Hydrated for the Holidays
In a season where you may be worried about how many sugar cookies you can eat or how to work off that pumpkin pie, it’s easy to forget one of the most basic nutrition needs — staying hydrated.
Yet, more than ever around this time of year, your body needs water.
WHY WATER?
You hear it all the time: Drink eight glasses of water. But why? Water supports healthy organs, alleviates constipation, carries nutrients and oxygen to the blood cells, regulates body temperature, keeps joints lubricated, maintains energy levels and helps to flush out waste.
That’s a lot of work for something as simple as water.
Other ways to stay hydrated include drinking low-calorie drinks such as coffee, tea, sparkling water, seltzers or flavored water.
Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a registered dietitian, told WebMD that drinking 20 ounces of water 20 minutes before each meal can not only keep you hydrated, but reduce cravings and calories when you eat.
TIPS FOR DRINKING MORE WATER The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has some suggestions on how you can stay hydrated and increase your water intake.
• Choose a water bottle that works for you and keep it with you, refilling it throughout the day.
• Freeze some freezer-safe water bottles. This allows you to have ice-cold water throughout the day.
• Swap out a sugary drink for water.
• When eating out, order water. Not only will you stay hydrated, you’ll save money.
• Serve water during meals.
• Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water so that it tastes better and you want to drink more.
ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH WATER?
For some people, keeping count of how many ounces drunk each day is helpful. Others seek out mindful ways that don’t involve tracking everything.
The Penn State Extension education specialists say you need eight-12 cups of water a day.
If you don’t like to count, they recommend other ways to track your water intake:
• If you’re thirsty, drink more water.
• If you’re exercising or engaging in a lot of physical activity, drink more.
• If you are in extreme temperatures — either hot or cold — drink more.
• Pay attention to the color of your urine. It should be very pale or colorless and odorless (except for the first time urinating after you wake up).
• If you have dry mouth, fatigue, constipation or decreased appetite, it might be because you are dehydrated. Even more ever symptoms include dizziness, confusion, lower blood pressure and elevated temperature.