Healthy Hydration

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies
Date Published: August 12, 2009

Healthy Hydration

Believe it or not August has arrived. Accompanying August is hot, humid, hazy weather, which can take a toll on one’s health. It’s critical to stay hydrated. An increase in temperatures and humidity increases risks for dehydration and heat related illnesses. This calls for an increase in water intake, but what if plain water is just plain boring to you?

Lucky for you, the beverage industry has created a wide variety of flavored waters and sports drinks to help you stay hydrated and satisfy your taste buds. While some of these products are nothing more than an addition of natural flavors and sweeteners, others are packed with unnecessary sugar and carbs.
One of the best things about flavored waters is that they increase overall water consumption, and are a much healthier choice than sugar loaded soft drinks and juices. Here’s a breakdown of a few popular brands.

Best Choices:

Fruit2O (Natural Lemon Flavor)
8 fluid ounces contained 0 calories, 0 grams sugar, 0 gram of carbohydrates, 35 mg of sodium.

AquaFina Flavor Splash (Wild Berry)
8 fluid ounces contained 0 calories, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 65 mg of sodium

Dasani Essence (Black Cherry)
8 fluid ounces contained 0 calories, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 25 mg of sodium.

These flavored waters and anything comparable are great choices, because they have no caloric impact, are low in sodium, and come in a variety of different flavors to jazz up the most essential nutrient.

Runner’s Up

SoBe Life Water (Strawberry Kiwi)
8 fluid ounces contains 40 calories, 10 grams of sugar, 17 grams of carbohydrates, and 20 mg of sodium. An added benefit of this product is that it provides 100% of the recommended amount of Vitamin C to boost immunity, and 50% of the recommended amount of Vitamin E, which helps keep skin healthy, and even helps protect against ultra violet rays.

Vitamin Water (Essential)
8 fluid ounces contains 50 calories, 13 grams of sugar, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 0 mg of sodium, 70 mg of potassium.
Yes, this product contains 100% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C, but with all the artificial sweeteners, is it worth it? I would rather just eat an orange and drink plain water.
If you love Vitamin water try their low calorie version. It has the same amount of vitamin content as the original, but only 10 calories per serving.

Gatorade
8 fluid ounces contains 50 calories, 14 grams of sugar, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 110 mg of sodium, 30 mg of potassium.
The great thing about Gatorade and other similar sports drinks is that they contain a large quantity of electrolytes, carbs, and sugars that are necessary to help your body recover from excessive sweating usually as a result of intense cardiovascular exercise. Electrolytes- sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and bicarbonate, are essential for metabolic activities. Sodium and potassium are the most commonly depleted electrolytes during excessive perspiration. Many sports drinks such as Gatorade help to restore the electrolyte balance.

The bad thing about Gatorade is that the average person does not need it, but many people drink it, because it tastes good, and it is marketed as a healthy beverage. If you’re not dehydrated, excessively sweating, or completing an endurance activity you probably don’t need Gatorade. If it’s a hot day on the beach, and you’re active outdoors all day and choose Gatorade dilute the Gatorade by adding 2-3 servings of water to every serving of Gatorade.

Adequate water intake is by far the best option when it comes to staying hydrated, but if you’re looking to add a little flavor to keep you sipping more often, or need to replenish electrolytes on these hot summer days be sure to read the nutrition labels and consider serving sizes when making your decision.