Beauty Tip by Event Expert, April Luca: Infused Water
Our fabulous Event Planner, viagra April Luca, nurse shares this wonderful beauty tip with us that benefits your overall health and skin!
“Age-defying” products are flooding the beauty & skincare market. While I am a huge fan of BB Cream and night serums, I also believe that you do not always need to spend a fortune trying to find products that work. Often, the foundation of optimal skin health is right at your fingertips. I am a firm believer in “you are what you eat (or drink)”. In order to keep my beauty routine easy, my secret to healthy, vibrant, young-looking, fresh skin is infused water!
Infused water hydrates from the inside, thereby making your skin appear more luminous while decreasing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. We all know that water is extremely important to our bodies. It’s known to help flush destructive toxins and waste through our system, prevents muscle cramping, helps our hearts pump blood more effectively and helps boost energy. Most store bought beverages have chemicals, low nutrients and high sugars, which hurt our bodies instead of nourishing them. Fruits and vegetables can loose many of their natural enzymes, antioxidants and vitamins during the manufacturing process. If you’re not a huge fan of the way water tastes, or you like a little flavor every once in a while, try these fruit infused waters instead.
Here is a recipe for one of my favorite infused waters: Ginger, Mint & Lemon Water
BENEFITS:
Ginger: Ginger boosts the immune system, has
anti-oxidant effects and improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.
Lemon: Lemon helps stimulate and regulate the digestive track, has anti-bacterial properties and has been shown to aid in the digestion of fats. (Another use: Lemon juice can also decrease the occurrence of blackheads when applied topically. So wipe a bit of lemon juice on your blackhead zone when you are creating your infusion for double the results!)
Mint: Mint leaves add a refreshing flavor, along with helping with digestion in the liver.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1-2 liters of filtered water, depending on how strong you want your infused water to taste;
- Part of 1 ginger root
- Part of 1 lemon
- Handful of fresh mint leaves (approx 12-15)
- Ice cubes (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Wash all produce well. Slice the ginger root and lemon. Remove the lemon rind. Removing the skin of a fruit helps avoid ingesting pesticides and other pollutants and stops your water from having a bitter taste. Fill jug with filtered water and add ginger and lemon. You can squeeze a bit of the lemon juice into the water as well to give it a burst of citrus flavor. Add a handful of fresh, fragrant, mint leaves. Let this mixture sit overnight in the fridge. The flavors will infuse the water. Pour, drink and enjoy daily. You can add ice cubes to your glass as well.
TIPS:
- Experiment with other fruits you like.
- Do not add ice to the entire jug after infusing. This will dilute the
infused water.
- Change the ratio of water to fruits, vegetables and herbs to help adjust the flavor to your palate.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavor infuse.
- Cover your jug/jar when refrigerating.
- Take infused water to work in your BPA-free, re-useable drink container to enjoy all day.
EVENT TIP:
If you are serving your infusion at an event, you may want to pre-infuse your water, and then as décor, slice a bit of lemon and keep on the rinds and place in the water. Use these
fruits with rinds minimally, as to not sour the taste of your water. Visually, the lemon looks better with the rind on it for presentation.
OTHER INFUSIONS:
Blueberry Mint | Basil Strawberry | Melon Mint (Cantaloupe & Honeydew or Watermelon)
Apple Cinnamon | Cucumber Mint