7 Ways to Make Water Taste Better

1. Add fresh fruit. Citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, & oranges, are classic water enhancers, but other fruit flavors might also tempt your taste buds. Try crushing fresh raspberries or watermelon into your water, or adding strawberry slices. Cucumber & fresh mint are refreshing flavors as well — especially in summer.

2. Use juice. Any fruit juice can be a good base flavor for water, but tart juices, like cranberry, pomegranate, grape, & apple, are especially delicious. Go for juices that are all natural, with no added sugars. & remember: Fruits & their juices don't just taste good — they contain vitamins & antioxidants that can benefit your health too.

3. Make it bubbly. Many people prefer sparkling to still water. If plain old water is not inspiring to you, try a naturally effervescent mineral water — which will give you the added benefit of minerals. Or try bubbly seltzer, a carbonated water. You can add fresh fruit or natural juice flavors to your seltzer, as suggested above, or look for naturally flavored seltzers at your local market. If you become a seltzer devotee, you might want to consider getting a seltzer maker for your home.

4. Get creative with ice. Some say that ice water tastes better than water served at room temperature. If that's so, flavored ice cubes may make an even better drink. Use some of the flavoring suggestions above & start experimenting with fresh fruit, mint, or cucumber ice cubes. Simply chop your additive of choice, add it to your ice cube tray along with water, then freeze. You may also consider juice, tea, or coffee cubes. If you want to be more creative, use ice cube trays that come in fun shapes, like stars, circles, or even fish.

5. Drink tea. Herbal, fruit, green, white, & red teas are generally considered to be better for you than black teas (or coffee, for that matter) because they contain little to no caffeine. & there are countless flavors of these teas to choose from. Start with the selection at your local market or health food store. If you're interested in pursuing more exotic flavors & sophisticated teas, start researching the vast array of specialty teas that come from all parts of the globe.

6. Try bouillons, broths, & consommés. If your palate leans toward the savory, you may pass on tea & start sipping one of these hot & savory liquids instead. Choose low-fat & low-sodium versions for maximum health benefits. Because soup is water-based, a cup of hot soup will count toward your daily fluid consumption.

7. Add fast flavor. If you are looking for a quick-and-easy flavor booster, you might also consider sugar-free drink mixes, & flavor cartridges that can be used with your faucet filter system.