6 Tips for
Staying Hydrated
Start each day with a glass of
water (no ice). Drink it down before you have coffee, tea or juice. It will
help replace fluids lost overnight and get your hydration efforts off to a good
start. Also fill a water bottle you can take with you in the car, or keep with
you and refill during the workday.
Eat two or three servings of
fruits and vegetables at every meal. They are brimming with water and include
the minerals that help your body absorb and use it properly. Keep in mind that
most processed foods (including sugars, flours, salty snacks and processed
meats) result in a lowering of the body’s water table. Eating a lot of meat
puts pressure on your kidneys and tends to increase your body’s need for water.
Establish regular water breaks,
if possible. Tailor your drinking to meet your needs. For instance, drink an
extra glass of water if you worked out or didn’t squeeze enough fruits and
vegetables into your day.
Substitute sparkling water and
low-sodium vegetable juice for soda and fruit juice. While it’s true that all
beverages count toward your daily tally, the sugar in regular soda and fruit
juice, as well as the chemicals in diet versions, can trigger a host of
unwanted reactions in the body, including blood-sugar spikes.
Install a Structured Water unit
in your home and use a portable unit at the office. Resort to bottled water
when you must, but beware of the drawbacks: It’s expensive and environmentally
wasteful, the plastic contains harmful chemicals that can leach into the water,
and there are no guarantees that bottled water is any better for you than the
water flowing from the tap.
Cook with high-quality sea
salt. A good, unrefined sea salt is rich in trace minerals, which are key to
cell health and hydration. Bonus: Sea salt is also lower in sodium than table
salt.