Fruit/Vegetable Infused Water Questions and Tips

Infused water is not for the benefit of fruit and veggies, it is to get the benefit of drinking more water. The infusion just adds a little flavor to the water to make it more "fun" to drink.

To get the benefit of fruits and veggies it is best to eat it in its whole form--peel included. That way you get the fiber and nutrients.

There are a whole bunch of sites with some great infused water ingredients. I love the citrus ones. Recently I did one with oranges and pineapple and loved it! The length of time you can save it depends on the fruit/veggie. Some sites give you a time frame and the number of times you can re-infuse the same fruit.

I started with a glass pitcher, now I have a large mason jar dispenser from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Happy infusing!

We found infuser pictures at Costco that work well. We infuse fruit more to have some flavor in all the water we drink more than we do it to get the health benefits of the fruit. It's also a great way to use up some of the fruit before it goes bad when we buy the big containers of it from Costco. To get the true health benefits of the fruit we just eat the fruit.
Putting a little splash of lemon in your water is good to help with water retention. We actually buy the bottles of lemon juice and just keep it in the refrigerator and just put a few drops in our glass when we want it.

H.-

If you are after the nutritional benefits, I think its best to simply eat the fruit, freezing, steeping, waiting a week etc seem all fated to diminish the returns in that regard. If the infused water makes it more palatable for you to consume water, by all means do so, but I don't think it is the best route to garnering the nutritional and health benefits of the fruit/ veg.

I will sometimes add a bit of honey or lemon to my water, but largely prefer it plain. A word of warning, don't let the cuccumber sit around too long, it will go bitter on you.

Best to you and yours as you work through your caffiene issues.
F. B.

I like to blend my fruit and veggies and make ice cubes from it. I then drop it into the water and not only does it chill it, it flavours it as well.
I make the ice cubes then put them in a freezer safe plastic container...they last a long time.
Also I will send you a private message with 2 products that I use all the time. They are fantastic because when I can't get great fruits and veggies (especially in the summer), it is nice to know i have a very healthy alternative.

B.

The only health benefit to infused water is that you are having less coffee or diet soda. There is virtually no increase in the vitamin content when you soak vegetables and then toss out the part that has all the fiber and vitamins! It's a pretty expensive way to get more water into your system. And, as you note, once you add vegetables (or fruits) to water, the water can go bad just as easily as the produce would on its own.

Also, when you say you are using your "favorite water bottle" - is that a plastic bottle? That's probably not a great idea either. And of course you have to clean it more thoroughly as well because it's going to get moldy from the vegetables/fruits.

You'd probably do better to make a smoothie in the morning or even at prime snack time, using whole fruits and vegetables in whatever combination you like. These can be filling as well as nutritious. You can also make any version of gazpacho with veggies that have started to soften, and you don't really need a precise recipe. I always make it with whatever I have on hand.

If you're trying to beat the cravings and find a substitute for caffeine in the coffee or soda, there is a healthy energy drink that is not based on stimulants but which is based on more food for the brain and increased blood flow for the brain. And of course, caffeine is dehydrating, so even if you replace it with plain water, you're hydrating yourself. There's also an excellent isotonic sports drink without all the sugar, sodium and dyes found in commercially available drinks (like Gatorade and Vitamin Water) that increase the absorption of water into the individual cells - you get the real benefit of hydration because you aren't just peeing it out.

I would think you could get much more benefit for your money and your time than doing what you're doing, actually!

Your Therapist, is having you replace, your coffee. With another beverage.
Hence the fruit infused water.
It is not for the nutrients.
It is to replace, the coffee. To substitute coffee with something else.
But the thought is that the fruit/veggie infused water, will be more... positive for you. Instead of the coffee/caffeine.
And infused water has more flavor. Since some people don't even like drinking straight water.

The thing is, you can infuse water with anything. Herbs, fruit, veggies.
There is no formula to it.
Just put in, what you find good and tasty so that you will, drink it.
You don't have to buy a whole big bunch, of fruits or veggies just to make infused water. It just takes, a little of each to make infused water.
AND you could also, drink Herbal or fruit, Teas. Too.
It has no caffeine.
And it is already... flavored. With fruits or herbs.
And it is easy and you don't have to buy a whole bunch of fresh fruits or veggies to make, it.

The best way to get the health and nutrient benefits, of fruits and veggies... is, just, to, eat, it. Eating it, whole.

I just put some ice in water and put in just enough lemon and/or lime juice so it can be barely tasted and drink that all day.
If you get bored with that, you can always give herbal tea (hot or cold) a try.

I can not say this enough, the green smoothie has so many health benefits.

Drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning everday will change your taste buds and work much faster than infused water which has no health benefits. The lemon helps to detox your system.

Author: Kimberly Snyder
Ingredients
• 1½-2 cups (360-480 ml) water
• ¾ pound (340 g) organic romaine lettuce, rough chopped, about 1 head
• ½ head large bunch or ¾ small bunch organic spinach
• 3-4 organic celery stalks, halved
• 1 organic apple, cored, seeded, quartered
• 1 organic pear, cored, seeded, quartered
• 1 organic banana, peeled
• ½ fresh organic lemon, peeled, seeded
• ⅓ bunch organic cilantro with stems (optional)
• ⅓ bunch organic parsley with stems (optional)
Instructions
1. Place water, romaine, spinach, celery, and optional ingredients, if using, into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 8.
4. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Stop machine and remove lid.
5. Add apple, pear, banana and lemon to the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
6. Select Variable 1.
7. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
8. Blend for 30 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 7½ c (1.8 l)

Drinking the Glowing Green Smoothie (#GGS) is a great way to incorporate tremendous amounts of greens into your diet – far more than just eating your veggies. A serving of the GGS contains over 3 cups of dark leafy green vegetables, which is more than many people get in a week! Greens have more valuable nutrients than any other food group on the planet. You might be surprised to learn that greens even have high-quality, easily-assimilated amino acids – enough to build the protein that supports the muscle mass of the mighty, greens-eating gorilla, which pound-for-pound is the strongest animal on earth! Blending helps make greens’ full spectrum of nutrition readily available to the body. Nutrients are encased inside plant cells and getting their benefits requires these cells’ walls to be ruptured. Greens need to be worked down to a creamy consistency, but most people simply don’t chew that much! Blending addresses this problem, helping your body absorb the maximum amount of nutrition from your greens. This is the drink that I drink every day, and have all my clients drink to feel and look their best. I hope that it will become part of your daily life as well. I generally recommend starting out consuming around 16 ounces of the Glowing Green Smoothie, and then working up to 24 ounces or more. A Vitamix blender is definitely recommended to make this smoothie, so that it’s smooth, silky, and delicious in only a few minutes of prep time and

Take a half a bunch of fresh mint, remove most of the stems, pinch it a bit in your fingers, and drop it into a pitcher with a lid. Fill the pitcher with filtered water, screw on or clamp the lid, and keep the pitcher in the fridge. It isn't a strong taste, like juice, but it's light and refreshing--much more interesting than plain water! Just keep refilling the pitcher as you consume the water.

Change the mint when the leaves start to turn dark at the edges. It generally lasts for several days in the water, so a single bunch of mint will last about a week.

Infused water doesn't have a significantly higher nutritional value than plain water - so do it for the taste, not the vitamins and minerals. That said - the larger the pitcher, the better. Do you have any big plastic pitchers? Glass iced tea jars? If not - try a local thrift shop; I frequently see big glass jars for a dollar or two.

Put your frozen or fresh veggies/fruit in the water with some ice and let it sit on your counter for a day or two. Then simply pour into whatever glass you drink from whenever you're thirsty.

My personal favorites are cucumber and mint, lemon by itself, any citrus fruit, or watermelon cubes and mint.

I don't have good answers on the freezing, etc. But I often make a pitcher of water with strawberries, cucumber, and mint- awesome. Good luck!