I drink ridiculous amounts of water every day and always carry a bottle of water with me wherever I go. Swapping sugary juices and sodas for water will help you maintain a healthy balance of body fluids, flush out the waste and toxins out of your system and control your calorie intake. Infusing your water will make drinking it a lot more fun and tasty. Today, I have a cooling and refreshing idea for you guys: fresh mint, cucumber, and lime infused water.
Mint is a highly aromatic herb and it has been used for medicinal purposes for ages. I remember being little, whenever I had an upset stomach or got a cold, my grandma would make me drink a ton of mint tea. Every time I smell fresh mint now, I see myself sitting in my grandparents’ kitchen, drinking my tea, each sip making me feel nice and warm, while my grandma prepared her world-famous apple and cinnamon pancakes.
Mint is rich in antioxidants, it aids digestion and its smell alone can help fight the blues and fatigue as it’s a natural stimulant. When mixed with water, mint leaves add an extremely refreshing flavor. Of course, if you happen to be allergic to mint, try to avoid it.
Cucumbers are made up of water in 95%. Due to their mild diuretic property, cucumbers reduce cholesterol, control blood pressure and are amazing for your skin. To make this infused water I used organic cucumbers. Because I mostly use organic vegetables, I don’t have to worry about peeling them. If you don’t have or can’t find organic cucumbers, make sure you peel them before putting them in your water.
Another great thing about infused water is the fact that you can use as little, or as many ingredients as you wish. I used a whole bunch of mint leaves, one whole cucumber, one lime, about two cups of ice and two liters of filtered water. I mixed everything together and let it sit and “infuse” for some time in the fridge. It’s an absolute must-try during summer. It’s hydrating, cooling, refreshing and delicious.
I have to say that I had so much fun taking these pictures, it was actually quite relaxing. As a blogger, photography is definitely one of the most important aspects of my work, and I can’t tell you how great it feels to have taken so many great shots that it was difficult to pick the ones that I wanted to publish. Let me tell you that taking pictures in my yard was something else, natural light is definitely a way to go! Our precious, beautiful Sun, what would we do without it ;) .
If you liked this recipe, also check out my Watermelon-Cucumber and Mint Infused Water Recipe and Kiwi and Pineapple Infused Water Recipe.
23 Comments
Deasia Nichelle
July 26, 2014 at 3:29 pmI’m defiantly going to be trying this out, I need to get in the habit of drinking more water! I love the photography in this post. As a new blogger, this is something I struggle with so if you have any photography tips, or just blogging tips in general, I would greatly appreciate it! : )
xo, Nichelle
nichellexoxo.weebly.com
Paula
July 27, 2014 at 9:47 amThanks so much Nichelle! I’m planning to do an extensive post about photography very soon. In the mean time, if you have any questions, feel free to email me again ;) ;)
Jasmin Charlotte
July 26, 2014 at 3:42 pmI love some flavoured water, we have a couple of brita jugs and I like to have one full of plain water and one which has something a bit more exciting in it – loving lemon and limes lately :) x
Jasmin Charlotte
Paula
July 27, 2014 at 9:48 amAhh I love adding lemon to my water!
Josie
July 26, 2014 at 4:14 pmThis looks so tasty and refreshing! I keep reading about infused water, must give it a try one day because my addiction to fizzy drinks is terrible x
Paula
July 27, 2014 at 9:50 amGive it a try, you won’t regret it! ;) You can even use sparkling water and add some fruit to it, that way you’d still get the fun fizzy effect, but without all the unnatural sugar ;)
Marlen
July 26, 2014 at 5:27 pmive been seeing recipes like this popping out all over the blogosphere, i’m loving it! it makes drinking water so much easier because it’s so tasty. i’m definitely bookmarking yours too :)
xo marlen
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Paula
July 27, 2014 at 9:51 amThanks so much Marlen <3
Melissa
July 27, 2014 at 7:27 amOh I never tried this before but it does look really good! I think I have to try it now, haha :) Love the beautiful photos by the way! ;)
Paula
July 27, 2014 at 9:51 amThanks so much Melissa, so glad you liked the pictures <3!
gail
July 27, 2014 at 10:31 amI would love to have such a healthy drink all day long instead of just plain drinking water even though it is the best miracle medicine right? :)
Christel
July 27, 2014 at 9:34 pmI drink a jar of infused water every morning, it helps with my digestion and also with my water intake throughout the day. I love cucumber infused water, I also add limes to it, it is so refreshing! lovely post Paula :)
floralconstellation.com
Paula
July 28, 2014 at 8:07 pmThanks Christel!
Cissy
July 27, 2014 at 10:40 pmMmmm looks very refreshing! Would love this on a picnic on a hot summers day
Have a great week!
xx Cissy
http://www.idreamofbunnies.com
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Paula
July 28, 2014 at 8:04 pmThanks Cissy x
Charlotte Rumsby
July 28, 2014 at 2:33 amTry brewing up a bit of Green tea with tonnes of ice and adding that in!! It tastes divine.. Gorgeous pictures as always.
Charlotte x
http://www.styleaked.blogspot.co.uk
Paula
July 28, 2014 at 8:03 pmSounds awesome, thanks for the idea!
BerryBloomXO
July 28, 2014 at 9:28 amI love it when pictures turn out fantastic and you feel like putting all of them on the blog – but know its not practical! haha!
I love the idea of Infused Water! I personally haven’t had much good experience with this but have yet to try out mint, it seems like an amazing ingredient to it and need to give it a go! <3
xoxo,
BerryBloomXO.com | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
Paula
July 28, 2014 at 8:03 pmIt’s the best feeling, isn’t it? :) Thanks so much Puja <3.
Sophie Sierra
July 28, 2014 at 11:58 amOh Paula the photography is absolutely AMAZE-ING! Beautiful, what a talent you really have! No wonder you felt chuffed with how the pictures turned out and couldn’t choose which shots to use, looking at these beautiful captures you definitely made the right choice, although saying that I bet the others you didn’t were just as gorgeous ;) I felt cool just looking at the lovely snaps, and reading this post :)
Infused water is such a great idea, I’ve never tried it but now am desperate to :) To say your mint, cucumber and lime infused water looks gorgeously refreshing and calming is a massive understatement ;) I’m the worst at drinking water, I used to drink lots when I worked in an office but now at home I’ve gotten so lazy with my fluid intake! Must take note from you Paula, it definitely is so important :D Always love how knowledgable and smart you are as always with so many facts, ideas and notes on health and the advantages to eating the right things (ever thought of being a Nutritionist Paula? You’d be wonderful!) I loved reading about your Grandma Paula, what a sweet memory to have and cherish <3 <3
Sophie xo
Paula
July 28, 2014 at 8:02 pmCan’t thank you enough Sophie for your kind words!
I really do drink a lot of water, I’m always, always thirsty, I only feel bad about all the plastic bottles I always leave wherever I go. We do recycle at home, but I still can’t help but to feel bad. I’ve tried lots of filtered bottles and mugs, but I didn’t like any of those. So glad you liked this post <3 Haha If I were to do it all over again, I'd definitely study nutrition. I took a few classes and loved it, unfortunately, I was always thought to follow my head, not my heart, so I ended up getting a different degree. By the time I realized that I should probably follow my instincts, it was too late. Oh well, you live and learn! ;)
Cherry
July 28, 2014 at 1:03 pmHi !
I just nominated you for a Liebster award :-)
http://thecherryboudoir.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/liebster-award/
belikealady
July 28, 2014 at 5:59 pmThe post made to make the same for my husband and i. The photos are beautiful. I love the good photos on the post, and they are the main reason i would stick to a blog and follow it. Read my latest post about skincare basics.
http://Www.tobelikealady.com