I have a friend who genuinely gags when she drinks plain water. She is not being dramatic — she just finds the taste of water unpleasant, especially tap water. Her solution for years was to drink diet soda and hope for the best. She was chronically dehydrated and tired and had no idea the two were connected.

Infused water is the gateway. Throw a handful of frozen strawberries or a few slices of cucumber into a pitcher of water and leave it in the fridge overnight. The water absorbs just enough flavor to taste like something without adding sugar or calories. I do cucumber-mint — it tastes like a spa without the $300 price tag. Frozen fruit works better than fresh because the freezing process breaks cell walls and releases more flavor when it thaws.

Temperature Is Half the Battle

Cold water tastes different from room-temperature water. Cold suppresses your taste buds slightly, which sounds bad but for people who dislike the taste of water, it is good. The colder the water, the less you taste whatever it is about water you do not like — usually chlorine or minerals. I keep a pitcher in the fridge at all times. The difference between fridge-cold and tap-temperature water is enough to make me drink twice as much.

The Straw Hack

You drink faster through a straw. Something about the continuous flow versus the stop-start of sipping from a glass. I switched to drinking water through a straw and my daily intake nearly doubled without me consciously trying. A reusable metal or silicone straw costs a few dollars and pays for itself in hydration.

Also: if your tap water tastes actively bad, a basic charcoal filter pitcher is worth the investment. It removes about 90% of the chlorine taste for around twenty dollars and three months of use per filter.

Find the combination that works for you and stick with it. Hydration is not optional.