Ayala's Herbal Water

You would think that pure, ordinary water would be enough. We fickle little beings want more though. We want flavored water too. However, it's not that good for us, unless of course you are drinking Ayala's Herbal Water.

As someone who abhors the concept of flavored water with its calories and sugar I was prepared to see the same thing. I like water- pure and simple. I don't need watermelon-blueberry water. Ayala's is different though it has zero calories, no preservatives, is organic and it tastes entirely different than the rest of the flavored waters out there. It's quite refreshing too. The flavors range from Lemongrass Mint Vanilla, Lavender Mint, Cinnamon Orange Peel, Ginger Lemon Peel, Cloves Cardamon Cinnamon and Lemon Verbena Geranium (my personal favorite).

Served cold, Herbal Water (12 bottles for $24) is a thirst quencher that tastes like a wonderfully infused exotic herbal tea. It wakes up your tastes buds and your body. Initially, I will admit I was hesitant with flavors like Cloves Cardamon Cinnamon but I loved every flavor and I did not want to share them. I found that eating fruit with Ayala's just enhances the flavors in both the water and the fruit. I really enjoyed having an alternative to my plain water without having a sweet, cloying taste or calories to think about. I loved drinking Herbal Water after a workout. I wish my gym sold Ayala's versus all the energy drinks and vitamin waters that make me feel like I need to head back to the treadmill just because I drank one.

If you want more ammunition towards ridding yourself of those other waters and sugary drinks then think about this fact. According to Dr. Ayala, "If you eliminate two cans of sugary drinks a day- which contain about 250 calories- you will lose about 1/2 a pound a week. Stay off the sugary drink for a year and you can drop more than 25 lbs."

Ayala's Herbal Water is available at Whole Foods, World Market, Safeway and online.

MPR Rating: Four Stars.