Stop Drinking Water

We are in a bit of a hot streak so many people are trying to figure out how to drink enough water. There are various methods including: put lines on a bottle to mark how much water you should be drinking every hour; fill mason jars every morning and drink them throughout the day, carry a water bottle on your hip everywhere you go, add slices of lemon to it to make it taste yummier, and I’m sure there are plenty more ideas. I’m going to add mine to the mix: stop drinking water!

Here are some quick facts: New studies have shown that there is no specific amount of water that every individual must drink every day. Rather, our daily water requirements vary depending on out health, weight, activity level, and where we live. Signs of a good amount of water intake include not feeling thirsty through the day, adequate amounts of saliva, and light yellow or clear pee.

So now that we know how to make sure we are hydrated enough, let’s stop counting how many glasses of water we drink per day. It was about 30 deg C here today (that’s about 86 F for my American readers). Pretty hot for this part of the world. Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. I’m also breastfeeding which means I should technically drink an extra 2-3 cups of water per day.

I had a total of one cup of water.

Eeek! I must be dehydrated, right? Um, no. I also had a cup of coffee, a few cups of milk, a popsicle (okay, maybe I had two!), steamed veggies, and some iced tea. My mouth is watering (possibly because I’m thinking about popsicles), my pee is light yellow (just what you wanted to know about me, right?) and I’m not thirsty. Adam pretty much never drinks water but he is the most hydrated person that I know. He drinks iced tea. Unhealthy amounts of sugar-filled iced tea. (I’ve been trying to convince him to try homemade iced tea but his iced tea is an area he is not willing to compromise).

So stop drinking water. Or at least don’t drink 8 glasses per day of it. Here are some options to try instead:

• Milk (my personal favorite)
• Fruit or veggie juice
• Iced Tea
• Coffee
• Tea
• Fruit (or veggie) smoothies or milk shakes (yummy simple recipe: frozen strawberries, and Costco’s forzen fruit medley clended with cold milk or grape juice. Add a banana for sweetness)
•  Fruit and water-filled veggies (watermelon, lettuce, grapes etc)
• Popsicles (fill a mold with OJ for a refreshing treat)
• Yogurt

What is your favorite non-water way to stay hydrated?