Many people don’t drink enough water, especially in stressful everyday life. It is helpful to spice up the water a little. The solution: Flavoured water. With just a few simple steps, you can literally sweeten your drinking water. We show you which foods you can use to add flavour to your water. This article also explains how healthy flavoured water is and what you should bear in mind when drinking it.
Homemade flavoured water
The possibilities for homemade flavoured water are endless. Pick your favourite fruit or vegetables, spice it up with fresh herbs or spices or add some tea. To flavour the water as cheaply as possible, it is best to use regional and seasonal foods or use leftovers such as fruit peelings.
Try different combinations to find out which flavour of water you like best. At the end of this section, we give you some tasty combinations to try for the first time.
To ensure that as much flavour as possible is transferred from the food to the water, the cells must be broken up. For example, soft fruit can simply be mashed a little directly in the water. Firmer vegetables, on the other hand, should be cut into small pieces.
Then add all the ingredients to the water immediately and leave the mixture to infuse for one to two hours in the fridge (link to fridge landing page). This allows the water to absorb flavours and aromas. You can then filter the remaining pieces out of the water using a sieve.
Which and how many ingredients to use for flavoured water?
Which foods give water a particularly delicious flavour? And how many ingredients are required? You need about a handful of food to make one litre of flavoured water. Depending on your taste, it can of course be more or less.
Foods with different flavours can be combined particularly well. For example, a sweet raspberry together with spicy rosemary brings a special flavour to the water. If you prefer it less sweet, try refreshing, slightly spicy mint and sour lemon. A classic wintery variant of flavoured water is orange combined with cinnamon.
Tip: Place a freshly cut slice of lemon at the top of the glass. The odour automatically makes the water taste more fruity when you drink it.
Quick guide: Homemade flavoured water
- Use ingredients of your choice, for example:
- Fruit: Berries, apple, lemon, orange
- Vegetables: Cucumber, celery, fennel
- Herbs: Mint, basil, lavender, sage
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom
- Tea: Camomile tea, herbal tea
- Crush or cut up the food so that as much flavour as possible can get into the water.
- Delicious combinations for are, for example: Raspberry + rosemary, mint + lemon, cinnamon + orange
What is the shelf life of homemade flavoured water?
Once the ingredients added for flavour have been filtered out of the water, it can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three days. If you do not filter the added fruit and vegetables out of the water, you should drink the water on the same day.
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How healthy is it?
Whether flavoured water is healthy and how healthy is it depends on the ingredients. Homemade flavoured water tends to be healthier than industrially produced water.
Homemade flavoured water offers a number of advantages. Even if it is easier to reach for the ready mix. You can flavour your water to suit your taste and try out new combinations every time. It’s also cheaper to make yourself than to buy ready-made.
There are many different flavoured waters on offer in the supermarket. Industrially flavoured water often contains preservatives, flavourings and colourings. Sugar is also usually added.
If you make your own flavoured water, you can use fresh fruit and vegetables. Even if only a small proportion of the vitamins and minerals pass into the water, you still avoid the aforementioned ingredients. You can remove pesticides and germs by using organic food, washing it thoroughly and peeling it if necessary.
Quick guide: How healthy is flavoured water?
- Unlike industrially version, homemade flavoured water contains no preservatives, flavourings, colourings or added sugar.
- Minerals should only be added in consultation with a doctor if there is a deficiency.
- Flavoured water can be filtered and kept in the refrigerator for two to three days. You should drink it unfiltered within a day.
Enriching water with minerals and flavour
In addition to flavour, you can also enrich water with minerals. Minerals are not only essential for life, but also serve as flavour carriers in food and beverages.
Calcium makes your water slightly more bitter, sodium makes it salty and magnesium gives it a sweet to bitter flavour.
Both store-bought mineral water and tap water already contain minerals. You should only add additional minerals after consulting a doctor to avoid an overdose.
