Summer is upon us, and that means afternoons with the kids outdoors enjoying the sun and fun. Unfortunately, when you’re having fun, children and adults often forget about keeping themselves well-hydrated. I know I’m guilty of this, and I have one child in particular, who does not like to drink water for hydration, so for the two of us I sometimes have to be a little crafty and liven things up. Here are 10 ways I make water more exciting to drink.
Our bodies are made up of 70% water, and it’s essential that we get enough water back into our systems. Without keeping ourselves and our families hydrated, serious consequences can occur (there was an awful article in the news just this morning about cutting off water supply as a form of punishment and what happens as a result). Thankfully, most of us are able to drink when we are thirsty, and even before we hit that point.
However, water is often considered ‘boring,’ particularly to children. It may be more trendy to be seen drinking water these days, but it’s still ‘just water.’ Fortunately, there are many ways that water’s taste and appearance can be livened up with little effort to make it more appealing. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
10 Ways To Make Water More Exciting To Drink
- Use a fancy glass; sometimes it’s all in the presentation. Thermal glasses are both pretty and functional and have become a family favourite.
- If you’re on the go a lot, invest in a fun and funky reusable water bottle to take with you.
- Pretty up your ice cubes – add pomegranate seeds, edible flowers, or sprigs of mint leaves to make them stand out. They’ll look beautiful in fresh, clear water.
- Add some fresh fruit slices to your water. This looks lovely, and also adds a hint of flavour to liven things up. My children enjoy strawberries, grapes, lemon, lime, raspberries, apples, and more.
- Water doesn’t always have to be served cold – my daughter is taking after her grandparents and likes to have a cup of hot ‘silver tea,’ as she calls it. Sometimes with a slice of lemon, and sometimes without.
- Add fresh herbs to your water. Mint from your window box, ginger root, lemongrass – or get creative mixing fruit and herbs together to find your favourite combination.
- Drink your water using a straw (reusable if possible). And for more fun, make a straw cozy like this or this.
- Make your own insulated water bottle cover – kids will love this!
- For an extra-special treat, add a little homemade cordial to your water.
- If the flavour of tap water is putting you off, then why not distill your own water!
We recently received a Megahome Distiller with a glass jug to try out and review, and I was curious how it would work, and if it would entice my son and I to drink more ‘plain’ water.
Where I grew up in Canada we had water that tasted and smelled of chlorine, which was used to treat the severe algae on the lake from which it was sourced. The water here in Northern Ireland is certainly quite nice as it is, but those memories still stay with me. Perhaps clearing the water with a distiller would also clear away my aversion.
The distiller only took about 5 minutes for me to set up
- Use a Philips head screwdriver to attach the handle
- Use some mild soapy water and a sponge to clean the interior
- Add a charcoal pouch inside the nozzle
- Add water – hot water will give you a faster outcome
- Plug the cords in and flip the switch
- Listen to the whirr of the fans, wait 5-6 hours, and you’ll have 4 litres of fresh water
The water is heated up, the steam captured and cooled, then passed through a charcoal filter before dripping down into a large glass jug. Once the water has finished dripping through, it’s ready to be used.
What was the verdict? My son had a glass, and even at room temperature, he said it was good. It doesn’t have any discernible taste, just light and refreshing.
All the ‘ugly’ stuff is left behind at the bottom of the distiller (just like your kettle). This will be cleaned out at the same time the filter is changed (about every 25 days if you run the distiller once a day), and then you’re good to go again.
Home distillation is so easy, and costs so much less than purchasing bottled water, which also means the purchase of all those single-use plastic bottles that are polluting our ecosystems. Our small town is on a mission to clean itself up, and we feel better about not adding any additional waste to the landfill that needn’t be there. Even the charcoal filter can be reused after it’s run its course in the distiller – use it in those old, funky gym shoes to absorb the unpleasant smells!
Put some fresh water in a jug in the fridge and it’ll be on-hand and ready to use at the drop of a hat. Now there’s no excuse not to become dehydrated with fresh, distilled water made to order at anytime of the day (or night, for those of us night owls).
If you’re interested in distilling your own water at home and want to find out more, hop over to Megahome, where you will find an array of distillers to suit your needs, as well as useful information and videos.
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