We all know that the best way of having a peak level of hydration is to drink plain old water.
But I don’t like water! – I didn’t use to like water either, and still now, I’m pretty fussy – to drink plain water, it has to be chilled and in a glass/bottle that has a super thin rim (weird I know!). So even if you don’t like plain water yet, keep trying and you might eventually. In the meantime, here are some little hacks that make water more drinkable and a few other drinks that count towards your daily quota of six to eight glasses a day (as recommended by the UK Eatwell guide).
What counts as water intake?
- Adding a commercial flavour (some form of concentrated squash) to your water still counts. Try and go for a no added sugar option
- Tea – there are so many types of tea, many with their own health benefits, but first and foremost, each and every cup counts towards your daily water intake. I’d recommend a max of 8 cups a day due to the caffeine content
- Coffee – yep! Coffee counts too, even though it is often known as a diuretic (promotes increased production of urine). I’d recommend a max of 4 cups a day due to the caffeine content
- Fruit juice (keep servings to 150ml – because of the sugar content)
- Milk, as well as being a good source of calcium, thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B12, milk also counts towards your daily water intake (I like to have a small bottle of chocolate milk post workout!)
- Carbonated soft drinks (again, be aware of the sugar content)
Hints for getting your daily water quota:
- Get yourself a 2 litre jug/bottle, fill it up in a morning and aim to have it drunk by the time you go to bed!
- Sip small amounts of water throughout the day, don’t wait until you are thirsty
- Invest in a reusable (eco-friendly) water bottle and carry it around with you – ask in restaurants/cafes etc. for them to top it up for you throughout the day
- Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up (go to the loo first if you need to!) – it’ll wake you up and kick start your body ready for the day ahead and hey, one glass down and you’ve only just opened your eyes
Try flavouring it…
Pure water is the best way to hydrate but the next best thing? Add flavour. Adding a natural flavour to your water is a great way to liven it up a bit (and you can feel fancy because it’s the type of stuff you get at a spa). You can even get water bottles that you can pop your chosen fruit into to have a constant supply throughout the day, just refill every time you’ve drunk up!
With fruit: Fruits that work particularly well are lemons, limes, cucumber (my current favourite), watermelon, raspberries (give a few a try and see what you like – HINT: Bananas probably won’t work!).
With herbs: Herbs that work well are mint, basil, lavender, sage.
Combine it: Here’s 3 flavour combinations that I think work a treat…
- Strawberry and basil
- Lime and mint (hello mojito!)
- Apple and cinnamon (for a Christmassy hit)
Leave me a comment below to let me know what flavours you’ve had success with… feel free to let me know if you have any flavour fails too! 🙂