Keeping hydrated

Our bodies are 50 to 75 % water. We can survive without food for days, but would die without water within days, or hours in hot conditions.
Water is an essential nutrient. It isn't fuel, but it's needed for every process in the body, including digestion and metabolizing food. It's also used for cooling the body via sweat and remove waste products (in urine).
Dehydration doesn't just make you feel rough, in time can contribute to dry skin, constipation and kidney stones.
Do you drink enough water? Our body weight is approximately 2/3 water and losing only 1 or 2% van leave you feeling weak, lethargic and dizzy, or give you a headache. Don't wait until you feel thirsty. Thirst is a signal that your body is already on the way to dehydration, so it's important to drink before you feel thirsty and to keep your fluid levels topped up throughout the day.
Children and eldery people aren't very good at responding to their "thirst signals", so it's important to encourage them to drink enough water.
You should drink 1,5 litres of water per day, the equivalent to 6 to 8 glasses. You can get some of this from food, specially fresh, juicy fruits and vegetables, but you will need to get most of it from fluids, preferably pure water.
Herbal teas and diluted fruit juices count towards your fluid intake. Coffee and tea also count, even though caffeine is a diuretic, so increases the rate of fluid loss from your body and its water content in is not as hydrating as herbal teas or water.
Milk has a high fluid content, but it's more of a "snack" than a thirst quencher.
Fizzy drinks and squashes should be avoided because of the sugars and artificial chemicals they contain. And alcohol certainly doesn't count when you are trying to reach your fluid target.

You should drink more water if you are:

• In a hot environment, indoors or out
• In an aeroplane
• Suffering from a fever, diarrhea or vomiting
• Exercising strenuously

Stay hydrated tips:

• Start as you mean to go on. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning.
• Buy a 2 l bottle of mineral water and keep refilling your glass or use it to make hot drinks, throughout the day. If you don't want to keep buying bottled water, refill the bottle from the tap the next day.
• Keep a glass of water beside you throughout the day, and keep sipping from it. Drink little and often.Drinking vast quantities of water can dilute the levels of salts in your blood with dangerous results.
• Carry a small bottle when you are out and about.
• If you are not used to drinking much water, work up to your target gradually, to allow your body to adjust. Otherwise it could make you feel dizzy and give you headaches.