Edging closer toward the warmer months, as the temperatures rise, so does my abdominal bloating. But these days, my Instagram algorithm has gotten wise to my anti-inflammatory search to sooth my gut issues.
That’s how I stumbled upon the recipe for an anti-inflammatory infusion shared by the nutritionist Blanca García-Orea on her Instagram. It was a recipe of her own that is made with half a tablespoon of fennel herb, half a spoonful of peppermint, half of a lemon balm leaf, and two slices of ginger. They’re all ingredients that, individually, are purported as the allstars for fighting inflammation and digestive problems. But in this recipe, García-Orea advises to boil all the ingredients, strain them, and to drink the liquid before you have breakfast, as well as between meals or one hour after dinner. She suggests that it can be taken it cold (after boiling and refrigerating it) too. It seemed to me to be a good idea in the spring and summer months, not only to increase water consumption, but also to deal with the fluid retention that increases at this time of the year, as affirmed by nutritionist Andrea Vázquez.
Drinking hot and cold infusions
According to experts, taking the infusion cold or hot doesn’t make a difference to the benefits you may get. Still, drinking it cold can make it more palatable, or easier to consume. It’s also a good alternative to sipping on soft drinks.
Vázquez adds that, when cold, they are easily preserved, because they can be infused (preferably without boiling) and can be stored in the refrigerator for two days. “Taking them cold is mainly a matter of taste, although in certain cases if they are not boiled and only infused it seems that the plants or ingredients used can better maintain their antioxidant properties,” she says. Nutrition expert Cris Barrous confirms the need to always heat before cooling because “heat breaks bonds that cause phytoactives to be released in the water.”
There’s a myth that drinking an infusion cold can help with weight loss by increasing metabolism, but nutritionist Laura Parada clarifies. “There is a popular belief that drinking water or cold infusions would help weight loss by activating the metabolism, because the body uses energy to raise the temperature of the water in order to absorb it. But this energy expenditure is minimal and is not representative to generate fat loss,” she says.
What infusions should you be drinking?
Parada says that a good infusion should “help with hydration and promote better blood circulation, eliminate toxins that will help to deflate.” Those infusions, she says, do not contain caffeine or any other stimulant “because they have a diuretic effect that will be eliminated by urinating,” she says. Basically, you pass most of it without the benefits. “It is also necessary to avoid the addition of sugar, which generates even more fluid retention,” Parada adds.
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