Why Water is a Great Drink to Boost Your Immune System

Water can do wonders for your body — and not just as a refreshing way to cool down on a hot day. As it turns out, water is also an immune system booster. You can take advantage of this extremely versatile, natural drink to help improve your health and well-being. 

Here’s a quick look at some of water’s  immune-boosting properties:

• Washes germs away
• Removes toxins
• Flushes waste from body systems
• Aids in vitamin and nutrient absorption

Ready to dive in deeper? Here’s your guide to water — the ultimate immunity booster drink.

Why Drink Water?

You know water is important — but do you know just how important? This simple drink carries oxygen to your cells, helping your immune system function effectively and enabling other critical body processes.  It also works to remove waste and toxins, aid in nutrient absorption, lubricate joints and more.

Let’s take a closer look at this immune booster:

What Else Does Water Do?

Drinking water is one of the best ways to allow this “liquid of life” to do its work for your body, but it’s not the only way. An obvious but often overlooked immune benefit of water is its ability to wash away germs. It’s used to clean surfaces, clothes, dishes and, of course, your hands — just remember to scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds. 

Water can also be used as a rinse to flush out your nasal passages when you feel a cold coming on or allergies stirring up. Cleansing away germs and helping you breathe easier is just another way water comes to the rescue.

How Much Water Is Healthy?

By the end of today, you’ll have lost eight to 12 cups of water through breathing, perspiring and other normal body functions. That means you need to get enough water to replenish your body’s liquids. Generally, 20% of this comes from meals and snacks, while 80% is from beverages such as water.

For women, getting enough water means about 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters per day; men should drink about 15.5 cups or 3.7 liters. 

However, keep in mind that everyone’s hydration needs are different. For example, you may need to drink more when you’re sick or after intense exercise.

Is Water Better Than Other Immune-Boosting Drinks?

When you go to grab a glass, you might wonder if other immunity drinks are healthier than water. 

In most cases, water is a better choice than sports, energy and vitamin drinks. That’s because these beverages contain a lot of additives, such as artificial flavoring, that don’t do much to support your immune system. They also have calories, while water is fat- and sugar-free.

The same is true of more natural drinks like juice. Even if you choose a brand without additives, fruit has natural sugar — which means your juice does, too.

Is Drinking Plain Water The Best Way to Get Immunity Benefits?

Water is a smart choice for your immune system, but that doesn’t mean plain water is the only choice you have. In fact, there are plenty of small changes you can make to get even more immunity and vitamin benefits. A little bit of honey, lemon or fresh ginger can go a long way.

4 Immunity Drink Recipes With Water

How do you take a glass of water to the next level — not just in fun and flavor, but also in immune booster power? Simple: Try one of these immunity drink recipes.

• Chilled Lemon Water

The health benefits of lemon water are plentiful. Lemons are a great source of vitamin C, which is known to help boost immune function, protect cells and even support muscle development.

To make this immunity booster drink, start by refrigerating a pitcher of water. When you’re ready, grab a glass and add some ice. Next, grab some lemon — sliced lemons, fresh lemon juice or even bottled juice will do. Pour the water over the ice, add lemon to flavor and include a sprig of mint or a few orange slices for more taste.

• Ginger-Honey Tea

Sipping hot tea can be a big immune booster. Tea has been linked to better sleep, stress management, headache relief, improved liver health and more. Better yet, ginger water benefits include the potential for reduced inflammation and cold symptom treatment, while honey may help manage coughs and gastrointestinal conditions. That means ginger honey tea is a match made in immunity heaven.

Get started by peeling and slicing fresh ginger. Add this to a mug of boiling water along with about a tablespoon of honey, then let your tea steep for at least 10 minutes.

• Ginger-Spiced Apple Cider Vinegar

If the immunity-boosting benefits of ginger aren’t doing the trick, take your drink to a whole new level with a little help from apple-cider vinegar. This strong-smelling liquid doesn’t contain many vitamins, but it often contains potassium, amino acids and antioxidants, which may help support immune function.

Many people don’t like the flavor of apple cider vinegar on its own. To make it a little tastier, try adding a little fresh ginger, a teaspoon of honey and a slice of orange. Make sure to only include about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per two cups of water, or the rest of your flavors will be overpowered.

You can enjoy this beverage chilled for a refreshing pick-me-up or hot as another form of ginger tea.

• Turmeric and Citrus Water

Turmeric, part of the ginger family, has immunity benefits you won’t want to miss out on. This spice may reduce inflammation, manage pain, fight cancer and more — and it adds fun flavor to your water, too.

First, grab your ingredients:

• Water
• Orange juice
• Lemon juice
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• Unrefined coconut oil

Don’t worry — you won’t taste too much coconut or pepper. These ingredients just help your body more effectively absorb turmeric.

Put one cup of water and a few ice cubes in your blender. Next, add a small amount of turmeric and ginger. Throw in half a teaspoon of unrefined coconut oil and just a dash of pepper, then add orange and lemon juice to flavor and mix well. Remember, you can add more water or citrus juice to change up the taste.

Immunity Boost: The Benefits of Better Water

Every chef, home cook and even takeout lover knows that good ingredients make good drink recipes. That’s why the first step in protecting your immune system should be to improve your water quality.

If your home’s water quality is questionable, your immunity drinks could end up with odd tastes or odors, and that’s a quick way to throw off that perfect flavor combination you worked so hard to create. You’re also likely to drink less if you think your tap water is unpleasant, and that’s bad news for your overall health and immune system. Worse yet, your water may have contaminants invisible to the senses, which means you may be drinking something like arsenic without even realizing it.*

The good news is that scary contaminants like arsenic aren’t necessarily a common issue. Tap water is generally safe to drink — but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. A drinking water filtration system is a great way to address those taste, odor and color issues while catching certain potential contaminants. They can be installed under your sink for an almost unlimited supply of improved drinking water — and when your water is better, your health could be, too.

Support Your Immune System By Improving Your Water

Water is the liquid of life, playing a key role in just about everything your body does — including protecting you from germs, bacteria and more. That’s just one more reason it’s important to stay hydrated.

However, if you want even more immune booster benefits, grab ingredients like ginger, honey and turmeric and try out one of our drink recipes. Just remember that a good immunity booster drink requires good water, and that starts with finding out which reverse osmosis filtration system is right for you.

To take the first step, schedule your free, in-home water test and consultation today.

*Contaminants may not be present in your water.