Knowing How Much Water You Need

As the hot summer months approach, it is important to remember everyone loses water everyday through sweating and urinating.  We need to be sure to replenish this water loss.  While we can survive several months without food, without water we would not last more than a few days. This is especially important for children, the elderly and pets too!

Your body is the best guide to use when determining how much water you need every day.  So listen to it!  The three best communications your body provides to you are your thirst, the color of your urine, and the frequency of urinating.  If you are thirsty, you need water.  If your urine is a deep, dark yellow, then it is very likely you need more water (though some B vitamins and Vitamin C can cause this as well).   Additionally if you are urinating very little or very infrequently, you are not drinking enough water.  A healthy person urinates, on average, seven to eight times per day.

What NOT to drink

Soft drinks and the highly marketed sports drinks are not wise choices for hydration and we recommend avoidance.  They are chock full of sugar, high fructose corn sugar or artificial sweeteners, as well as phosphoric acid, artificial flavorings, and food coloring.  The salt in sports drinks is processed and more likely to increase thirst rather than quench it.  Additionally, the acidic nature of sports drinks is also highly corrosive to teeth.

Ideal Options for Hydration

Water remains the ideal choice for hydration. Ideal options include:

Natural Spring Water

Filtered tap water by reverse osmosis

For profuse sweating when doing vigorous exercise or outdoor activities for 45 minutes to an hour or more, it is helpful to add ½ tsp of Himalayan or Celtic salt to the water, available online or at most Health Food stores.

Other options for hydration include:

• Alacer Corporation’s Electro Mix packet, pour into a 1-liter bottle of water for a convenient and healthy alternative to sports drinks. This is also gluten free and sweetened with stevia.
• Coconut Water – Besides water, this is the most ideal hydrator. Be sure to purchase 100% pure coconut water with no added fruit juices, sugar or additives.  Grams of carbohydrate and sugar for an 11.2-ounce serving should be under 15.  Try O.N.E. or Zico brands.
• Suero Viv, Cultured Whey beverage is available at www.Livebeyondorganic.com.  This is a pricier, designer option for discerning sports enthusiasts.