How to Love the Taste of Water

Water is good for you. It maintains good health. Water is the one thing we cannot live without. Water is more important to our body than any of the 50 nutrients we require daily and has no calories!^[1] While we can survive weeks without food, we perish after just three to four days without water.^[2] Not drinking enough water is unhealthy. However, many find water rather bland compared to sweet drinks like sodas or juices, especially after years of relying on these sugary or nutrient-depleted sources of fluids for hydrating. Whether that's your current situation or you just want to enhance your enjoyment of drinking water, this article will help you develop your love for the taste of water through better understanding its importance to you and finding a few ways to enhance the water drinking experience.

Steps

Sourcing the water

Reconsider your water source. Not all drinking water is created equal. Water tastes differently depending on its source, and perhaps your impression of water is based on having only tried one or two specific types. Some differences are subtle, some are obvious immediately, while some take a bit of faith that there is something "special" about the water according to your beliefs or preferences. Here are some of the principal sources of water:^[3]
- Mains or tap water: This water is usually treated and you can often taste the chemicals. Chlorine is the most well-known treatment agent and few people enjoy its distinctive after-taste. Chlorine kills microorganisms in the water but it can also deplete your body of certain vitamins and harm your beneficial intestinal flora.^[4] Filter such water before drinking it. Note that while boiling water will kill most germs, it won't remove chemicals. However, as the chlorine used in water treatment is generally in a gaseous form, one easy way to reduce the chlorine content is to refrigerate the water overnight. The chlorine gas is released and the water tastes better chilled.
- Filtered water: Filters can go directly on a tap (faucet) or the water can be filtered through a jug, watercooler, or other system. Filters tend to be charcoal and reverse-osmosis, though there are other types. Most filters need to be changed regularly to ensure effectiveness. This water usually tastes much better than water straight from the tap. See How to choose a home water filter for more information.
- Well water: Provided you know that the source of this water is pure and clean as clean, this can be a fantastic way to get the trace minerals your body needs. However, well water is extremely easily contaminated so you need to be constantly vigilant and test it often. If it's confirmed good, then enjoy it as it will usually be very pleasant tasting water.
- Distilled water: This water has been heated into steam and then collected and condensed back to water. It's great for an iron and machinery but it's not good as drinking water. Distilled water has no minerals and will pull minerals from your body and cooked foods.^[5] While it's fine to drink it if you have no choice (such as camping or traveling), don't drink it regularly or you may find your essential minerals have been depleted.
- Spring or mineral water: This water is usually collected from underground water springs containing soluble matter (minerals) and bottled for home use. It is usually chosen because is has a superior taste and is filled with minerals. Provided the company is subject to tests, you are also reassured that the quality of the water is excellent; if you own your own spring, test it regularly to ensure its purity. Whether or not this is a good choice is dependent on quite a number of factors. Do you know if the company has treated the water post collection? If so, how (e.g., filtration, chlorination)? Has anything more been added to it (e.g., carbonation for bubbles)? And what containers has it been placed in for transportation and storage? Plastics and water are considered a bad combination, as plastics may leach. If you have your own spring, or you have a commercial source of good repute, spring water can be a great tasting water source.
- Bottled water: Similar to spring water in some respects, some even claiming to be spring or artesian sourced, bottled water is now considered a bit of a pariah in the water supply industry. The use of plastics, the worries about chemical leaching, the landfill problems with disposed bottles, and the ridiculous bottling of municipal water and selling it for a hundred times its original cost have placed a dent in this way of consuming water. However, there are good points to consider too - in some places, bottled water is the only safe source of drinking water and when traveling, this water will keep you hydrated and away from contamination problems. There are also more eco-friendly bottle options, such as glass and safer plastics, so be a savvy consumer and make a good choice to weigh up the real costs behind consuming bottled water. On the whole, most bottled waters will taste fine, although if the plastic has a strong odor, it's likely the water will also taste of it (and that should worry you).
- Hard water with water softener added: Hard water concerns householders as the high level of minerals stop shampoos and soaps from lathering well. The problem resides in the solution – by adding water softener to the system, your soap starts showing suds again but the high sodium content makes this water less than optimal for regular consumption. Consider this when worrying about hard water!

Encouraging your enjoyment of water

Change the taste of water. It's simple to make slight improvements to the taste of the water without adding too many calories and without making it unhealthy. Some suggestions:
- Add a little squirt of lemon or lime into the water. It will add a little bit of sourness and will taste good.
- Add fresh, clean mint leaves to the water and some ice. Chill in the fridge for a bit and then drink as needed. Many other fragrant herbs can be experimented with.
- Add strawberry halves and leave to sit for about 5 minutes before drinking. In fact, many berries are suitable for this treatment and you can eat the berries too!
- Some people find it helps to slightly warm water during the cooler months, especially first thing in the morning. A small squeeze of lemon juice in slightly warmed water is an excellent, refreshing way to wake up in the morning and also has detoxing properties.
Drink only water for a while. This might seem counterintuitive, but when you drink super-sweet beverages like soda pop and juice all the time, it is hard for water to compete. Your affinity for sweetness can decrease if you expose yourself to less of it. In addition, if you eliminate all the unhealthy sources of fluids, such as sodas, fruit juices, and sugary drinks or flavored milks, you will be healthier and you are likely to lose weight. An occasional treat is fine, as you don't have to totally restrict yourself but be very disciplined about such "candy drinks". You might even find that after not drinking them for a while, they are too sweet!
Trick yourself into liking water. Learn to love the taste of water by associating it with pleasant things. Each time you drink water, think of something that makes you happy – a person you love, an activity you enjoy, a food you like, a merry song, a beautiful scenery – whatever works best. And try to drink water when you are enjoying good company, or when you are doing things you enjoy. This is called classical, or Pavlovian, conditioning. When something you love (the conditioned stimulus) is paired with drinking water (the unconditioned stimulus), you eventually associate the two stimuli together, and, in this case, you will learn to love the taste of water because you associate it with things you love.
- Keep telling yourself that you love the taste of water. And tell it to others as well. The more you reinforce the idea, the deeper the idea will become rooted in your mind, and, in order to avoid cognitive dissonance, you will eventually love the taste of water when it matches your beliefs.
Always keep water near you. Having water with you is a certain means for getting you to drink it! The more you resort to drinking it in place of other liquids, the more it will taste the very best to you.
- If you're going to be sitting for a long time, keep a glass of water near, and you will reach for it and drink without even noticing.
- Always bring a reusable eco-friendly water bottle with you so that you're not tempted to buy bottled water.
- Keep a glass of water next to your bed at night.

Appreciating the benefits of water

Learn about the benefits of drinking water. The more you know about why water is good for you, the stronger your desire will become to drink it, and the more enjoyable it will be. Just some benefits of drinking water include:
- Drinking an adequate amount of water will prevent excess thirst or dry mouth.
- Water is very important for the body. An estimated 60 to 70 percent of our bodies consists of water, and our bodily fluids (urine, sweat, blood, tears and the fluids in and between the cells) are comprised principally of water.^[6] Water aids digestion, keeps our skin hydrated (and supple) and keeps the mucous membranes moist.^[7] Most importantly, water carries nutrients to every cell in our body.^[8]
- Water helps us to get rid of toxins in the body.^[9] Water increases kidney filtration rate, so you can eliminate waste products more effectively and keep the kidneys healthy. And water helps to keep your body's waste disposal system (liver, kidneys, lungs, digestive system, lymphatic system, and skin) functioning efficiently.^[10]
- Water can help your mind function better. If you are not drinking enough fluids, you may get lightheaded, dizzy, or have a headache. These are symptoms of dehydration.^[11]
- Drinking enough water will prevent fatigue or muscle weakness resulting from dehydration. Muscles and joints can feel pain and you may experience backache when you haven't had enough water.^[12]
- Water helps to reduce bloating.^[13]
- Water can be an aid in weight loss by helping to increase your metabolism rate. Water also helps to lose weight because "thirst" can be misinterpreted by your body as "hunger" and cause you to eat unnecessarily. As such, drinking water instead of juice and soda can help to regulate your appetite.
- Water is vital in regulating your body's temperature.^[14]^[15]
- Drinking water is the best preventive measure for kidney stones, as water lowers the risk of crystal precipitation and helps to wash out any small stones that do form.^[16] Moreover, there is some evidence that women with high water intakes have a reduced level of lower urinary tract cancers and colon cancer.^[17]
- Water saves you money! Water is cheaper than other sources of fluid.
Understand the importance of replenishing water regularly. As already noted above, water is an important part of removing toxins from our bodies and in keeping our entire system well hydrated and functioning properly. Another factor to consider is the loss of water. Urine, waste elimination, sweat, tears, and breathing cause us to lose water all the time and this needs to be replenished constantly.^[18]^[19]
Know how much water you need. The amount you need is dependent on your level of activity, the types of activities you undertake, the climate, and the food and other sources of liquid that you're consuming.^[20] And the advice about eight glasses of water a day is not based in science; it's advice with unfounded origin but has stuck as an urban nutrition myth, possibly because it's an easy guide to remember.^[21]^[22] That said however, getting adequate water daily is vital for your ongoing health. When gauging your water level need, some indicators that might help you include:
- Color of your urine: If your urine is pale yellow or straw color, and is of a good quantity, that's a good sign that you're getting plenty of fluids.^[23]^[24] However, vitamin supplements, some foods, and medications can affect the color. For example, vitamins from the B group can cause urine to become bright yellow or green; this is not bad, it is simply excess B being secreted but it could leave you concerned about your fluid intake!^[25]
- Frequency of urinating: If you urinate frequently and you don't have a medical condition such as diabetes, this is usually a good indicator of adequate fluid intake.^[26] Remember that some medications and foods can increase your need to urinate though.
- Thirst is not a good indicator of how much water you need or when.^[27] For most of us, thirst is a sign that fluid loss is already somewhere between 0.8 percent and 2 percent of total body weight, meaning that the body is already mildly dehydrated at this point.^[28] The older you are, the less sensitive your thirst indicators are.
- If you are very active, such as an athlete, an outdoor worker, a frequent sauna user, filled with nervous energy, sitting in indoor heating all day, living in the tropics and eating a lot of dehydrating foods, then you will need to increase your water intake accordingly.^[29] Pregnancy, breastfeeding, illness, age, gender, sedentary or active lifestyles, food intake, weight, etc., are all factors in your fluid intake requirements.
- Some people are strongly of the belief that adequate fluid can come from soups, herbal teas, watery foods, etc., such as those following macrobiotic diets.^[30] If that is your case, read up carefully on the requirements of your special diet and speak with your doctor for more advice to ensure optimal health.
- Water is lost rapidly during exercise.^[31]
- Dehydration occurs when fluid loss amounts to 1 percent or more of body weight; by 10 percent loss, it is life-threatening.^[32] Most people are dehydrated to a small degree rather than having enough.^[33] Bear this in mind when assessing your water needs. (See "Warnings" below for excessive water consumption.)

Video

Tips

Water tastes better when you're thirsty, so carry some with you when running or doing other exercise, and you should find that it tastes wonderful.
Take water with you on long trips. Don't bring any soda or juice though, so all you will be able to drink is water.
Drinking water will make you feel good. Drinking 16 oz of water first thing in the morning will increase your metabolism by 24% for 90 minutes!
Drink enough water daily to prevent dehydration. 6-8 glasses of water a day is adequate for most.
Understand that love for the taste of water is a learning process, and learning takes time. Keep practicing the steps above and do not let yourself become discouraged.
As you drink water, feel the purity of it and feel it actively cleansing your body, ridding it of any unhealthy substances.
Juices and sodas that contain sugar obviously will increase your calorie intake and cause you to gain weight, as these are "empty calories," meaning that these calories you take in do not contribute to satiety, as they contain no fiber and are used quickly. Even diet sodas will cause weight gain, as the artificial sweeteners give a taste of sweetness with no calories, which will then increase your appetite for things with calories.
Reward yourself when you drink water, but avoid sweet drinks and foods. That positive feedback will also help you develop your love for the taste of water.
Leaving water out overnight helps to clear it of chlorine if sourced from taps or faucets. There is no need to refrigerate it.
Water makes up to 78% of your body weight at birth, 65% as an infant and as little as 55% for overweight adults.^[34]
Sometimes lukewarm water can help you to enjoy drinking it more than when it is cold.
Form a club for health and weight loss and emphasize the appreciation of water. It will enhance your love of water and help others as well.
Drinking water in your favorite bottle will get you in the spirit of drinking it.

Warnings

Do not drink too much water or you will feel bloated.
The greatest hazard from water is contamination. Drinking water that has been contaminated by factory waste, leaching chemicals, animal waste, and microscopic waterborne bacteria and viruses are all possible hazards in water of unknown or untreated origin.^[35] Add a filtering system to your home water supply, and know the quality of the origins of any water you consume.
Do not become too enthusiastic and drink too much water. An extremely large amount of water consumption can result in water intoxication, which can lead to brain dysfunction from edema and may cause death.^[36]^[37] Note the signs, which include irritability, lethargy, and confusion as the sodium content in the body decreases; when it becomes really serious, the person will have convulsions, and might go into a coma or even die.^[38] Cases of this happening have usually involved drinking over 5 liters (11 or more pints, or 1 1/3 gallons) of water over two or so hours; limit fluid intake to 1 to 1.5 liters (2 to 3 pints) per hour.^[39]
Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, meaning that they dehydrate you through increased excretion rather than replenish your fluids.^[40]

Things You'll Need

Reusable water bottle
Tap/faucet filter or filter jug system
Good sources of water
Berries, citrus fruit, ice cubes

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Sources and Citations

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