During the summer, it’s especially important to stay hydrated for optimal health and beauty. Your body will crave more fluids as you are naturally perspiring more. Sometimes I feel like a camel in the summer, and just guzzle away many times more the amount of fluids than I do in the winter.
While pure water is always best, sometimes you want a little flavor in your refreshment. Unfortunately, many popular summer drinks are filled with sugar and chemicals that do you no favors in terms of your health or hydration. But there are many other good choices, and you can enjoy a refreshing summer beverage without all of the chemicals and sugar. Here are five of my favorites.
Cucumber Water
If you follow the Beauty Detox program, you religiously start each morning with hot water with lemon, and perhaps drink more lemon water throughout the day. This is a different twist on our daily citrus-flavored water. Cucumber is a powerful beauty food, and this refreshing beverage infuses water with the flavor of cucumber. Cucumbers are high in vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as folic acid. Best, the drink is super easy to make and really delicious!
- 1 medium cucumber, cleaned and cut into ½ inch slices
- 2 quarts of pure water
Combine cucumber and water in a large pitcher and allow to sit for one hour or longer. Serve cool.
Agua Fresca
This popular Mexican drink infuses water with your favorite fresh fruit.
- 4 cups pure, cold water
- 2 cups of your favorite fresh fruit (I like berries or papaya)
- Stevia to taste
- 2 teaspoons of fresh squeezed lime juice
- Lime wedges
- Place fruit and water in a blender and puree.
- Place a small sieve over a pitcher and pour mixture into it, straining the liquid into the pitcher. Discard solids.
- Add lime juice and stevia.
- Garnish with lime wedges.
Iced Rooibos Mint Tea
Rooibos tea is high in antioxidants and flavonoids, so it promotes youthfulness and great skin. Over a little ice with mint and lemon, it’s a refreshing and detoxifying summer beverage.
- 6 Rooibos tea bags
- One lemon, sliced
- Several leaves of fresh mint
- Stevia to taste
- 1 gallon of boiling water
Pour water over lemon, teabags and mint leaves and steep, stirring occasionally, until liquid cools. Remove tea bags, pour into a pitcher, and refrigerate. Serve cool or over a little bit of ice.
Basil Lemonade
Lemons are high in vitamin C and promote alkalinity and cleansing in the body. The basil adds a refreshing flavor to this sugar-free lemonade.
- ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 cups of cold water
- 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
- Stevia to taste
Place basil in the bottom of a pitcher and muddle it by slightly crushing the leaves. Combine lemon juice and water and pour over basil leaves. Add stevia to taste. Chill, and serve over ice.
Cilantro and Jalapeno Limeade
Cilantro is loaded with antioxidants and aids in detoxification, while jalapeno can help rev up your metabolism. Lime is high in Vitamin C.
- 4-1/2 cups of water
- 1 cup organic cilantro, washed and chopped
- 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and chopped
- 1-1/2 cups of fresh lime juice
- Stevia to taste
- Lime slices for garnish
Pour water over cilantro and jalapenos. Steep for 30 minutes at room temperature, and then cover and chill for 3-4 hours. Strain the mixture into a pitcher and stir in lime juice. Add stevia to taste. Serve over ice garnished with lime slices.
Summer Hydration Tips
Staying hydrated is essential, especially in the summer. Water helps flush toxins out of your body. Your best bet is to drink pure water at room temperature, especially after periods of activity. Other tips:
- Drink 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after you eat so you don’t dilute your gastric juices necessary for food digestion.
- Avoid electrolyte replacement beverages, soft drinks, and other sugary drinks filled with chemicals. Just avoid them all.
- When you are active, be sure to take plenty of pure water with you.
- Drink mostly water, and have special drinks like those listed above occasionally when you feel that you need something with some flavor. Coconut water is also a good option.
- The Institute of Medicine suggests letting thirst be your guide to summer hydration. There’s no need to force beverages.
- How can you tell if you are dehydrated? Along with thirst, urine color may be a good indicator you need more water. If your pee is amber colored, you get thy water glass to thine lips!
- Alcoholic, sugary, and caffeinated beverages dehydrate you, which is another reason water is best.
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It’s important to note that for most people who eat healthy, whole foods, during exercise it is ESSENTIAL to consume salts and electrolytes – though of course sugars are NOT important.
I add an evaporated sea salt to lime water when I’ve been exercising.
This is an excellent book about the problem of consuming too much water – ESPECIALLY when it’s hot and you’re sweating.
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Dear Kimberly, what can I say about your book – The Beauty DETOX Solution! I finished it last night and I must say that it is the best ‘healtlh’ book I have read. Very imformative and so full of great and positive advice. I encouraged two of my friends to try the GGS and GGJ and they both said they have been experiencing indigestion after drinking the drinks. Can you maybe explain why this may be happening with them? We do the hot lemon water every morning and then the GGJ or GGS of choice and I have not experienced their concerns. Thanks for the wonderful information and I feel just down right awesome!
Hi KIm
What are your thoughts on oil pulling?
thanks
Kimberly… i have been following your blogs and whole outlook on life for some time now…but since the summer has come i’ve gained weight and am just overall unhappy with myself. Do you have any tips to get you back on track? Its so hard to stay on track when your always out and about with family and friends
Hi Kimberly,
I really wanted to send this via a ‘Contact’ link, but I didn’t see one anywhere. I just wanted to say that all of these drinks sound really good! Thanks for sharing them!
I also wanted to let you know that the word ‘water’ in Spanish is spelled with a letter ‘g’, not a ‘q’…………..therefore, Agua, not Aqua. The name of the recipe for the Mexican drink should be ‘Agua Fresca’.
Either way I can’t wait to try these drinks!
is SmartWater ok to drink? It has electrolytes…
Kimberly I would love to know your opinion on drinking Alkaline water. I just recently purchased the Vollara Living water machine. While eating a plant based diet along with this water.I want to keep my body alkaline level up. Any risk involved?
Hi kimberly, I have been taking fresh lemon juice in hot water in the morning and I have developed red itchy patches on the skin on my chin and sides of my mouth. I’m not sure if it’s from the lemon juice or a coincidence, but can u suggest something?
Hi Kimberly! I’ve been trying to find some information on whether or not the papayas I buy are GE. I’ve never seen an organic papaya before, and I’ve read almost all the ones from Hawaii are GE. The ones I bought today are from Belize. I can’t seem to find any information online–are you concerned about that at all?
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Hi! I’m currently reading Beauty Detox Solution and I want to know if I should change one important everyday thing in my life. Everyday I have to take 3 teaspoons of olive oil because of eczema and it really helps. Should I stop taking it or is it even affecting me. That much?
Hi Nico,
If you feel that is helping you, then you don’t have to cut it out all at once. But you may find over time that drinking the GGS, and increasing your probiotic content and intestinal flora fortitude may help as well. 3 tsp. isn’t a huge amount, especially if that is all the oil you consume in a day.
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Wow, I love these! Unfortunately it is quite cold in Northern Europe atm. More likely tea but! Maybe the true warm season will come! I was waiting for coconut water and ggs to be two of the options! Heh!
Yes those are honorable mentions, as always!
Hi Kimberly! Will definitely try these drinks! I love your GGS and have it every morning!! I also love your cauliflower energy soup, which I have a couple of times a week. I am currently working on improving an underactive thyroid and read somewhere recently that kale, spinach, almonds, cauliflower (and a few others) were not good for this condition. I eat spinach, kale and almonds daily. Not excessively, but I eat them everyday as I enjoy them very much, and your recipes. Would appreciate your opinion on this and any other suggestions to help with the thyroid. (I also eat sea vegetables daily).
Thank you so much.
Gigi xx
Hi Gigi,
Check out my blogs on they thyroid. There are a lot of conflicting reports out there on specific foods. If you look around, some experts believe that riboflavin and vitamin E-rich almonds and beta-carotene-rich kale are great for the thyroid.
You need to see which foods work best for your body. You can try eliminating specific foods for a time and see how you do.
My dad eats a lot of those foods, and has seen his thyroid condition improve in the last few years.
It’s best to rotate greens and all foods, and not overdo any one specific one. xx
Love these recipes Kim! Can’t wait to try them this weekend! We highlighted this post on our blog, thanks for the inspiration!
http://wp.me/p2z39K-1H
Great, thanks girls!
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The cucumber and fruit water sounds delicious. I can’t wait to make them.
Great!
This is great! Basil Lemonade sounds delicious!
I drink a lot during the day – herbal teas, water. I also eat a lot of fruits. Is it possible to drink too much during the day? Can it “flush out nutrients”? I also heard about water intoxication (especially now, in the marathon pre-Olympics season in London, you hear a lot about it on TV and in magazines). Should I be worried or drink less?
Thank you!
Hi Jo, listen to your body and don’t force yourself to drink if you aren’t thirsty, and when you try to drink your body doesn’t want it. A lot of people are dehydrated, but when they start to drink their bodies open up like a camel- b/c it was needed! But if your body doesn’t want the liquid, don’t force it.
Stick to consuming liquids between meals rather than during eating so you don’t hinder digestion, and you allow the body to break down and assimilate nutrients efficiently. xx
Kim i love your blog so much, <3
Thank you Yiselle!
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I’m gonna try each and every one starting today.. can u please recommend a good water purifier. please specify the brand..
There are a lot out there and some are pricier than others. Kangen and Nikken have acclaimed filters. I am trying to find more affordable options I feel comfortable recommending.
Hi Kimberly! Thanks for all of the ideas. I drink True Lemon raspberry lemonade… it is natural and made with lemons. Can you tell me if this is a good alternative to plain water? Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge!
HI Kristin!
You are welcome. It’s okay on the go, but you are better off making your own lemonade when you have the time. I know that is not always ideal, so yes make the best choices you can as a realistic solution.
YUM! Thank you Kim
Going to make watermelon fresca now.. can I use fresh stevia from my garden?
Wow, yes lucky you! I found stevia in Puerto Rico and it was great to use.
Thank you for these great summer drink recipes! Regarding the GGS, what would you recommend in place of the pear when they aren’t available? Thanks for all you do!
Thanks for reaching out Natalie, and you are welcome! Strawberries work great, especially this time of year.
Is coconut water still ok?
Yes. She states that in the article.
Yes, especially if you are active.
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I’m going to make the cucumber water today. I love all the other suggestions as well. Thanks for putting this together Kim!
Great, enjoy!