Hydration

So, it was Nutrition and Hydration Week back in March (16^th to 22^nd) and we were proud to help in raising nutrition and hydration awareness worldwide.

Nutrition & Hydration week INFO:  The campaign’s mission is to create a global movement that will reinforce and focus energy, activity and engagement on nutrition and hydration as an important part of quality care, experience and safety improvement in health and social care settings.

Nutrition and Hydration Week is a collaboration between the Hospital Caterers Association, the National Association of Care Catering and the Patient Safety Domain NHS England.

Here is their story so far this year:

You can find more info and still make a pledge of support here if you’re interested: nutritionandhydrationweek

Our pledge of support to nutrition and hydration week was to focus on sharing info on hydration (as no nonsense nutrition is on the cards for us most the time).  We are going to do this in a two-parter, this week focusing on how to hydrate – especially as the humidity is ramping up and the Great British summertime seems to be approaching, it’s good to get some ideas on how to keep ourselves, our friends and families refreshed and hydrated during this time.  Next week we will focus more on the benefits of good hydration – why we need to drink water, its health benefits vs the consequences if we don’t have enough.

QUESTION: Do you realise we should be drinking to prevent the feeling of thirst, rather than waiting to feel thirsty as a cue to drink?  

QUESTION: Did you know approx 2 out of 3 times you feel hunger it’s actually just feeling thirsty and the signals getting a bit confused?  

QUESTION: Did you know by the time we feel thirsty we’re probably already about 2-3% dehydrated?  I know 2-3% doesn’t sound much, but studies show even this small amount can have a big impact on our energy levels.  Now take that into account if you’re exercising… If you reach 5% dehydration there is a noticeable reduction in performance and aerobic capacity of up to 30% - you will definitely feel that difference.

QUESTION: So how do we stay hydrated – how much should we be drinking each day?

ANSWERS:

On average in the UK it’s recommended we aim for 6-8 glasses of water per day – that’s about 1.5-2 litres.    Of course, this should be increased if we are exercising/sweating, as we will be losing fluids. 

Remember it doesn’t have to be just water in those 6-8 glasses a day - although that is the simplest and most of the time the best option.  I know some people just don’t like water and will drink anything but, so here’s a little list of other good sources of hydration:

If you don’t drink water because you don’t like the taste, how about giving it a different flavour?  You can do this by adding fruits/vegetables/herbs.  For example add mint, or a squeeze of lemon to refresh.  Add cucumber to a jug of cold water and let it rest a while before drinking – you will find the water delicately flavoured and refreshing.  How about adding fruits – summer fruits for example, or berries – again the flavours will spread if you leave it for just a while before drinking, so how about getting a jug and leaving it in the fridge?

Experimenting with temperature is also a good trick.  You might not enjoy ice cold water, but at room temperature it goes down well.  Or vice versa – warm or room temp water is no good for me, straight from the fridge, not the tap is the way to go in my house.  You can always boil water and drink it plain too – or add a few slices of lemon for a great cleansing and refreshing alternative to tea/coffee.

How about soda water, carbonated water, fizzy water, sparkling water?   

YOU COULD INVEST IN A SODA STREAM AND JUST ADD THE BUBBLES YOURSELF!!   If you grew up in the 70's/80’s this is probably your best option - Get busy with the fizzy!

And how about mixing that with some squash or cordial?  Low sugar varieties are probably best so you don’t rot your teeth and the smaller amount the better.  In a pint glass I’d say less than one finger squash, the rest water – still or sparkling.

Juice – fruit/veg juice is a great option.  Remember if you’re not making it yourself, then on purchasing go for the fresh, not from concentrate varieties  (one glass will also count towards your 7 a day fruit and veg intake, if you drink more than one glass it doesn’t count as 2, 3 or 4 of your quota though, so stick to just one a day and you’ll be grand).  Fresh juices are a bit more expensive, but most supermarkets have deals on own brand versions so it won’t break the bank.  

PS – how about mixing soda water with fresh juice instead of cordial/squash?  Seriously it’s really refreshing.  Don’t do it in the blender, but simply in the glass (using the supermarket fresh juice, or one you’ve made).  In a pint glass just use about 1 fingers worth of the flavour (as you would with squash/cordial) and top up with water – still or sparkling.  Less sugar, more water = better hydration, less tooth rot.

Of course you can always make your own juice – although I know it’s a lot of time and effort and let’s be honest – it’s a lot of washing up.  There is so much talk about juicing these days – no nonsense nutrition says whether you think juicing is good or bad – sometimes it’s just too much effort. 

Smoothies as an alternative to juices we are on board with though!  Get a blender – it doesn’t have to be snazzy (we use a £9.99 Argos own brand and it does the job!).  Blend up your own fruits and veggies, add water to get it going and make yourself a no nonsense thirst quenching, hydrating drink. 

  

There are so many options on what you could use, we recommend more veg than fruit, but while you get used to making smoothies you will probably use more fruit than veg because it’s sweeter.  Concentrating on hydration we recommend choosing and using fruits/veggies that have a high water content – eg cucumbers, melon varieties, juicy apples, berries, celery perhaps…. The combinations are endless, so try and try and blend away until you find something you like. 

Prepping for smoothies is also a great time saver, you can get all your ingredients together, bag it up and freeze it until you want to use it.  Just pop the contents into your blender each morning or whenever you're ready - you can always add a little more cold water to get it going and to add even more hydration to the mixture! 

Tea – good old builders tea is just great, we love a good cuppa, but it does contain caffeine which counter acts the hydration, so decaf would be a better option (same goes for coffee). With tea though, you could try green teas as they contain less caffeine per cup, or decaf green teas.  How about fruit teas / herbal teas?  There are so many brands and flavours, I’m sure you can find one you like.  As long as it doesn’t contain any caffeine it can be included in your 6-8 a day.  

Check these very simple and refreshing ideas out to make your own ICE TEAS: foodmatters - healing iced teas

Milk/milk alternatives.  In our opinion, you can count milk as hydrating – only one glass per day though will count so if you drink more it won’t go towards your quota.  If you are lactose intolerant and use alternatives such as hemp, almond or rice milk, this counts too.  Most alternatives are fortified with the calcium and vitamins you will also find in dairy versions, so you can class one glass of the white stuff in your daily dairy quota too.  PS McDonalds milkshake doesn’t count by the way, nor does any other “shake” shop or restaurant bought.

The other you can do is add ICE.  As summer approaches we all enjoy drinks a little chilled, so adding ice cubes to something with a little flavour may water it down without you noticing, adding water, adding hydration.  You could also make flavoured ice cubes, perhaps with a little mint, cucumber, lemon juice…. To add some zest to your sparkling water.

How about ice lollies?  Again as the summer is here/approaching(?) an ice lolly in the garden can be very hydrating and refreshing, BUT again we recommend making them yourself in the same way you do with the ice cubes – you can do adult ones with fresh mint leaves, berries, lemon or with frozen herbal teas.  For the kiddies adding fresh fruit juice mixed with water and fruits/veggies is a great idea.

Fizzy drinks – hmmmmm – I’m not gonna recommend them for the simple reasons we all know – they contain too much sugar or sweetener, most contain caffeine and obviously to get their colour and taste they also have many additives and preservatives that are best avoided.

Alcohol – anyone who has ever had a hangover knows alcohol dehydrates you.  If you’ve woken up with a tongue like Ghandi’s flip flop you will totally understand.  We are therefore not recommending alcoholic beverages as any of your hydrating 6-8 glasses a day. 

And finally now you have lots of ways to choose from to get hydrated – here’s a little idea of why that will lead us on to next weeks focus on the benefits of drinking water vs the consequences of dehydration.

**If you are of ill health, a pregnant woman or a child under 16yrs, please be advised water consumption guidelines may differ**

**Please remember this is nutritional advice ONLY (as is all other information and advice contained in this blog and the websites and social media related to it) – none of the info or advice is intended to override anything your GP or health professional tells you**

For more info please email me here or at info@nitakothari.cominfo@nitakothari.com

You can also get involved via:

facebook

twitter @nononsensenita 

instagram

pinterest

www.nitakothari.com

And of course Google+ this and find/follow our Google+ profile