Water, the Champagne of Life

As I am packing for retreat, a mental and physical detox at Sanoviv, I am setting the stage for gentle re-entry to this busy world in which I usually reside. Yesterday, my outdoor thermometer read 104º, so it’s time to say grace over the fact that today at the farm we have water despite these drought conditions. While away without distractions of regular life, it’s easy to drink plenty of water, but when I return and get back into the groove and this heat, I dry out fast….

We all know drinking at least 64 oz of water everyday provides the most fundamentally necessary element of life– but sometimes water is hard to choose (especially when Diet Coke or Juice is convenient and tempting.)

Here’s a tasty trick:

Make your water TASTE GREAT, with fluoride, chlorine and ??? in treated municipal water supplies, an unwelcome taste frequently accompanies water.  Pure water has no taste.  When you want some flavor with your water, consider…..Cranberry Water! A cooling, slightly sweet/tart, thirst quenching drink, Cranberry Water has high levels of antioxidants and numerous health benefits. Cranberry Water is also very low calorie and low-glycemic as the Cranberry juice you will be using is unsweetened, Stevia will sweeten it nicely.

Cranberries are considered a “functional food”, meaning they provide natural health benefits far beyond basic nutrition.

What are Cranberries good for?
• Detoxifier – helps keep the liver’s detoxification pathways open
• Digestive Aid and helps remove fat deposits remaining in your lymphatic system. MAY even help Cellulite ☺ Reason enough to drink 64 oz per day!
• Cholesterol Zapper – Cranberries contain flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds – which help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol – the “BAD” cholesterol.
• Natural defense against atherosclerosis and heart disease
• Help prevent bladder infections by stopping the bacteria, E. Coli from sticking to the lining of the bladder.
• Minimize bad breath by preventing bacteria from gathering on the surface of your teeth

What do you need to make Cranberry Water?
• Water Bottle. I like the Camelbak’s Better Bottles because they are BPA-free and I don’t have to unscrew a lid for each sip. Stainless steel is also a BPA-free option. Avoid aluminum as they are often lined with BPA and pose the same risks as polycarbonate bottles. If your water bottle has a “7” inside the recycling symbol, it’s likely made with BPA polycarbonate. While I could do a whole post on BPA, suffice it to say it is a potent endocrine disruptor that is known to mimic estrogen, and it has been shown to increase insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and heart disease.
• Filtered Water – filter your own, buy spring water or try to use brands that use reverse osmosis and carbon filtration and are packaged in non-BPA materials. Camelbak’s new bottle The Groove has it’s own filtration system.
• Pure, UNSWEETENED Cranberry Juice. (I.e. Mountain Sun or Knudsen’s Concentrate from Whole Foods, Central Market, Sunflower or other organically minded food outlets)
• Liquid Stevia (i.e. Sweet Leaf). Stevia is a natural sweetener made from the herb Stevia rebaudiana and contains no calories or carbs. Liquid Stevia has no bitter after taste in cool drinks. Also, NuStevia by NuNaturals has a Packet version that is non-bitter as well.
How do you make Cranberry Water? (32 oz)
• Fill your Water Bottle with 28 oz of filtered, cold water

• Add 2-4 oz of Unsweetened Cranberry Juice, depending on your taste preference.
And voila! You have a GREAT drink that tastes like a treat ☺ Drink up to 64 ounces per • .day (8 oz of unsweetened Cranberry Juice).

Add 4-10 drops of Stevia, depending how sweet or tart you like your drink and how much cranberry juice you use

Options: Add 2 oz freshly squeezed lemon or lime-juice instead of Cranberry Juice, add your stevia to taste, and you have another flavorful version of water.   They too have additional Health Benefits, are low calorie, low-glycemic and taste great!

Now off to print that boarding pass.  Baja, here I come.  Can hardly wait to hear those lovely crashing waves of water outside my room.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

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