Tap water back in style

I don't know about you but I go throught quite a bit of water bottles in a day. I seem to have quite the collection in my car though. What to do with all of these bottles? Maybe I will make trendy flip flops with them.

Trying to do my thing for the environment and my pocketbook I've been drinking more tapwater. Unfortunately my palate has been perverted by the taste of bottled water so I haven't quite re-acquired the taste of tap water yet. I don't know when this happened though, when I was a kid, I was drinking tap water, water from the fountain at school, oh my gosh how did I ever survive? If you told me then that I would be able to buy water from a store I would have laughed at you.

Maybe tap water will be back in style, who knows? In the meantime I've been trying to make it more palatable by trying to flavour it. Yes, I've tried all of the powdered stuff like Crystal Light and Kool-Aid but I want to use more natural stuff that is hopefully better for me.

But hey why drink water? Why do doctors all say drink your 8 glasses a day? I'm glad you asked. I won't go into the chemical details of the process but water is an important solvent. It is used by the body in various metabolic processes, respiration, assists in transporting and distributing metabolites and hormones, removes wastes, it maintains the shape of the cell, acts as a lubricant and a shock absorber (to cushion your brain).

Of course my quest began by requesting the help from the Google Gods, my friends in real life and Twitter. I've compiled a list of what people have used to flavour their water.

Herbs and Spices

Ginger
Mint
Lemon Grass
Spearmint
Basil
Parsley
Stevia

A fellow tweeter introduced me to Stevia. Stevia is gaining popularity as a sweetener. It is a herb naturally found in Paraguay, many times sweeter than sugar with no caloric intake and no effect on blood sugar levels. There has been some controversy as it was only considered a dietary supplement but now the FDA has cleared Stevia to be used as a sweetner. So this means that many soft drink companies will be looking at this herb with more interest. It does come in many different flavours so be on the lookout for it.

Fruits

Lemon
Berries (all kinds)
Kiwis
Lime
Grapefruit
Oranges
Cherries
Mango
Pears
Cranberries
Watermelon
Pineapple
Pomengranite (juice)
Apple (juice)

Fruits are definitely the favorites. Fruits could be added as slices or chunks, crushed or frozen. Add your favorite fruit juice to kick it up a notch.

Vegetables

Cucumber

I haven't found any other vegetable that can flavour water and still taste refreshing. Try the cucumber, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Other

Green tea (or any other tea you prefer)
Rosewater
Peppermint Candy
Vinegar

I haven't tried the vinegar yet. Obviously you wouldn't want to put a large amount in the water if you know what I mean. I do like the peppermint candy idea.

I have a bunch of flavorings to experiment with. Now if I could only find the perfect non-chemical leaching recyclable water bottle I would be in heaven.