Thirsty Thursday: Herbal Teas

As the temperatures rise, so does our need to quench our thirst. With warmer weather, the risk for dehydration becomes quite real. I have lived in all sorts of weather, from the midnight sun that graced the skies in Alaska, to the instantly drenched humidity of coastal cities such as Boston, MA and Portsmouth, VA. The heat, albeit of the dry variety, of Texas and New Mexico are thankfully a thing of the past since our move to Colorado. Our goal from here on out is to live places where having air conditioning or a swamp cooler is not necessary for our comfort. We use fans and open and close windows/blinds/curtains in response to the weather and location of the sun. Seems to work well.

While we may not need an air conditioner to be comfortable, the risk of dehydration is still quite present. In addition to the temperatures, some medications may increase the odds of becoming dehydrated, so making sure that you drink enough fluid during the day is essential to our overall health. While soda and juice are, indeed, fluids, they are not the best thing to consume throughout the day, as they may be full of sugar and caffeine, with the latter helping to contribute to dehydration.

I used to drink those powdered sugar free drink mixes, but have moved to drinking herbal tea instead. Sometimes I like to steep Mint Medley tea in an infuser pitcher, to which I add a few slices of cucumber and orange, lemon, or lime rinds. The combination of flavors results in a very refreshing way to stave off dehydration. I also like to get some health benefits in my tea, so I also like to drink ginger and turmeric tea, which also has some orange oil, so the taste is quite pleasant.

Do you drink herbal teas? If so, what are some of your favorite flavor? Are you more of an iced or hot tea drinker?