How to improve the taste of plain water [part 1]

How to improve the taste of plain water? To make it tastier and more beneficial to our body, yet safe...?

Normal, plain, clear and clean waters are actually what we need everyday. This is a must if one really wants to remain 'cool' and healthy. But experts from food and drink industries have invented plentiful, varied soft drinks and mass-produced them and sold them everywhere. Some are most irresistible drinks and advertised in such a way that most of us would be directly or indirectly influenced. .

But I just wonder if these pioneers or inventors of these drinks do promote his loved ones and family members to drink them daily. Sorry if I have touched on and venture into sensitive issues. For the sake of soft drinks industry, for the sake of business and profits, for the sake of their jobs, nothing can be expected that need to be explained or justified. Commercial rights are protected. But as end consumers, one should be aware of what we eat and drink will not affect our health. We won't want to buy troubles or illness. So, we have to be careful in the selection of proper foods. Sickness enters through our mouth. That is why one always say digging graves using our teeth......

Some nutritious herbal drinks can be made easily oneself. I guess this will be another one long blog, so I need to break them up into several parts. We have decided not to participate with the buying and stocking up of soft drinks, so we can make our plain water tastier by adding good 'materials' And we can make even more nutritious, delicious and healthy drinks ever..... yummy yummy....

Let me classify them into 5 big categories,

[a] fruit and vegetable drinks,

[b] nutritious drinks from beans

[c] herbal drinks [divided into several grades again]

[d] natural goodness [e.g honey...just dilute it]

[e] brewing them as soups, tonics, concentrates, essence all from natural sources without additives, colorings...and have to consume fresh...

Yin and Yang theories are applicable and to ensure proper health, one should be in harmony with nature's law. It is more towards balancing of which too many people have knowingly self destroyed or disturbed nature's balances...and indirectly fallen prey to our own ignorance. Have no fear.... ignorance can be solved by learning.... start from getting interested and the rest will just come so naturally.....

Talking about fruits and vegetables, juicing, blending and mixing up these natural wonders of food, I am just exhilarate and extremely keen in sharing them. This is the food and drinks therapies that have earned a reputation for me for more than a decade. I have accumulated valuable experiences in this field of natural cures by just using ordinary fruits and vegetables together with eastern wisdom plus western technology. I call it food therapy.

Herbal drinks

It can be food herbs, it can be curing herbs, it can be maintaining herbs, it can be a tonic, it can be refreshing and I call herbs as natural wonders of plants. It can perform miracles and works well for most people. Best of all, much safer than drugs because of its plants origin. Of course, to be taken as prescribed by experts. Herbal drinks can be done in many different ways. An easy and common way is to do it like making tea. Pouring hot water over these herbs and wait for the flavor to be diffused into the water. But there is another way that I used to recommend...using a thermos flask to do the job.

It means that one can clean the materials and soak them inside the thermos flask and be kept overnight. The drinks one made from the thermos flask will be still warm and the ingredients cooked. And the herbal drink just so wonderfully done with little effort. If it is too concentrated, it can easily be diluted with more water.

There are lots of ingredients that can be used. Since there are over thousands of these wonderful, natural, beneficial, useful plants, I cannot possibly share everything. Individual needs are specific for maximum results, so it is always after my own survey before any prescriptions are given.

In Chinese ways of classifying foods, we can classify them into sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter properties. Well, it is as if going into Chinese medicines, well, that is just for your information. I should and shall convey in a more generalized way. Some Chinese herbs are from very rare sources and are extremely expensive. Some are commonly found and easily prepared.

Here are some wonderful herbs, there are too many to learn and remember, all are full of natural goodness and FRESH and DELICIOUS..... and works as TONICS and ENERGY BOOSTERS. These are just some of them...

- all types of ginseng

- all types of dates

- all types of chamomiles/edible flowers

- all types of tea, esp green tea

- all types of roasted beans and nuts

- wolfberries, longans, shiitake

- licorice, pandan, edible roots

- white fungus, dong kui

- western herbs e.g. basil..

- peppermint etc....etc...

All these can be easily prepared, using hot waters or brewed in china pots or thermos flasks. Most of them can be easily found in Chinese Medicine Shops or found in your garden. When one really master the art of brewing or making teas from varied herbs or even the combination of some, I can tell you that your family will be so fortunate to have tasted them. They are far more beneficial than those soft drinks or milo or shakes...

Fruits and vegetable juices

Making fruit and vegetable juices too need skill and proper choice.

It can range from passion fruits, pineapples,, peaches, pears, papayas, plum to water chestnuts, water melons and guava and grapes....the list goes on.... Celery, parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, bitter gourds, carrots, lettuce, capsicum, red beets and so much more... An appropriate combination is best with 5 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruits, either juicing or just blending up the whole thing and eating it with its pulp

Who says that we cannot enjoy home-made drinks? These are all wonderful sources of minerals and vitamins, so nutritious and natural. But remember not to add any white sugar. Just add honey if there is a need, but most of the time, just drink it as it is. Caution..DRINK THEM FRESH... immediately after making. These natural goodness are extremely easy oxidized and destroyed by the passage of time. So, don't think of commercializing fresh juices or drinks that are organically fresh.... We want it fresh and nutritious, right?

to be continued....