The new rules of hydration

When you’re in a work groove, glued to a laptop or blazing through meetings, it’s easy to forget about basic hydration. Then suddenly it’s 15:00 and you haven’t had a sip since…does iced coffee count? Cue the dehydration headache. Even when you do drink enough water, your IG feed can make you feel behind the curve. Who new H2O could be so complicated? Dietician Tammy Jordan gives us a splash of common sense.

 

 

Q: Traditional hydration “rules” state that drinking eight glasses of water a day is ideal. Is this true?	A: Though widely held, this belief isn’t supported by research. The Food and Nutrition Board published this recommendation in 1945(!!!), despite no scientific backing. Yes, it’s important to drink water throughout the day, but if you don’t hit eight glasses, you’re more than likely getting enough through food and other sips.
Q: Recently, there’s been a trend on social media of drinking at least 3 litres of water a day. Is this actually a healthy goal?	A: “Proper” hydration depends on body type, activity level and climate. Your body is well adapted to signalling when you need to drink, so respond to its cues. Generally, there’s no harm in downing 3 litres a day, except for people with heart failure or kidney disease who can’t process that much.
Q: What do you recommend for proper hydration in day-to-day life?	A: Start your day with a large glass of water. Not only will this rehydrate you from sleep, but it’ll also support good cognitive health and energise you first thing in the morning. Throughout the day, keep a large refillable water bottle at hand to encourage yourself to drink, especially when you exercise. And if you don’t like plain water, add some sliced fruit or flavoured electrolytes.

 

 Until next week!

Have a great Tuesday!