By Melanie Pearsall RD, LDN, CDE
Sr. Clinical Nutritionist

Water is the healthiest drink for people of all ages. Drinking enough water is an important part of helping your body “detoxify,” and even mild dehydration can cause problems with concentration.  Americans tend to drink a lot of beverages other then water. Many of these drinks have a lot of added sugars and fat’s which are high in calories and cause weight gain. But the one thing these beverages have is flavor!   Many people know it’s important to drink water and stay hydrated but hate to drink “plain” water. Here are some suggestions to help even the pickiest water drinker succeed:

• Flavor your water with orange or lemon slices, cucumber slices, berries or fresh herbs like mint or basil
• Try flavored or plain seltzer waters! Sometimes that added fizz is enough to tickle your taste buds.
• Herbal teas are a great way to flavor water. I often add an herbal tea bag to my cold water bottle and let it steep slowly, flavoring the water. Tea also provides an extra health benefit from anti-oxidants.
• Add small amounts of sugar free type flavorings like Crystal Light to your water. I suggest people start off with just enough to add some flavor but without making it overly sweet.
• Buy a water purifier for your home or individual bottle. This can make the water taste clean and refreshing as it removes some of the impurities that cause an aftertaste
• If you like to drink pre-flavored water just double check the label to make sure it is low calorie (fewer than 10 calories per serving)

Article originally appeared in Summer 2013 DiabetesViews