Staying hydrated sounds easy enough, right? Just drink plenty of water. Well, this may seem simple, but what if you absolutely can’t stand the taste of plain water? You can’t ignore your body’s hydration needs just because you’re not the biggest fan of H2O, otherwise, you’ll be more likely to experience fatigue, dizziness, low blood pressure, headaches, dry skin, dry mouth, constipation, and even UTI and kidney stones.
As you can see, proper hydration is crucial for your overall well being which is why we’ve compiled a list of some of our best secrets that’ll help you increase your fluid intake despite your dislike for water.
Drink Decaffeinated, Herbal Tea
Tea is basically just deliciously flavored water so why not utilize this fact to up your hydration game? Not only can decaffeinated tea provide you with extra hydration, but some herbal teas like green, peppermint, chamomile, and ginger teas can provide you with a multitude of valuable benefits like fighting bad breath, providing you with disease-fighting antioxidants, and reducing insomnia. Whether you prefer, citrus, floral, or spicy flavors, there’s definitely a decaffeinated tea out there for you.
Bringing your favorite brew to work has become the usual commonplace nowadays, so why not invest in a quality, insulated travel mug that can keep your drink hot or cold for hours on end? By doing so, you’ll be able to stay hydrated on the go while retaining your tea at the perfect temperature. If you’re unsure about which travel mug to choose, visit this URL where you’ll find a comprehensive guide to some of the best thermal mugs out there. Whichever mug you choose, make sure that it reflects your unique style and personal preference because if you choose a mug that you hate using or one that you’re embarrassed to be seen in public with, you’ll never stay on the hydration track.
Jazz Up Your Plain Water
If you don’t like drinking plain water, you might be more inclined to stay hydrated if it was a little more interesting. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to jazz up your ordinary water and add some refreshing flavor to it. Adding a couple of mint leaves or a few slices of lemon, ginger, or cucumber to your water bottle can instantly transform your boring, bland water into a much more exciting drink. Mint and lemon are a popular fusion, but you can play around with different combinations as you like.
If you want the flavor to pack a punch, let your add-ins soak for a couple of hours or even overnight; the longer you let them steep, the stronger the flavor will be. If you’re missing the fizz from your soda, you can still get the same bubbly effect without the added sugar and the artificial coloring by drinking sparkling water or club soda instead.
Eat Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables
Our food provides approximately 20% of our daily hydration, and, naturally, the higher the water content in our food, the more hydration it provides. This means that you can increase your daily H2O intake by eating your water. Fruit and vegetable salads are the perfect all-in-one choice for a fluid-boosting meal so go ahead and add plenty of fruits and vegetables to your diet, but keep in mind that when you cook them, they’ll lose a lot of their water so, ideally, you should try to eat them raw or just sauté them lightly so that they can retain most of their moisture.
Watermelon, cucumbers, lettuce, cantaloupe, grapefruit, celery, tomatoes, and zucchini contain a minimum of 90% water weight. Some of the other fruits and vegetables that are high in water content include radishes, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, oranges, strawberries, and grapes.
Soups and Smoothies Count Too
If you don’t want to eat your fruits and vegetables, you can drink them instead. Drinking clear or vegetable-based soups and smoothies can increase your water consumption while providing you with plenty of comforting and refreshing, fluid-filled options. Hot chicken-noodle soup and cold watermelon soup, as well as watermelon-berry smoothie and strawberry-mango smoothie, are some of the most popular choices that can effectively prevent dehydration.
Besides the options mentioned above, making oatmeal, yogurt, coconut water, organic fruit and vegetable juices, and milk (both dairy and non-dairy) part of your regular diet will also help you stay hydrated. So, if you’re one of the many people who are not that keen on drinking water but are looking for alternative ways to increase your fluid intake, try some (or all) of our secrets and we guarantee that every single sip will bring you one step closer towards a happier and healthier body.