One of the better-known pieces of health advice is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Indeed, this is one of the most important and simplest ways to significantly improve one’s health. Almost all drinks you could consume contain water to some degree. However, this is not the same thing as saying that every drink is good for hydration.
So, you might believe that simple water is the best hydration option, but things are a little more complicated there as well. What, for example, is “simple water”? Any water that we consume (excepting perhaps purified water) contains myriad other substances besides the H2O molecule. Some of these are beneficial for us while some are not. Moreover, when it comes to deciding what type of water is best for hydration, there is much to choose from here as well. Synergy Science, a company specializing in innovative heath products including hydrogen water, say that it is indeed the search for the best hydration drink that fuels interest in many of their products.
How Does Hydration and Dehydration Work?
To understand how some drinks can be excellent for hydration while others can actively inhibit hydration, it is important to understand how hydration works. A drink can contain water and still dehydrate you if it effects your diuretic system in such a way as to encourage more water to leave your system than you are actually consuming when drinking it. This is the most important principle to bear in mind. When more water goes out than you are putting in, you will get dehydrated and suffer all the attendant problems.
Obviously, it is not the water that causes this, but rather the other contents of the drink. Therefore, even very “watery” drinks could dehydrate you.
Best and Worst Drinks for Hydration
If you want to work out a daily hydration plan that truly optimizes your water intake and keeps you constantly hydrated throughout the day, the trick is to know which drinks will do the job and which will not. Here follows then some of the most notable from both camps (and let us leave out water):
Best Hydration Drinks
Milk
Milk is included here because it is surprising. Despite how thick it can be, milk is a positive hydrator. It also comes packed with protein and calcium.
Fruit Juice
Sugar promotes dehydration, so we need to be careful when turning to sweet drinks. Nevertheless, pure fruit juice is usually about 85% water and does not contain excessive amounts of sugar.
Sports Drinks
Like hydrogen water, sports drinks rave about their exceptional hydrating power. They are actually onto something. The electrolytes (salts) in sports drinks promote hydration by retaining water in the body.
Worst Drinks for Hydration
Here follows a few drinks to avoid if hydration is your goal:
Coffee
Coffee is fairly safe (although not proactively good for hydration) in moderate doses. However, after a second cup, the amount of caffeine contained within is enough to start dehydrating your body.
Soda
The bad thing about soda where hydration is concerned is the sugar and caffeine content, both of which are substances known to cause dehydration. A soda might sound refreshing on a hot day, but only in the immediate aftermath of drinking it.
Alcoholic Drinks
Alcohol is a major culprit for dehydration; indeed, it is one of its primary effects. The discomfort of a hangover is known to be primarily related to dehydration. The higher the alcohol content, the more dehydrating the drink.
To fend off dehydration on a daily basis, it is important to not only know what to drink but also what to limit too.
