How to Stay Hydrated this Summer

Every single one of your cells in your body needs fluid to function properly. From regulating your temperature, to making digestion move smoothly, fluid is essential!

With the long days and hot temperatures of summer, we want to stay more vigilant about our fluid intake.

June 23rd is National Hydration Day – and I’ve got some tips for you to stay hydrated this summer! These tips are from my segment on CHCH Morning Live, discussing summer hydration!

The old myth of needing to drink “8 glasses of water per day” has been de-bunked.

It should be ~8 glasses of fluid per day, not just water. Of course this also depends on your age, gender and activity level:

For adult men: Closer to 3 L of water per day, ~12 cups*
For adult women: Around 2 L of water per day, ~8 cups*
*Source: Dietitians of Canada

Coffee and tea – Count towards hydration. The diuretic effect of these drinks does not cause dehydration; so count it towards your fluid intake!

Milk, fruit or vegetable juice and pop – Although fruit juice and pop are not ideal due to their high sugar content, they also count towards fluid intake.

Alcohol will cause dehydration. For every drink of alcohol, you should have a cup of fluid in a 1:1 ratio to offset dehydration.

In the summer, due to increased perspiration, you might want to drink more fluids. But you don’t have to rely on drinking to meet your fluid intake level, which brings me to my next point.

Many fruits and vegetables make great summer hydrators: they’re refreshing, filled with nutrients, and naturally low in calories.

Sliced cucumbers, celery, carrots – all are great ways to hydrate. But one of my favourite summer hydrating fruits is watermelon.

Did you know? Watermelon is 92% water, so it makes an excellent summer hydration fruit. Watermelon is also a source of the amino acid L-Citrulline which has been shown to aid in muscle recovery.

And Canadians LOVE watermelon! Last year we imported 300 million pounds of watermelon from the US!  For majority of the summer, watermelon comes from the states because they have the climate to support watermelon growing.

There are loads of fun ways to get more fluids into your everyday. Here are some of the recipes I discuss during my TV segment:

Because it’s 92% water, watermelon freezes very well. Here I made watermelon “ice cubes.” This is a great recipe to make if you have too much watermelon:

– Cut watermelon into small cubes and put on a baking sheet.

–  Put baking sheet in the freezer.

– 4 hours later, you have your watermelon ice cubes

– You use it like ice cubes!

Here’s another tip for summer picnics and bbqs: You can take your watermelon ice cubes, along with some other delicious fruits and make Watermelon Infused Water. Check out the recipe here.

A great hydrating and cooling treat for summer is Watermelon Popsicles. You can find the recipe here.

Here is another health tip about watermelon: watermelon is high in the antioxidant lycopene, which can protect against sun damage. This doesn’t mean forgo the sunscreen, but it’s a nice added benefit to eating watermelon!