Make Your Water More Nutritious and Delicious!

Can water really be improved upon? Yes, it can – very much so! The main complaint I get from those who don’t drink much water, is they don’t like the taste. I find this ironic because water really doesn’t have a taste. Unfortunately, society has bombarded us with sugary flavored drinks that have caused our taste buds to dislike the very essence of life: pure water. Fortunately, there are ways to not only improve the taste of water, but also add nourishment!

See below for our recipes for natural, healthy and homemade kefir water, berry water, probiotic water plus a video on how to add nutrition to your daily water intake.

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The Vitamin Water Hoax

One of the biggest money makers right now in the beverage industry is vitamin water. It is touted as a nutritious drink that gives you all the vitamins you need. The truth is that most of these vitamin “waters” aren’t really waters at all. They are just hyped up sports drinks under the disguise of being water. Most contain a ton of sugar and synthetic vitamins. I recommend two healthy alternatives.

Coconut Water

This is the water contained inside of young coconuts. It’s gaining more and more popularity as a healthy sports drink alternative. I began drinking it several years back during my pregnancy. Its high potassium and magnesium levels helped my pregnancy induced tachycardia and restless legs. I also brought it to my son’s birth to drink after labor. I raved about it to my midwives and they now keep it on hand for new mothers instead of Gatorade! This is nature’s TRUE vitamin water! It contains nothing synthetic, just nature’s creation.

Homemade Vitamin Water

Making your own flavored waters is very easy to do and incredibly delicious. When you infuse your water with herbs and different fruit combinations, you are infusing it with natural vitamins and minerals. This is fantastic for those who hate the taste of plain water. Below are some of my most favorite homemade vitamin water recipes.

Note: Many people are making their vitamin water in a quart size mason jar. I use a larger sun tea jar. If you do this be sure and increase your ingredients. Anything glass works. Recipes are designed for 1-quart servings.

Cucumber, Lemon, and Mint Water

Probably the most popular homemade vitamin water combo is cucumber, lemon and mint. I like to mix it up a bit and use basil for a refreshing nutritious drink. Cucumber and lemon lend a great flavor, and also help detoxify the body! Mint soothes the stomach, as well. Directions:

1 quart fresh filtered water (not distilled)
2 chopped cucumbers
1 sliced lemon or lime
A few leaves of mint or basil (Don’t go overboard. Less is more with herbs.)

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Berry Berry Delicious Water!

I’m a huge berry fan, so this water has been my favorite. You can add several drops of stevia to sweeten it if you like, as it can be a tad tart. This tastes the closest to a natural Kool-Aid, so your kids will most likely enjoy it.

1 quart fresh filtered water (not distilled)
2 cups of organic mixed berries (you can use frozen)
1 sliced orange
2 hibiscus tea bags
Stevia to taste

Stress Busting Pineapple Water

This homemade vitamin water combines anti-inflammatory pineapple with Tulsi (or Holy Basil) which is known for it’s stress-reducing properties.

1 quart fresh filtered water (not distilled)
¼ of a pineapple cut into small triangles
4 bags of Tulsi tea

Place all your ingredients into your glass container and place into the fridge. The flavor is best after 6 hours, so I recommend making it in the morning. These recipes stay fresh for about 2 days.

Probiotic Water

One of the best ways now to get your daily dose of healthy probiotics is from water kefir! I even prefer water kefir to kombucha. Both contain a good amount of life giving bacteria, but water kefir has a much milder flavor. Kombucha can taste slightly vinegary. Water kefir has no vinegar taste. Plus, you can have delicious homemade water kefir in a matter of 2-4 days, whereas kombucha can take a couple of weeks.

Kids seem to really enjoy water kefir as well. Its fizziness lends itself to tasting more like soda. I actually call it our “pop.” Because my children don’t drink soda, they believe they are getting quite the treat! Drinking kefir water can help with your digestion, fight bacterial and fungal infections, improve your immune system, and improve your overall health and well-being! Making kefir water is more tedious than making vitamin water, I must admit. But, once you get into the process of making it and feeling its benefits, you will see that it is a nutritious drink well worth the process. And it literally costs only a few cents to make!

Here is a step-by-step instruction video on how to make water kefir at home over the course of a few days.

Water Kefir Recipe

The first thing you have to do is get a hold of some water kefir grains. Milk kefir grains will not work! Ask around to your friends first. With kefir’s growing popularity, one of your friends may know of someone looking to give away some of their grains. Otherwise, here are some great places to buy some grains from. Once you get started, you shouldn’t ever have to purchase grains again. They multiply rapidly and you’ll be giving them away to your friends! Buy your grains HERE. If you buy these, you will have to rehydrate them. Follow the directions on the package.

The 2 Step Fermentation Process

Making water kefir is a 2-step process. There are 2 separate ferments. One with the grains, and one after the grains are removed.

The First Fermentation

You will need a glass gallon jar. If using a quart, reduce by ¼. You will also need:

¾ gallon of fresh filtered water (not distilled)
¾ cup of rapadura or sucanat sugar
½ cup of kefir grains
½ eggshell or 4 drops of trace mineral (optional)

First, dissolve your sugar in about 2 cups of hot water in your jar. After it’s dissolved, add your remaining water. Let it cool to room temperature. Then add your grains. Hot water can kill your grains; so don’t put them in too early! Finally add a rinsed, free-range eggshell (not crushed, just a half) or 4 drops of trace minerals. The kefir grains thrive off the minerals from the eggshell or the drops. Cover the jar with a paper towel, cheesecloth, or cloth, and secure with a rubber band. Let it sit on the counter for 1-3 days until it is at your desired level of sweetness. The longer it sits, the less sweet it will be.

The Second Fermentation

Strain out your grains and toss out your eggshell. Store your grains in a glass container in a small amount of the liquid in your fridge for future use. We go through our water kefir so quickly that I typically start on another batch right away! Next, you start adding your flavoring! This is where you can get really creative! Some fun add-ins include:

1 cup of peach, grape or pomegranate juice
1 cup of real fruit like watermelon, strawberries or raspberries
6-10 slices of fresh ginger and 3 slices of lemon (this makes kefir ginger ale!)

The combinations are endless. Many of my friends are even adding herbs to the mix and making combinations like strawberry basil.

If you like to experiment with your food, you’ll love making water kefir. Once you have added your flavors, you can pour it into smaller jars or bottles. If your lid is metal, wrap the top in plastic wrap first. The metal can interrupt the fermentation. For extra fizz, a bottle work best. I have used old champagne and wine bottles. Many people are using Grolsch beer bottles, as well.

Allow the bottles to sit out for another 24 – 48 hours to continue fermentation and produce natural carbonation. If using a bottle, be sure to leave an inch or so at the top so it has room to expand. Don’t let it go beyond 48 hours on your counter or it could explode!

Put it into the fridge and drink at your leisure. It will continue to ferment, but at a much slower rate. Drink the water kefir within a week. Wait much longer and it will start turning into alcohol!

Making your own water beverages can be fun and delicious. Water kefir is one of the best nutritious drinks to get beneficial bacteria without having to consume a dairy product. Remember, these healthy bacteria strains build your immune system and combat many stomach and intestinal issues. It is the only “soda” that is truly healthy!

There is truly no such thing as plain ol’ boring water anymore! Making homemade vitamin water can improve your health in a very tasty way with these easy recipes! You really can improve your water, from coconut water and berry water to probiotic kefir water!

Cheers to tasty, delicious water and healthy hydration!