Water. It’s the very basis of life – you can’t survive much longer than three days without it. A well-hydrated body is a happy body and if you don’t take in enough fluids, you’ll feel the consequences:

• Dry eyes, mouth and skin
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Slowed metabolism
• Irritability
• Lightheadedness
• Digestive upsets
• Increased hunger

Having said all that, it’s an unfortunate truth that drinking plain water day in, day out — while undeniably healthy — is, well, BORING. Yes, water is the best fluid for your body, and a crucial part of your weight-loss plan, but sometimes it’s hard to force another glass down. Luckily, there’s a cure for that: just add a little pizzazz in the form of fresh fruits, veggies or herbs to your drinking water to transform it from “ugh” to “mmmm.” There’s a reason infused-water is one of the hottest trends on the weight-loss and healthy living scene: it’s a tasty way to detox your body and turn your water into a true health beverage.

What is Infused Water?

The beauty of infused water is its healthy simplicity. You just add one or more types of fruits, vegetables or fresh herbs to a container of water and refrigerate. That’s it. As your pumped-up water chills, not only is the flavor of your added ingredients infusing into the water, so are crucial vitamins and flavonoids. In an hour or so, retrieve your infused water from the fridge and take a sip: ahh, a refreshing, healthy beverage that helps flush toxins from your body, perks you up and cuts the cravings for unhealthy sweets – all without calories, chemicals or artificial anything.

What are Some Great Recipes?

You can infuse water with just about any fresh produce you like. Some that work especially well are:

• Berries
• Citrus
• Watermelon
• Cucumber
• Fresh Mint
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Basil

Here are a few recipes to get you started. Remember, you’ll need to wash fresh produce thoroughly before infusing it, and cut any large pieces into chunks small enough to easily fit in the bottle or pitcher. If your favorite fruit isn’t in season, frozen fruit with no added sugar is another option. Infuse tap water or filtered; that’s up to you.

Morning Wakeup Call

Add sliced lemon, fresh mint and blueberries to your water, then refrigerate overnight and drink in the morning. A great way to flush out toxins, shake off sleepiness and rev up your metabolism.

Afternoon Refresher

Looking for a healthy alternative to soda or sugary energy drinks? Wow up your water with cucumber, fresh rosemary and a slice of orange.

Bedtime Soother

Encourage restorative sleep with water infused with lavender (used for centuries to encourage relaxation and sleep) and raspberries (full of antioxidants that help your body fight off inflammation while you slumber.)

Weight Blaster

Looking for an any-time-of-day refresher to help cut cravings and ramp up weight loss? Throughout the day, sip several glasses of strawberry, cilantro and honeydew-infused water.