Our relationship with water is complicated. Some people love the taste of water as is, while others can’t stand it. We all know the importance of drinking water. It keeps us hydrated, flushes our organs, and helps regulate our body temperature. But because we don’t like the taste of water, we often find ourselves reaching for options that boast the benefits of water but are loaded with sugar.
In addition to having a laundry list of health benefits, drinking water also saves you money. And who doesn’t love that? By drinking the water from your faucet, you cut the costs of purchasing cases of bottled water, buying packs of soda, or jugs of juice. It also aids in cutting down on your daily sugar intake.
What if we told you that there’s a way to repair your relationship with water? There are two categories to learning to love water: changing the taste of water and changing how you think about water. Below, read our tips on how to enjoy the taste of water. They’ll have you drinking your recommended amount in no time.
Associate Water with Good Things
We all associate things with positive memories; it’s just how our brains work. Why not learn to love the taste of water by associating it with positive experiences, people, or food? If you’re working out, reward your progress by drinking an extra 8 ounces of water for every 15 minutes of working out you do. Reciting positive mantras to yourself such as, “I like the taste of water,” or “this water will energize me,” can also change your preferences for water.
Enhance the Flavor
The quickest and most common way to change your water outlook is to flavor it. And there’s plenty of ways to do so. Adding in flavor packets to your water is an excellent way to boost the flavor. Some of the flavor packets even change your water to favorites like raspberry lemonade or peach tea. But with flavor packets, the thing you have to monitor is the amount of sugar included.
A healthier and more customizable alternative to flavor packets is to flavor your water with your favorite fruits and vegetables naturally. A few favorite fruits include lemon, lime, mint, strawberries, cucumbers, oranges, and cherries. You can even simmer a cinnamon stick in water, then mix that concentrated with ice-cold water.
Filter Your Water
Another reason why you might not love the taste of water is that the tap water you drink in your home is hard. Hard water is defined as water that has high mineral content. The minerals and contaminants that it contains include chlorine, magnesium, and calcium, all of which give your water a funny taste and odor. Hard water is why your clean dishes have streaks or spots, why your clothes feel rough after a wash, and why your skin feels like it has a film on it even though you’re fresh from the shower.
The best way to love the taste of water is to install a water filtration system, preferably one that runs throughout the whole house. Residential filtration systems like the ones manufactured by Puronics and provided by The Science of Water are installed underneath your sink.
Remind Yourself of the Health Benefits
Reminding yourself why you’re doing something can help you stay on track with your goal, no matter how difficult. The top health benefits of drinking water are:
- Better mind function
- Reduce bloating
- Help you lose weight
- Increase metabolic rate
- Prevent kidney stones
- Clearer skin
An added benefit to remembering the health benefits is that it encourages you to switch up your eating habits. It may be slow to take at first, but soon you’ll notice a change in your food choices.
Sparkling Water
For those looking for a little fizz, sparkling water is an excellent alternative to soft drinks and a common way to boost your water intake. It’s often calorie-free and is called many different names, including club soda, soda water, seltzer water, and fizzy water. What makes sparkling water so popular is its carbonation, which is created by infusing water with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. Effervescent mineral water is also a favorite because it’s water with the added benefit of minerals.
Sparkling water is a perfect choice for people who don’t enjoy the taste of water because it often features hints of fruit juice or essence and tricks the brain into thinking they’re drinking soda. One detail to keep in mind, though, some carbonated waters may have added salt to improve their taste. So, before you start chugging, check the labels.
Drink Tea
Drinking tea is another way to flavor your water naturally, and yes, it counts toward your daily water intake! Herbal, fruit, green, white, and red teas are the best go-to options for cranking up the flavor in your otherwise standard water routine. Drinking tea is they contain little to no caffeine and are light enough to flavor your water, but not mask it entirely.
Switch to Only Water for a While
Juice and soft drinks are chockful of sugar, possibly making this the hardest way to learn to love water and drink it more. By switching to only water for some time, you give your taste receptors the chance to reset. As you continue to drink water, you’ll notice a decrease in cravings for sugary snacks and drinks and an increase in energy. Psychologically, drinking water can help you develop an appreciation for it and its taste. And later on, when you try to drink anything sweet, it will taste too sweet!
Make Soup
We know this one is a surprising entry on a list about water, but hear us out. Sipping hot soup is the best way to add a familiar, yet unconventional flavor profile, while still reaping the benefits of drinking water. Opting for low fat, low sodium water-based soups like consommé, vegetable soup, and bouillon count toward your daily water consumption requirements. The thin layer of seasoning and traces of stock leave the nutrients in the water unchanged but tastes great for those who aren’t huge fans of water but want to acquire the benefits.
The Science of Water: Rekindling Your Love for Water
Whether you’re looking to love the taste of water or want to have better water throughout your house, The Science of Water is at your service. Take our free water test to learn more about your water and its quality, and then let us use our 35+ years of experience to supply your home with the best quality water you’ve ever tasted.
To learn more about our water filtration systems and our other services, contact our team at the Science of Water.