When we talk about a healthy diet or simply overall health, sufficient hydration is absolutely essential; without water, processes such as transport of glucose (sugar), oxygen and nutrients to the cells cannot take place. The kidneys cannot discrete waste products, our joints and eyes would not be lubricated, our digestive system would not function well and our skin and hair would no longer be healthy and glowing.
So how much do you need to drink? An average adult needs about 1.5-2.0L of water during the day. On hot days or days where you sweat a lot (through workouts, walks, or a big cleaning day in the house) you'll need even more. An easy way to check if you drink enough water is a bit weird but very easy: make a habit of taking a peek after each toilet visit.If your urine is slightly yellow you're good! If it's dark and thick you definitely need to drink more. Note: if you're urine is always crystal clear, you're probably drinking too much water and might be flushing out precious vitamins and minerals.
Okay, that's good and all, but how do we get enough water in? My biggest tip is to confront yourself with water all the time: take (preferably a big) bottle of water with you wherever you go, place it in front of you so it's more tempting to keep drinking water. The big advantage of a bottle is that you can easily keep track of how much water you're consuming: if the bottle is 0.75L, drinking 2 of them will help you hit the minimum water goal!
Next up: make it fun! I don't recommend drinking your calories (through alcohol, softdrinks or fruit juices) because they are generally high in calories and sugars and don't satiate at all. You can however add some natural flavor and colors to your water with different fruits and herbs. This adds some taste and offers great variation! Little sidenote: citrus fruits especially can be damaging for the teeth so make sure you don't add these all the time.
In the picture you can find some of my favorite add-ins:
Grapefruit & Rosemary
Lemon & Cucumber
Frozen strawberry & Mint
Other great tasting ideas are slices of ginger, lime or (frozen) raspberries!
Even though water is my preferred choice, tea and coffee add to your total hydration as well. Try drinking them pure (without adding sugar or milk) and play around with different herbal, green and white teas for more health benefits (among which less dental plaque and more anti-oxidants).
I hope this post is helpful, now go and enjoy your water!
Love, Laura