I’ll admit I’m somewhat envious when I see the drinks and snacks that travel with my young grandsons for even the shortest of trips to the grocery store or Home Depot. Compared to my childhood travels, theirs look like a cruise ship buffet.
Perhaps that’s why I never developed a habit of drinking water. My small town has excellent-tasting municipal water, but it’s still difficult for me to drink more than a glass or two of it each day. I know I should drink more, but I’m just not sure how to do it. A registered dietitian from the Cleveland Clinic offers tips in this article for the water-averse among us.
-Marie Elium
It can be easy to get dehydrated in these scorching temperatures, which is why it’s important to make sure you’re drinking enough water. But not everyone likes the taste of it. Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, offers some ways to help make it more appealing.
“Citrus works wonderful, and it doesn’t just have to be lemons or limes. It could be that you have an orange, or you’ve got a grapefruit that you squeeze some fresh juice at the beginning of the week, and you add a little bit to your water every time you have some. That not only may make it a little bit tastier for you, but it also adds in some nutrients like vitamin C,” says Kirkpatrick.
While water should be your primary source for hydration, you can supplement it with fruits and vegetables; specifically, those with high water content. Some examples include watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe, lettuce, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes.
Kirkpatrick adds that milk, tea and coffee have water in them, too. If seltzer water seems more palatable, make sure it’s plain and doesn’t include a long list of ingredients or artificial sweeteners. The same goes for flavored powders. Instead, consider adding juice from a lemon, lime or orange. As for sports drinks, she suggests skipping those unless needed.
“A sports drink is necessary if we’re looking at the replacement of electrolytes, which we know typically occurs after you have about 60 minutes of physical activity. So, if we’re sitting around all day at the pool, it doesn’t make sense to have a sports drink, which is equated to electrolyte replacement,” says Kirkpatrick.
“Again, think about those guidelines. When do I really need extra sodium and potassium to replace what was lost? Typically, a sports drink is not necessary for most individuals.”
So, how much water should we drink? Kirkpatrick says eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day has been the general recommendation. However, it really does vary. Someone who is very active may need more than that.
