Hydration is a key component to feeling good and staying healthy.
There are many different beverages to choose from too keep you hydrated throughout the day.
Although plain, old water is an obvious choice, some people also turn to sports drinks and coconut water to keep their body hydrated.
Other drinks that many of us tend to consume on a daily basis, such as coffee and various types of alcohol.
Although, some of those drinks might be affecting your hydration in a negative way.
1. Coffee
Coffee is one of the most dehydrating drinks due to its caffeine content. However, one or two cups of copy will not leave you completely dehydrated. As per reports, you would need to drink nearly five cups of coffee per day to experience serious hydration impacts.
2. Tea
Even though tea contains less caffeine than coffee, it can dehydrate you if you drink too many cups of tea in a day. The caffeine in the tea can cause the body to release extra sodium and water from your body through urine, especially if consumed in too much quantity. Limit your intake of tea and make sure you drink plenty of water too.
3. Regular and diet sodas
A study found that enjoying chilled carbonated beverages increased consumer perception of hydration. However, these refreshers actually dehydrate the consumer due to their diuretic effects because of the sugar and caffeine content.
4. Beer, wine, and cocktails
Consuming alcohol will leave you dehydrated, leading to symptoms like pounding headache, dry mouth, and low energy. In case of wine, the average person produces 350 ml of urine for every large (250 ml) glass drunk. This results in a net loss of a third of a liter for every bottle drunk.
So if you are planning to drink alcohol, make sure you hydrate yourself with water before, during and after drinking the alcohol. Added sugar in cocktails will make them more dehydrating.
5. High-protein smoothies
High protein content in your healthy smoothies, along with any added sugar in the form of sweeteners, flavored yogurts, or juices, will produce dehydrating effects. Dark-colored urine and unexplained fatigue are signs of dehydration to watch out for.
6. Certain juices
Juices with high sugar content will leave you dehydrated instead of providing your boy with hydration. Beet juice, if consumed in high content, may make your body get rid of water. Lemonade will also lose some of its hydrating power due to added sugar in the drink, which is unavoidable in most cases. Celery juice is high in the amino acid asparagine, which is a known diuretic.