Help yourself to a selection of naturally flavoured waters on Monday 14th May, available at The Centre and Alive & Well.
Lemon, lime and orange
Water Melon and Rosemary
Pineapple and Mint
Blackberry and Sage
Your body needs water or other fluids to work properly and to avoid dehydration. Water makes up about two-thirds of the weight of a healthy body. Most of the chemical reactions that happen in our cells need water in order to take place. We also need water so that our blood can carry nutrients around the body and get rid of waste.
How much should we drink?
To stay healthy, it’s important to replace the fluid we lose when we breathe, sweat or urinate.
We get some fluid from our food, but most comes from drinks. The European Food Safety Authority recommends that women should drink about 1.6 litres of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day. That’s about eight glasses of 200ml each for a woman, and 10 glasses of 200ml each for a man.
However, the amount a person needs to drink to avoid getting dehydrated will vary depending on a range of factors, including their size, the temperature and how active they are. So, for example, if you’re exercising hard in hot weather you’ll need to drink more.
All drinks count, including hot drinks such as tea and coffee, but water, milk and fruit juices are the healthiest. It is best to avoid alcoholic drinks.
Signs of dehydration
When our bodies don’t have enough water, we are said to be dehydrated. One of the first signs of dehydration is feeling thirsty. If you think you may not be getting enough fluids, check whether you have any of these other common signs of dehydration:
- dark urine and not passing much urine when you go to the toilet
- headaches
- lack of energy
- feeling lightheaded
Drink plenty of water
Water is the healthiest choice for quenching your thirst at any time. It has no calories and contains no sugars.
Fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies contain a variety of vitamins that are good for our health.
A glass (150ml) of fruit juice counts as one of your recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables. However, juice can only ever count as one portion a day, no matter how much you drink. This is because it doesn’t contain the fibre found in whole fruits and vegetables.
