Health
Related: About this forumThe Foods That Keep You Hydrated
No paywall link to NY Times article below.
I posted this because I listened to a radio program about how people in arid countries get the necessary amount of liquid in their diet. I didn't think too many people would listen to the program, but now the NY Times has an article about it which has essentially the same info.
I have trouble drinking the required 8 glasses a day (article says there is no evidence that we need to drink that much). Turns out you can prevent dehydration with fruits and vegetables, too.
Water doesnt have to come in eight 8-ounce glasses daily. Fresh fruits and vegetables, and various beverages, are viable sources of hydration.
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Fresh fruits and vegetables are ideal sources because not only do they tend to hold high water content, but they also have fiber, which provides other benefits for your diet and health. Melons, such as watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe, are especially juicy. Strawberries, oranges, grapes, cucumbers and celery are also packed with water.
Beverages of all sorts can be hydrating. Juice, milk, tea and coffee each contain fluids that your body can use. Drinks with high sugar content may not be the best nutritional choice, but research shows that sugar-sweetened beverages are just as good as water at delivering fluids to your system. In the heat of summer, of course, frozen desserts like ice pops and sorbets are handy vessels for liquid consumption.
You can achieve, and exceed, your daily fluid requirements through the ingestion of beverages and high moisture foods without drinking a single glass of plain water, Dr. Hew-Butler said in an email.
Caffeinated drinks can be hydrating, too. Though caffeine is often deemed a diuretic, or dehydrating substance, research shows that consuming coffee or other caffeinated beverages has about the same hydrating or dehydrating effects as if you just drank water especially if youre a regular caffeine consumer.
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No paywall link.
cilla4progress
(25,904 posts)After filling and dragging around water bottles with me - and not drinking them - for years, I developed this system that works great for me.
I have a 20 oz. metal water bottle. I fill it 3 times a day, spaced out several hours, and drink each one.
It literally take me less than 3 minutes to drink one!
It's amazing!!
phylny
(8,585 posts)I'm going to try it
cilla4progress
(25,904 posts)20 ozs. bottles seems to be the magic number. I have at least 4 of them!
I know you aren't supposed to drink all your water at one sitting, so, I reason if you space these out over the day, that should work?
And then, as the OP says, all the added water from foods and other beverages throughout the day - should keep you hydrated!
I will say that my husband and I, both 67, are active and healthy. We rarely get sick, and whenever I do feel off, I find more often than not that hydrating (drinking water or herbal tea) really helps!
SheltieLover
(59,605 posts)I spent 14 hrs in ER a few wks ago, severely dehydrated. I drank as much water & took in electrolytes like crazy when I got home, but could not rehydrate.
Until I ingested a healthy amount of bioavailable flax oil. Very rich in omega 3.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-health-benefits-of-omega-3
Can anyone tell me why med pros don't put some omega 3 in rehydration iv bags? I was so dehydrated, I had a deep crease on bridge of nose. 2.5 iv bags later, still severely dehydrated. I guess my body couldn't use the saline solution without omegas.
Tadpole Raisin
(1,509 posts)search about the recommended 8 glasses of water a day.
Every article he looked at mentioned it with reference to another paper in the listed sources. As far back as he went there was no supporting scientific evidence presented showing 8 glasses of water a day was necessary.
Its purely anecdotal carried forward for decades.
He estimated that for women it is 4-6 glasses and for me it is 6-8 but I guess that is no more valid than 8.
I never tried to follow the guidelines after that.