This lemon ginger cayenne water is packed with ingredients to promote good gut health and hydration. It’s like lemonade with a kick!
Welcome to day one of the TBB Hydration Challenge! Every day this week we are focusing on small, easy changes we can make to hydrate our bodies properly, especially now that summer is finally here.
Today let’s chat about why it is so important to stay hydrated and how much fluid we should be taking in each day to feel our best.
Why hydration is so important
All of the cells in your body need water to properly function. Your body is composed of around 55-60 percent water, which is pretty crazy when you think about it. Your body needs adequate hydration to be able to do the following processes and so much more:
- Transport nutrients
- Lubricate your joints
- Regulate body temperature
- Serve as a catalyst in various reactions (aka: keep your metabolism running)
It’s important to note that we are constantly losing water through sweat, going to the bathroom, and even breathing. This is why we want to strive for having an adequate fluid balance – meaning we want to continue taking in enough fluids to keep our bodies running smoothly even when we lose fluid through activities such as working out, drinking alcohol, spending a lot of time in the sun, or eating salty food.
How much fluid do we need?
As a baseline, most adults need about half their body weight in ounces of fluid each day. For example, a 160-lb person would aim to take in around 80 fluid ounces of water each day. If you aren’t up for doing the math, or if that’s a big jump from how much water you’re currently drinking, aim for at least 64 fluid ounces of water each day and work your way up from there.
We can obtain some necessary fluid through our diet (fresh fruits and vegetables are a good source of fluid for our diets – especially from sources that have a high water content such as cucumber, melon, etc.), however most of our daily fluid intake should come from drinking enough water, or unsweetened, non-caffeinated fluid.
So basically…water 🙂
But after a while, chugging plain water gets really boring and it can be easy to forget to drink enough if you don’t actually enjoy drinking it. So all week long I’ll be sharing some of my favorite water infusions here on the blog for you to try if you’re sick of plain water. First up is the classic: lemon and ginger cayenne water!
Lemon Ginger Cayenne Water
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This lemon ginger cayenne water is packed with ingredients to promote good gut health and hydration. It’s like lemonade with a kick!
You'll Need...
- 3-4 Cups of Water (Plus an additional ½ cup of flat water for blending)
- Juice of 2 Large Lemons
- ½ Inch of Fresh Ginger, Peeled
- Dash of Cayenne Pepper
- Optional: Stevia Drops to Taste
Directions
- Place the lemon juice, the extra ½ cup of water, and fresh ginger in a blender. Blend until the ginger is completely broken down.
- Add the lemon juice mixture to a large glass or mason jar with the remaining three to four cups of water and stir until combined. Add cayenne pepper and optional stevia to taste.
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Let’s Get Social
If you give this (or any of the Hydration Week recipes) a try, be sure to tag me on social @balancedberry, and use the hashtag #TBBHydrationChallenge!