Whilst stuck indoors getting over my cold, I had to drink plenty of liquids to keep me hydrated and you’ll all know from my previous blog posts, I’m not a fan of drinking water as it is-come to think of it, I don’t know many people who jump at the chance of drinking water unless they’re a fitness bod! On my doctors advice, I’ve been told to drink hot and cold liquids to soothe my very sore throat (with the bonus of ice lollies and ice cream – can not go wrong with that diagnosis!) and keep hydrated by drinking as much liquids as I can. So in my sick time of need, what counts as water and towards my 2 litre daily recommended intake?
Water for all of its benefits is just not as sexy as the likes of green tea, yet we’re supposed to drink as much of it as possible as it’s critical to keeping us hydrated and our bodies functioning. Our bodies are made up of 60% of water and every part of our bodies from our hair to our toes, needs water to keep us functioning. Water is important for healthy skin, hair and nails, as well as controlling our body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure and as us pregnant women know, blood pressure is super important for both ourselves and also for our unborn children.
What are we recommended to consume daily?
According to Nutrition UK; “The amount of fluid you need depends on many things including the weather, how much physical activity you do and your age, but European recommendations suggest 1.6L of fluid per day for women (about 8 200ml glasses) and 2L of fluid per day for men (about 10 200ml glasses). This is on top of the water provided by food you eat. You can get water from nearly all fluid that you drink, apart from stronger alcoholic drinks such as wine and spirits.”
Can you drink too much?
Yes – drinking excessive amounts of fluid is not helpful and, in rare cases can be dangerous. If you are passing urine frequently and your urine is very pale, you may be drinking more than you need.
So what is deemed as acceptable to count towards your water intake?
Fruits
- Fruits are an excellent source of water.
- Watermelon is 90% water, which ranks the highest on the fruits list.
- Tis’ the season to be jolly and oranges are an excellent source for water intake.
- Grapefruit and melons are also great for your water intake.
Vegetables
- Vegetables don’t contain as much water as fruit but you can still get water from each portion.
- These vegetables include celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and Romaine lettuce.
Milk
Milk is a good way to refuel and an added bonus, calcium. Calcium is an essential nutrient for all of our cells, and if we don’t consume enough, our bones release some of their stored cache to maintain precise levels in the blood.
Hot drinks
- Drinking tea or coffee helps hit your daily water intake, even though they contain caffeine, drunk in moderation, hot drinks are a good source of water intake.
- Herbal teas count towards your daily water intake, so stock up on all that green tea, there’s no harm in drinking a lot of it!
Fruit smoothies
If, like me, you love a fruit smoothie in the morning, you’ll be pleased to know that not only do they give you water, they also give you the vitamins and minerals your body needs and, and counts towards your 5-a-day. Just one 150ml glass of fruit juice counts as one portion of fruit, but try not to drink too much of it as they do contain a lot of natural sugar which is acidic and can potentially harm your teeth.
Don’t be fooled!
Don’t be fooled by the likes of soda water or fizzy drinks. They may hydrate you for a short period of time but they’re mostly made up of sugar and won’t give you the hydration your body really craves, no mater how satisfying they may feel at that moment in time.
Don’t forget, us pregnant ladies are advised not to drink more than 200mg of caffeine a day.
Missy, Me & Him 