You’ve probably noticed the increase in varieties of water available the past few years, from sparkling to flavored to zero-calorie to “infused”. But leave it to us humans to take something as simple and straightforward as water and convolute the beauty of nature’s best beverage to a point where we can feel pressured to drink anything but plain, old water.
Before we get too crazy
We’ll get to the fancy and pricey waters soon, but let’s review some basics that hold regardless of the type of “craft” water you choose to consume.
The 8-by-8 rule
Hold on tight, as current recommendations have increased the official fluid guidelines from 8 cups to 9 ½ cups for women and 12 cups a day for men, according to research conducted by the National Academy of Medicine. When striving to hit this target, remember that all beverages (save alcohol), count toward the target, so include water, tea, milk, juice, coffee, the fluid in soup, and any and all non-alcoholic beverages, in your tracking, not just water.
Tailor to your situation
All of these occasions increase fluid needs:
- Heat – we lose fluid through the process of perspiration to cool our bodies
- Exercise – loss increases both through perspiration and an increase in respiration
- Diet – high salt and high protein diets make the kidneys work harder and require more fluid to be filtered from the body
- Alcohol consumption – alcohol is a diuretic, so drink water along with your alcoholic beverage. (You’ll also decrease the chance of a hangover)
- Older age – our urine becomes less concentrated, so we have to go more often, the thirst mechanism that cues us to drink weakens, and many medications increase fluid needs
Know the signs
The above rules of thumb offer a good guide to hydration, but you can also use the ‘WUT criteria’ first thing in the morning: two of the three signal the need to up your intake of fluids.
- Weight – more than a 1% drop from average morning weight (ie) 1.5 pound loss for a person weighing 150 pounds.
- Urine color – apple juice or darker is not good
- Thirst – when it’s hard to make saliva
You can pay attention to your urine color throughout the day to stay hydrated, with the goal for light color, say the color of lemonade, as a good indicator of sufficient hydration. More color signals dehydration, and no color; overhydration, with the ideal between the two.
New waters making a splash
Protein Water. A low calorie protein drink with whey protein isolate added to plain water, with the name Trimino. Each 7 grams protein (the amount in an ounce of chicken) per 16-ounce bottle is touted by the manufacturer to “maintain and replenish energy and endurance, curb appetite, and provide hydration”. Independent analysis showed no better results than plain water for it’s claims.
Raw Water. This is unfiltered, untreated spring water, with the potential for contamination from disease-causing parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Even if the water passes the safety test for these bugs, save the $59.70 price tag for 12 liters of Tourmaline water.
Deep Ocean Water. Desalinated water from a deep ocean current, with the claim for a “unique blend of electrolytes and trace minerals that hydrates twice as fast as bottled spring water and a leading sports drink”. The electrolytes are sodium (we get plenty of this in our diet and most of us too much) and potassium (2 mg; a medium banana has over 400 mg). This is all hype, baby.
Alkaline Water. Water with a pH above 7, said to help neutralize acid in the bloodstream. It’s unlikely alkaline water can change the pH of our blood, as a liter would be a drop in the bucket of the 30-50 liters of water in our body, and our body maintains a stable pH level despite the alkaline or acid nature of foods and fluid being consumed.
Hydrogen Water. Water with added hydrogen molecules, promising to “boost endurance, minimize lactic acid, reduce fatigue, reduce inflammation and deliver powerful antioxidants”. You guessed it, no evidence to support the claims when researchers took a look.
Electrolyte Water. As it sounds, water with added electrolytes attempts to sell to those doing intense exercise for greater than an hour, with excessive sweating. The electrolytes that are lost in sweat are easily replenished consuming a variety of foods in your regular post-workout meals with plain water.
Coconut Water. The liquid from a young, green coconut, high in potassium (roughly equal to the banana per cup water) with minimal sodium (salt). Skip the 45 calories from naturally occurring sugars in the cup of coconut water, and you got it, eat food and drink plain water instead after high intensity workouts, the time when sodium and potassium could need repleting.
Go get yourself a nice big glass of ice water – you earned it after reading all that nonsense.
Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com
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