Sip up, slim down
You know that soda is terrible for you, even the diet stuff. And hydrating with coffee leaves you as jittery as Steve Buscemi (though you are finally logging those 10,000 daily steps—even if a quarter of them are for bathroom sprints). But drinking plain water all the time is like eating the same lettuce and chicken salad for three squares a day: It's healthy, but it’s also boring. (Repeat after us: No more dieting. Ever. Instead, learn how to eat clean—with zero deprivation!—and watch the pounds drop off, with Your Metabolism Makeover!)
No wonder flavored waters have invaded your grocery store. While most commercial brands are nothing more than food coloring, sugar, and chemicals, you can jazz up an entire pitcher of water at home naturally with just a few ingredients. All you need is fruit and fresh herbs. Given water’s many benefits—it can prevent headaches, boost brainpower, improve your mood, and even help you lose weight—these recipes will help you stay healthy and hydrated all summer long.
Just so you know: Each of these recipes makes 2 quarts. Unless noted otherwise, top the ingredients with 6 cups ice, fill the jar with water, and stir, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavors infuse.
Click here to download Prevention’s original bloat-beatingSassy Waterrecipe.
Sweet-Tart
Stir together 2 cups pineapple chunks, 1 cup pitted and halved fresh cherries, and three cored and thinly sliced granny smith apples.
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Strawberry Basil Blast
Scrunch 8 fresh basil leaves to release their flavor. Combine them with 3 cups halved strawberries, and gently muddle with a wooden spoon or spatula.
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Apples And Cinnamon
Combine five cored and thinly sliced apples (your favorite variety) with five whole cinnamon sticks.
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Slightly Spicy
Stir together two thinly sliced cucumbers and two seeded and sliced jalapeño peppers.
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Grape Melon Medley
Stir together 4 cups cantaloupe chunks and 2 cups halved grapes.
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Peach Pie
Gently crush two vanilla beans with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir them into six pitted and sliced peaches.
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Melon-Lime
Muddle three thinly sliced limes. Combine them with 4 cups honeydew melon chunks.
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Cherries Jubilee
Combine 2 cups pitted and halved fresh cherries, three thinly sliced lemons, and two vanilla beans. Gently muddle with a wooden spoon or spatula.
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Pear-fect Ginger
Stir together five cored and sliced pears and 10 thin slices fresh ginger.
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Rosemary Refresher
Scrunch four rosemary sprigs to release their flavor. Combine them with 6 cups watermelon chunks.
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Mango Mojito
Scrunch six mint sprigs to release their flavor. Combine them with 3 cups cubed mango (fresh or frozen) and two thinly sliced limes; gently muddle with a wooden spoon or spatula.
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Vanilla Latte
Gently crush two vanilla beans with a wooden spoon or spatula. Combine them with 2 cups whole coffee beans.
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Strawberry Kiwi Cooler
Combine 3 cups halved strawberries, three thinly sliced kiwis, and two thinly sliced lemons. Gently muddle all of the ingredients together.
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Plum Yum
Scrunch six fresh sage leaves to release flavor. Combine them with 10 pitted and quartered plums and two pitted and sliced peaches.
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Citrus Sensation
Combine two thinly sliced lemons, two thinly sliced limes, two thinly sliced grapefruits, and two thinly sliced oranges. Gently muddle with a wooden spoon or spatula.
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Raspberry Rosemary Zinger
Scrunch four sprigs rosemary. Combine them with 2 cups raspberries and six thinly sliced lemons, and muddle.
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Berry-licious
Combine 2 cups raspberries and 2 cups blackberries. Crush them gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.
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Cucumber Quencher
Scrunch six mint sprigs to release flavor. Combine them with two thinly sliced cucumbers and four thinly sliced limes.
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Pineapple Potion
Stir together 4 cups pineapple chunks and 10 slices fresh ginger.
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Tropical Twist
Stir together 2 cups pineapple chunks, 2 cups mango chunks (fresh or frozen), and one thinly sliced starfruit.
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Prickly Pear Lemonade
Gently muddle four thinly sliced Meyer lemons. Combine them with two sliced prickly pears (also called cactus pears).
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Sangria
Combine 4 cups halved grapes, three thinly sliced blood oranges, and two cored and sliced apples. Gently muddle.
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Fruit co*cktail
Stir together two cored and sliced peaches, two cored and sliced pears, 2 cups halved grapes, 1 cup pitted and halved cherries, and 1 cup pineapple chunks.
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Triple Threat
Combine three cored and sliced apples, three thinly sliced oranges, and 3 cups halved grapes. Gently muddle with a wooden spoon or spatula.
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Orangeberry
Gently muddle five thinly sliced oranges and 2 cups raspberries.
