KEEPING WELL HYDRATED

In summers the body tends to lose a lot of water by evaporation from the skin and breath or by urination. Hence dehydration is a major problem, especially in children and the elderly as they tend to ignore thirst sensations. How many times have you ignored your thirst sensations (because of being busy) and realized that you indeed have been very thirsty only when you drank a glass of water? Thirst hence is a weak indicator of your hydration status. If you find that this often happens to you, then it would be a good idea to keep a glass of water near you all the time so that you keep sipping water. Before going out of the house, have a glass or two of water. Carry water or a cool beverage with you if you expect to be out in the heat for long. When you get back home or after a workout at the gym, a swim, or any other form of sport or physical activity, don’t forget to rehydrate with more water/beverage. Water is of course the best thing to have to prevent dehydration, but if you have been sweating a lot then your body is also losing some minerals and electrolytes. Generally, for an adult two to three litres of water and fluids (liquid beverages) are recommended. This roughly translates into eight to twelve glasses.

To select the ideal kinds of beverages, remember the following: safest in terms of quality of ingredients used and microbial safety. consumed. Khas sharba and sharbats made from a combination of herbs and plant extracts have been used for years due to their cooling properties. are not a problem but can’t become a part of your daily diet. They are a cocktail of chemicals with sugar and hence a source of empty calories giving you little else but sugar. Those who are overweight and trying to cut down on calories, and patients of diabetes and heart disease who have been asked to keep their weight under control, should be careful that they don’t consume too many sugary beverages. Artificial sweeteners can be used but it is always better to minimize intake of anything synthetic. Choose whole fruits instead of consuming just the juice. This way you will get more fibre and the amount of sugar your body absorbs will also be less. Those with high blood pressure should not consume salted beverages. Many other herbs and condiments can be used to make the beverage interesting without salt, like using tamarind extract, jeera, lemon juice, mint, etc. Foods rich in potassium like mosambi juice, coconut water (an excellent drink equated to the best sports drink formulations), lemonade, juice of other fruits like plum, watermelon and mango/banana shake are excellent for those with high blood pressure.