If you’ve been outside in the heat lately, it’s important to remember to stay hydrated. Water is essential to our bodies to live. As a matter of fact, we are made up of nearly 60% water! With so many ways to get water it doesn’t have to be boring! According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the average male needs 12 cups of water and the average female needs 9 cups of water per day.
Flavor your Water. There are many ready-to-drink options available for flavored water, regular or sparkling. To save cash, you can flavor it yourself. Try slicing up your favorite fruit and adding it to a pitcher of ice-cold water. This is a great way to get a tasty and refreshing treat of hydration! You can also find sugar-free drink mixes at the grocery store to add a nice touch to your water and give it some pizazz! This is another great way to make drinking water less boring and help you be more apt to drink it!
Hydration from Foods. Some foods contain very high amounts of water naturally. Some good water-containing foods are:
- Vegetables: zucchini, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, iceburg lettuce, broccoli, spinach
- Fruit: watermelon, grapefruit, strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes
Who doesn’t love some watermelon on a hot summer day? And to think you could also be hydrating while you’re at it!
Track It! It really does seem like there is an app for everything these days. One helpful app you might want to download is one to help you track your water intake! There are many choices available, which allow you to set goals and make it a game or challenge to reach your intake recommendations for the day. The app can send you reminders if you are having a difficult time reaching your water intake goals. A few other water-drinking apps are: My Water, Water Reminder, and WaterLama.
Find What Works Best for You. To really reach your goals, you may have to perform some trial and error. The most important tip is: it must work best for YOU! You might even try marking on your water bottles by tallying how many times you’ve filled up your bottle. If you love flavored water, go for it. If you’re savvy with technology, maybe the app would work best. I encourage you to try out a few different ways of getting your water intake up. Stay hydrated, my friends!
Try this recipe for Strawberry-lemon infused Water!
Ingredients:
½ of a lemon, squeezed and 3 strawberries, sliced
Directions:
Add ingredients to 16 ounces of water and allow to refrigerate for up to two hours for maximum flavor. Sip and enjoy!
Author: My name is Mackenzie Boyett and I am a senior dietetics student at Middle Tennessee State University. I will be completing my dietetic internship at Texas A&M University beginning in August, 2020. My passions lie in both nutrition and exercise, and my career interests include clinical nutrition and sports nutrition.
Reviewer: Pat Brinkman, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension
References:
Gordon, B. (2020). How Much Water Do You Need. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Available at https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/how-much-water-do-you-need
Let’s Move Pittsburgh. (2019). Foods High in Water, Available at https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/assets/documents/Foods_High_in_Water.pdf
Live Healthy Live Well 
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