Healthy and hydrated: 5 Easy recipes for fruit infused water !

Staying hydrated during the summer is important, but let’s face it… water is just plain boring. Thankfully, my mom shared these recipes with me, which can add some life (and nutritional value) to my daily H2O. I think you guys will really enjoy trying these out, they’re really tasty and by the end of the day, you won’t believe how much water you actually drank! Here’s to an easy and delicious way to stay hydrated this summer! Cheers!

1) The classic — Lemon and Cucumber:

Mix 10 cups of water in a pitcher with one cucumber and one lemon, thinly sliced and 1/4 cup of fresh finely chopped basil leaf and 1/3 of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

2) The granite — Strawberry and Lime or Raspberry and Lime

Mix 10 cups of water in a pitcher with 6 strawberries 0r 6 Raspberries and one thinly sliced lime and 12 finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

3) The digestive — Fennel and Citrus

First, infuse 1 to 3 grams of dried and crushed fennel in 150 ml of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool.
Mix 10 cups of water in a pitcher, add lemon juice (put the leftover lemon in the mix) and a small thinly sliced orange and 12 fresh chopped mint leaves and the infusion of fennel seeds. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

4) The antioxidant — Blackberry and Sage

Mix 10 cups of water in a pitcher with 1 cup of blackberries that have been very slightly crushed and 3-4 sage leaves. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

5) The tropical — Watermelon and Rosemary

Mix 10 cups of water in a pitcher with 1 cup of watermelon cut into cubes and 2 rosemary stems. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

If you use any of these recipes to make your own fruit infused waters this summer, or if you created your own flavors, let us know by sending a picture on Twitter or Instagram ! Enjoy!

Drinking Water Keeps You Young

Drinking plenty of water is great for your skin. If you don't drink enough water, you'll suffer from dry skin, and you'll be likely to use more creams and lotions to moisturize. However, creams and lotions don't strike at the root of the problem. Drinking plenty of water keeps your skin moisturized and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

If you don't drink enough water, your body will try to retain it in order to conserve resources. This retention makes your skin puffy and can even lead to bloating.

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Cool Ice Cube Flavors !

Try out these cubes to freshen up your next summer drink:

Steep mint leaves in hot water for 5 to 7 minutes, then strain and let cool. Place fresh mint leaves in a tray and fill with the strained liquid.

Boost your energy in a jiffy! Add a pinch of instant coffee or espresso to each section of a tray, then top with milk and stir until dissolved.

Dissolve one part honey in three parts hot water. Let cool, then pour into a tray.

Fill a tray a third of the way with quick-hardening chocolate topping such as Magic Shell (or caramel) and freeze. Top with a layer of milk and freeze again. Finish with a layer of chocolate milk and freeze one more time.

Source from: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/

Get your Infuser Water Bottle  ! ♥

   Visit our website: Hi-drate H2O !

Like us on Facebook: Hi-drate H2O

  Follow us on Twitter: @HIDRATEH2O

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Benefits of Quinoa: The Supergrain of the Future !

A 100g serving of quinoa provides:

368 calories	14g protein	6g fat	64g carbohydrate	7g fibre

1. Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat. It is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids.

2. Quinoa contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains. Fiber is most widely known to relieve constipation. It also helps to prevent heart disease by reducing high blood pressure and diabetes. Fiber lowers cholesterol and glucose levels, may lower your risk of developing hemorrhoids and may help you to lose weight as it takes a longer time to chew than does other foods because it makes you feel fuller for longer and is less “energy dense” which means it has fewer calories for the same volume of food.

3. Quinoa contains Iron. Iron helps keep our red blood cells healthy and is the basis of hemoglobin formation. Iron carries oxygen from one cell to another and supplies oxygen to our muscles to aid in their contraction. Iron also increases brain function because the brain takes in about 20% of our blood oxygen. There are many benefits of iron some more of which include neurotransmitter synthesis, regulation of body temperature, aids enzyme activity and energy metabolism.

4. Quinoa contains lysine. Lysine is mainly essential for tissue growth and repair.

Benefits of Almond Milk

1. It helps with weight management.

One cup of almond milk contains only 60 calories, as opposed to 146 calories in whole milk, 122 calories in 2 percent, 102 calories in 1 percent, and 86 calories in skim. It makes for a great substitute that will help you lose or maintain your current weight.

2. It keeps your heart healthy.

There’s no cholesterol or saturated fat in almond milk. It’s also low in sodium and high in healthy fats (such as omega fatty acids, typically found in fish), which helps to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.

3. It keeps your bones strong.

While it doesn’t offer as much calcium as cow’s milk, almond milk does offer 30 percent of the recommended daily amount, as well as 25 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin D, reducing your risk for arthritis and osteoporosis and improving your immune function. Plus, these two nutrients work together to provide healthy bones and teeth formation.

4. It keeps your skin glowing.

Almond milk contains 50 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin E, which contains antioxidant properties essential to your skin’s health, such as protecting it against sun damage.

5. It barely impacts your blood sugar.

Almond milk (with no additives) is low in carbs, which means it won’t significantly increase your blood sugar levels, reducing your risk for diabetes. Because of its low glycemic index, your body will use the carbs as energy so the sugars aren’t stored as fat (score!).

Read full 11 benefits at: http://www.lifehack.org/