When the heat is on it’s important to keep your fluid levels up, but for the whole summer, only sticking to drinking water can become pretty boring. For anyone working outside like landscapers, street crews, police men and women, kids at camp or if you enjoy walking or cycling to and from work all summer long it can be challenging to keep up your water intake throughout the day.
Remember that tempting cool drinks drinks like pop, milkshakes made with milk or ice cream, iced coffee and juice are more dehydrating on your system. Ice tea made from herbal tea bags is an excellent way to have a more jazzy drink.
Also to jazz up water, add in some lemon, grapefruit, orange or lime slices and keep refilling your bottle. Berries and mint make not only a beautiful glass to drink or try adding some cucumber and mint for something little different. An insulated water bottle helps to keep it cool while you are out and about or are on the go.
Many foods have a high water content so adding any of these foods into your lunch box or dinner after a long, hot day will help to keep you hydrated and so your energy levels up.
- Cucumber - chopped it up and eat at will or add slices to your water
- Iceberg lettuce - while not packed with as many nutrients as leafy greens, enjoy mixed with other leaves in a salad or use as the bun or wrap for your barbecued burger
- Celery - serve with pumpkin seed butter and raisins and with a dip like hummus
- Radishes - cut up and add to your salad or eat raw with a dip
- Tomatoes - summertime offers many different varieties. Serve on your burger, eat straight up and or serve with basil and cheese
- Green peppers - any coloured peppers, but green in particular. Enjoy slices, eat whole like an apple or serve with dip
- Cauliflower - cut up and drop into boiling water for about 5 minutes to soften or eat raw with dip
- Watermelon - blended for a drink in juice box containers and slices
- Spinach - add into salad above and with the burger
- Strawberries - gobble up on their own or pack in a bruise proof container
- Broccoli - similar to cauliflower, quickly steam or drop into boiling water for 3 - 5 minutes, cool and serve on top of a salad or cut up into pieces for a side to your salad
- Grapefruit - squeeze juice and half with water in your insulated cup or try in your Juice In A Box container
- Baby carrots - enjoy different colour varieties, munch raw or try with a new dip
If you find yourself thirsty, you are moving into dehydration. The easiest way to know if you are hydrated is by the colour of your urine. Ideally you want it to be pale straw colour. Darker coloured urine indicates a lack of water intake. Keep drinking until your urine becomes paler.
As well as drinking about 2L of water each day, enjoy coconut water, dilute juice and smoothies made with water.
What’s your favourite food or drink to stay hydrated?
Products shown courtesy of Well.ca, Staples.ca and Drink In a Box (available at Staples.ca)
