HYDRATING WOMEN’S TEA

Whether you are pregnant, breastfeeding, experiencing your moon time or simply concerned with women's health, it is important to always stay hydrated. This iced tea recipe can be done using any type of tea of your choice. A splash of coconut water adds natural sweetness, a splash of sparkling water adds refreshing carbonation without having to go for a soda. Lemon juice adds flavor, is a rich source of vitamin C, and helps maintain pH balance in the body. Try this drink and continue to avoid heavily sweetened or processed beverages at all times. Indigenous people have been drinking many varieties of tea since time immemorial. Ask your grandparents how to harvest or collect a tea that is local to your area, and learn about whether or not that might be a good option to use for this iced tea recipe.

This recipe series funded by the Thriving Women's Initiative, a project of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples. Learn more at 7genfund.org

These videos have been made possible with sponsorship from the Native Wellness Institute

INGREDIENTS

A tea variety of your choice, such as Women’s health tea, pregnancy tea, or mother’s milk tea

Sparkling water (for carbonation)

Coconut water (for light sweetness and hydrating properties)

Fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

- Boil water and steep tea in a pitcher. Make the tea extra-concentrated so that adding more liquids will not dilute the taste too much. (For example, we used 6 tea bags in about 1/2 quart of water).

- After the tea steeps for about 5-10 minutes, remove tea bags and cool in refrigerator until the temperature is no longer hot

-Remove from fridge and fill the rest of the pitcher with a combination of sparkling water, coconut water, and fresh lemon juice. Don’t worry about precise measurements — just make it taste good. If you don’t have sparkling water or coconut water, you can try adding other unsweetened or lightly sweetened liquid options such as fresh, not-from-concentrate fruit juice or kombucha.

Tip: This hydrating tea is great for everyone, even if you are not pregnant or a woman. Simply switch out the “women’s tea” with any other kind of tea that you enjoy, like hibiscus tea, raspberry tea, or anything else.