My, Aren’t You a Tall Drink of Water!

In my last post I mentioned drinking water with meals. I must admit, I’m a recent convert to the water with meals club. In fact, until a few months ago, I rarely drank water. Unsweet tea was my beverage of choice. It’s loaded with disease fighting phytochemicals, but unfortunately, it was staining my teeth and I wanted to reduce my caffeine intake. So, I decided to give the old switcheroo a try.

My problem was, I really disliked the taste of plain water (I would actually make a face after taking a sip – you know the one, the “eck” face). So I started out by adding natural flavors like lemon or lime wedges, making ice cubes out of 100% fruit juice (they’re so pretty and they add flavor as they melt), or adding just a splash of 100% juice. I got into the habit of drinking about 16 ounces with each meal and snack, and another 16 or more before, during and after my work out.

Over time, I stopped adding flavor, and now I love the taste of my plain, refreshing water (wow, I never thought I’d say that!). I prefer it to be closer to room temperature, but studies show that most people favor chilled H2O (about 40 degrees or fridge temp) and will drink more if it’s cool.

So, if you’re trying to become an agua enthusiast too, consider flavor and temperature, formulate a plan (like only ordering water when dining out, carrying a water bottle with you at all times, etc.), start with a schedule, and see how it goes. If you tend to forget to drink at all, set your cell phone or watch alarm to go off every few hours as a reminder, and take it just one day at a time. I still love my iced tea, but I finally fell for water, and so far, we’re getting along famously.

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