Have a drink

The month of June has ended and is followed by it’s natural successor – the month of July. 

The firsthalf of the expression “July-August”, a name and phrase often heard for the hottest season of the year, the one during which we make sure the air conditioner works well, we avoid any outdoor activity between 10 am and 4 pm, on extreme days it can begin at 7 in the morning, while dreaming (and marking X’s on the calendar) about the second half of September and the cool breeze of Sukkot.

This is the season when much of the green spring wonders turn into yellow and dry summer landscapes, and the flowers in the garden are begging for another cycle of irrigation. Every remnant of a European landscape (for example, in our areain the Jerusalem mountains, roses bloom like a European postcard during the spring – every flower growing in my neighbor’s garden looks like a ripe, fragrant and beautiful head of a cabbage) becomes a stark reminder that this is Israel, Habibi, and here the survivors are palms, vines, figs and carobs, all tough and scorched by the sun.

But not only the flowers in the garden arein dire needfor every drop of moisture, our body craves water too. It needs water always and regularly – and even more so in the summer, during which I recommend keeping a bottle of water readily available at any time of the day. But sometimes – water can become boring, and we want to drink something different when we are thirsty.

And although I'm generally in favor of drinking water by default (it helps to differentiate between feeling hungry and feeling thirsty, it's easy for the body to “trick” us and crave sweetened juice under the pretext of being thirsty), sometimes it is fun to drink something different or maybe have something at home that can be a tasty alternative to all those colorful and vibrant bottles that attract kids from the supermarket shelves and advertising screens.

So what else can we drink? First of all, there's the coconut juice. For those of you who miss Thailand (and wish this period ends quickly and not only will the sky open for flights but folks will be allowed to hug like normal people, I miss hugging the most) you can close your eyes and savor the deliciousness of fresh and cool coconut juice (it is also called “Coconut Water”, because the juice was not actually extracted from the flesh of a coconut, but waited insidethe nut, ready to be poured in to a glass).

I love this drink because the flavor is so very delicate, significantly less sweet than the average fruit juice, and is very refreshing. Not only the flavor is slight, but also its digestion in the body: it contains electrolytes and therefore good for those who need to balance them after prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, and can soothe the stomach and intestines.

It has quite a bit of magnesium, vitamin C and potassium, therefor helps balance blood pressure, cholesterol, headaches (especially those due to a hangover – related to the body's dehydration reaction after consuming alcohol. I am absolutely not recommending anyone to drink alcohol endlessly, of course, but if you happened to have a fun evening with friends – a glass or two of coconut water will make your morning better).

In addition, coconut water also contains nutritional fiber and amino acids that balance the blood sugar levels and is also a natural and gentle diuretic that contributes to cleansing the toxins in the body and preventing kidney stones (my dear women who never remember to drink enough – this is for you!). In the store we have coconut water in a small size (for a few good sipsin the middle of the day) or large (keep refrigerated and refill whenever you like, or share).

A second option is fruit juice. Of course, it is always better to eat the fruit, whole,fresh and in it’sseason, but as mentioned before–we don’t always feel like eating a fruit, or we want to treat our kids with a tasty drink, that does not contain way too much sugar and coloring, then the best choice is bottled organic fruit juice. In the store you can find many fun little juice boxes that can be easily thrown into any bag (both kids’ school / gan / camp backpacks as well as for us grownups).

There is a variety of flavors, so you can taste and choose and rate. We also carry a bigger version, appropriately sized to be kept in the fridge, of delicious organic apple juice – especially good for picky children, because everyone loves apple juice (with a few ice cubes).

Spoiler alert – next time I'll tell you what amazing drink you can make at home with fruit juice.

Yours,