Homemade Flavored Seltzers for Pregnancy

 

Okay, friends, you know I have to remind you every once in a while to drink your water. All of us need to, especially in these hot summer months. But for you pregnant (and breastfeeding) gals, it's especially important that you stay well-hydrated. Hydration can help with lots of the issues that may be plaguing you, from constipation to swelling to fatigue.

I know, water can seem boring. Or, if you're suffering from morning sickness, water's lack of flavor can sometimes even exacerbate your nausea. But you can add some excitement and color and taste to your drinks—without lots of calories, sweeteners, and artificial flavorings. I've posted a bunch of ideas already in my Homemade Flavored Waters post (from a million years ago, forgive the photos!).  Now, I've got some new ideas for you to flavor seltzer.

Seltzer is basically water with carbon dioxide added to create bubbles; many pregnant women find the bubbles actually help lessen nausea. You can certainly just slip a wedge of lemon or lime into it and call it a day. But if you want to add some more pizazz, I love doing a fruit/herb/citrus combo. It's just a lovely mix of flavors and colors and I find it livens up my water or seltzer—and encourages me to drink more!

Drop the fruit and herbs into your glass—toss in some ice, if you'd like—and pour seltzer over. For a stronger flavor, use a wooden spoon to break up the fruits and herb in the bottom of your glass a bit before topping with seltzer. You can use fresh or frozen fruits; I always have a variety stashed in my freezer for smoothies, so grabbing a few chunks to throw in some seltzer is easy to do, too!

We had some cans of seltzer left over from a party, so I used them. We normally just make our own seltzer with our SodaStream. Wherever you get your seltzer, it's all good—just keep hydrating!

 

A few suggestions to spark your imagination:

• Fruits watermelon, cantaloupe, peach, plum, berries, cucumber, mango, pomegranate
• Herbs mint, basil, parsley, rosemary (use a branch of it as a stirrer!)
• Citrus lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, clementine

The combination possibilities are endless: how about honeydew + basil + lemon? Or peach + rosemary + lime? Pretty much any combo will work—use whatever you've got in the fridge, freezer, or garden and start experimenting!

These can also be fun mocktails if you're at a gathering and can't imbibe with the other partygoers. If you have a fabulous-looking and -tasting seltzer—full of gorgeous fruits and herbs—you won't miss that alcoholic drink quite so much!

What combo would you like to try? Tell us in the comments below.

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