Did you know that drinking water is good for your heart and your teeth? Each sip cleans your mouth and helps wash away particles of food and other debris that could otherwise nourish oral bacteria, the American Dental Association reports.
What’s more, in a six-year study of more than 20,000 people, those who drank five or more glasses of H2O daily had half the risk of developing fatal heart disease than those who swigged two or fewer glasses a day, even when other risk factors were taken into account.
Infused water is an easy, delicious and calorie-free way to get the hydration you need for optimal heart and oral health. For maximum flavor, slice fruit thinly and tear or crush fresh herbs to release their zesty oils, then add cold or room temperature water. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight), then enjoy. Here are 10 tasty combinations of fruit, herbs and spices to try.
- Cucumber-strawberry-mint water.
- Lemon-raspberry-rosemary water (use whole raspberries).
- Lime-ginger root water.
- Orange-blueberry-basil water.
- Pineapple-kiwi-honeydew melon water
- Green apple-plum-cinnamon water (use one cinnamon stick)
- Pear-pomegranate seed-clove water (use a few whole cloves)
- Strawberry-jalepeno pepper water (remove pepper seeds before infusing)
- Grapefruit-rosemary water
- Blueberry-orange water (use whole blueberries + sliced oranges)