Don’t Wait to Hydrate

What is clear, helps balance body fluids, and can help prevent dehydration? If you guessed water, you got it right! Water is an important factor in life, from assisting in agriculture to clearing out toxins in the human body. Water can be expended from the human body by sweating from temperature change, working out, or just plain sweating. Without replenishing, these can all lead to dehydration and result in symptoms like feeling thirsty, fatigued, dizzy, and inability to exercise as efficiently.  Therefore, water plays a major role in staying hydrated.

How much water should we drink? The dietary reference intake (DRI) for total water for women is 2.7 liters (L) per day, or 5-6 water bottles (16 fluid ounces each). The DRI for men is 3.7 L of total water, or 7-8 water bottles (16 fl. oz. each). It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but let’s break it down. Total water includes the water in beverages and food. About 80% of our water comes from the beverages, and about 20% from food. The recommended amount may also vary depending on the level of physical activity and the type of environment.

Although the total water is not all drinking water, it is important to obtain optimal nutritional status and stay hydrated by drinking water. Of course, you should not be drinking all that at once, rather throughout the day. Try to find your motivation to help hold yourself accountable. For example, you can divide your water bottle up in 4 sections by easily marking the bottle with a sharpie. Then, pace yourself to drink one part (½ cup or 4 fl. oz.) every 30 minutes. One way to help identify if you are staying hydrated is that the color of your urine should be like the color of a straw or lemonade. If the urine color is dark, like apple juice, that indicates dehydration. 

If you don’t like to drink water because it’s tasteless, you can always infuse it by adding tasteful fruits, vegetables, and/or herbs. A few popular examples are: strawberry mint, cucumber mint, orange and lime, pomegranate and lemon, and lemon and lime. It’s really simple, just add a few slices of the fruit or vegetable, let it infuse in the water for a few minutes, and you’re on your way to keep your body hydrated. The sky is the limit, be creative in ways to flavor your and drink adequate amounts to avoid dehydration. Just remember, don’t wait to hydrate!

  

Guest blog submitted by: Tasnim El Mezain, Dietetic Intern at UC San Diego Medical Center and edited by FitLife Dietitian, Prashila Mistry, MS, RD, CLEC.

photo: www.cleanwateraction.org