you’re exercising a lot.

This is all well and good, but sometimes drinking water can seem like a chore. Adding cordial laden with sugar defeats the purpose of trying to be healthy, but there is another route you can take to give your drinks a bit of added zing – both for your taste buds and your body.

1. Lemon

Probably one of the best known ways to make a glass of water more interesting is adding some lemon. Many people have a mug of hot water with lemon in it first thing in the morning because it helps kickstart digestion and flushes away toxins. The fruit is high in vitamin C which is good for your immune system too, plus they balance pH levels in the body.

2. Mint

This can either be combined with the lemon or added on its own, depending on your preference. Just like lemon it’s good for digestion, and it can soothe things like indigestion and inflammation plus nausea and headaches. Mint is also a natural stimulant, so if you’re feeling sluggish or dreading the day ahead, it can give you a boost.

3. Ginger

If you have digestive discomfort, this is the one for you. You can either add some grated ginger to cold water or boil some of the root for a hot drink – but whichever you do, remember you only need a little bit to get full-on flavour! It’s great for queasiness and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Cinnamon and apple

Cinnamon has a plethora of health benefits; it’s thought to help with irritable bowel syndrome, blood sugar control and maintaining weight. Obviously you’ll only use a little bit to flavour water, but add some slices of apple and you’ll have a refreshing beverage which smells festive too.

5. Peppermint and grapefruit

A lesser-known combination, but this one is good if you want to get rid of bloating and clean out your kidneys. As an added bonus it can make your skin look clearer too. To make it, take two litres of water and add half a sliced lemon and lime, plus half a grapefruit in segments. Scoop in some chopped cucumber, a teaspoon of ginger and top with peppermint leaves.

© Cover Media