Stay Hydrated with Soothing Fennel Tea (and a giveaway)
It’s the final week of New Year, New You! I honestly cannot believe how quickly this month has soared by, but I’m glad we’ve been passing the dreary winter days with talk about setting healthy habits in 2012. In case you’ve missed any of the posts from the past 3 weeks, here’s a quick recap:
Stay Hydrated
This final week is all about staying hydrated with high-quality liquids. So often we think of food as being the key player in our overall wellness, but water is a critical element as well. It is estimated that our bodies are comprised of 60-80% water! Think of what that means if we are not properly hydrated. Our cells need water to thrive and carry out their many duties in our bodies.
A while back, I read a fascinating book called Your Body’s Many Cries for Water: You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty!, which highlighted just how vital water is for our health. You can survive for days (even weeks) without food, but your system rapidly deteriorates without water.
My top tips for staying hydrated:
- Set a timer. I recently began using one of these handy timers for my interval workouts, and I’ve found that it also makes an excellent water timer. Every 30 minutes when the timer goes off, it reminds me to drink at least a half cup of water. I gulp it down, hit the reset button, and start all over again. It’s amazing just how quickly a half hour goes by before it’s time to drink up again!
- Flavor your water. If you don’t like it’s taste, add a few drops of essential oils, citrus wedges, or stevia to give your glass a flavor boost. A reader mentioned to me recently how she likes to cook cranberries down with water to make a thick (unsweetened) sauce, then strains them and adds them to a glass of cold water for a refreshing sugar-free beverage. Sounds fantastic to me!
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Water comes to us not only by the glass, but also in fresh produce. A veggie and fruit-centric diet will deliver water as well as other vital nutrients to your thirsty cells.
The recipe below for a soothing Fennel, Mint, & Ginger Tea is one of my favorite hydrating beverages to sip this time of year. If I feel like I’m coming down with a cold or other bug, I’ll add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the tea as well. Both fennel and ginger are incredibly soothing to the stomach, while mint offers fresh flavor and plenty of antioxidants.
For more tips and recipes for staying hydrated, check out:
- Lexie’s Kitchen sharing Cherry Lime Chia Fresca
- Gluten-Free Easily sharing Tips for Staying Hydrated
- Real Sustenance sharing Sugar-Free Ginger Ale
The Giveaway
Update 2/1/12 – This giveaway is now CLOSED.
This week I’m giving away one (16 ounce) LifeFactory glass water bottle in aqua blue! I drink from my lime green bottle every single day. LifeFactory bottles are free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, and lead. They are also dishwasher safe, but very easy to clean if you wash them by hand.
Enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post with your tips for staying hydrated.
- Follow Daily Bites on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment saying you did.
- Follow Lexie’s Kitchen on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment saying you did.
The giveaway is open until 12:00 CST on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. The winner will be randomly selected and notified that they have won via email. Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, age 18 years or older.
Full disclosure: I purchased the product for this giveaway myself because I have personally tried it and endorse it. This is not a sponsored post.
Fennel, Mint, & Ginger Tea
Makes 1 cup of tea
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 one-inch piece finely grated fresh ginger root
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
Apple cider vinegar, honey, or unsweetened almond milk to taste, if desired
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Bring the water to a boil in a small pot. Add the fennel, ginger, and mint leaves and stir to combine. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 8-10 minutes. Strain, add other ingredients if using, and enjoy.
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Start early (apple cider vinegar with water 1st thing, followed by lemon juice with water) & having a water bottle or glass by my side throughout the day makes it easy to stay hydrated. Now if I could just get my kids to drink more throughout the day!
Well, someone has already mentioned my tip, but basically, I am attached at the hip to my water bottle. I carry it everywhere!
I posted comments on both facebook pages :) I stay hydrated by always keeping water with me in my car, purse, and son’s diaper bag. Also I snack on melon and other extra juicy fruits and veggies :)
I followed Lexi on Twitter.
I drink a ton of water. I start with a big glass first thing in the morning. I keep a Tervis Tumbler 24 oz glass filled at work. Then I come home and drink maybe 3 to 4 more glasses of water. Then there is the tea, coffee, or juice I might also drink. You’d think my eyeballs would be floating around in my head! Guess it just takes a lot of fluid to keep me feeling hydrated. I look forward to trying this tea. I already drink fennel tea or peppermint tea frequently. Ginger should add a refreshing zing!
I acquired my love of water when my throat and esophogus was so swollen and only water would trickle down. At that time, I could only “stand” water if it was ice cold. Since the swelling incident, I have grown to love the taste of water, cold, warm, room temperature. It literally saved my life.
Val Naegele
vanaegele@raytheon.com (OR) vanaegele@gmail.com
I always have a water bottle with me…next to the bed, in the car, in the stroller while exercising with my toddler, etc. However, I don’t have a LifeFactory water bottle, so I would love to win this one! I feel so much better when I drink enough!
During winter I find it tough to stay hydrated because I’m too cold to drink water. Even indoors because my lab is freezing! I rely on herbal tea and warm water with lemon juice.
My tip for staying hydrated is to always have water available to you. Often, we think we are hungry when we are just thirsty.
My Mom owns one of these bottles and loves it!
Thanks for such a wonderful website!!
My tip for staying hydrated is to carry a water bottle everywhere I go; I don’t leave home without one. I LOVE the look of this glass water bottle, especially the color! Especially love that it is glass (not plastic). Water bottles should be accessories, so pick the right one. ;-)
Already follow Daily Bites on Facebook :)
Now following Lexie’s Kitchen on Facebook :)
I already do what you recommend with trying to get the fruits/veggies, and one of the best things I can do is keep cold water in the fridge, it always goes down better cold, or with ice!!! Arizona is HOT so we really have no choice to learn to drink water, please pick me for the water bottle, it would be used!!!
I carry a huge water bottle to sip when I’m out of my apartment, that way I can never use the excuse that I couldn’t find any (free!) water while I’m out and about
I automatically drink a glass of water whenever I go into the kitchen, even if I’m not thirsty,but when I go out I either have to bring my own water or do without. I don’t like buying water bottles all the time because I don’t like the taste of most bottled water. I usually fill up some FIJI bottles and keep them in the car but they only last so long. I love my well water and this bottle is so cool because it’s glass.
I’m a FB fan.
I’m also a fan of Lexie’s Kitchen.
I just bought a new SIGG on the weekend (crazy on sale!) to help me with my hydration goals I set as part of my new years resolution… I haven’t been doing so well yet, but hopefully this will help! Finding a bottle that I LOVE will totally be beneficial. Lifefactory was totally in the running though, I love their stuff too!
And I definitely <3 you on FB!
…And Lexie, cuz she’s awesome! I’ve been reading her blog for at least a year or two!
I love water with lemon in it.
Pretty bottle — never seen that type before. Very interesting tea as well. I’m a big fan of steeping ginger or mint and lemon in hot water, then sweetening with honey, so this’ll probably be very good for me!
Cheers,
*Heather*
Now following on Twitter as well (@squirrelbread). You’re from Madison! I grew up around Milwaukee.
I always have a water bottle with me and track how much I drink. I can easily just forget if i’m not making a note of the water I am drinking, or the lack thereof.
I always have a glass of water sitting out, and I try to drink some every time I see it. When it’s empty, I refill for the next time I see it!