Drink Up! by Robyn Webb Summer´s heat has us all reaching for a cool drink. Choosing the right drink could spell the difference in managing your weight and blood sugar. While it is tempting to try all the new drinks with fancy sounding names, most of us need nothing more than good old water to quench our thirst. Since most of us want a zippier flavor than the flat taste of water, I´ll give you more appealing suggestions for drinks to liven up your food plan. But first, how wonderful is water? Let us count the ways! To keep your body functioning in a normal state, you need a constant supply of water. You lose water weight through exercise and exposure to high temperatures. You also lose water through perspiration and even breathing. Consuming a steady stream of water is crucial to your health. Drinking water helps prevent fatigue, and helps physical performance. Water also has no calories, is low in sodium and contains no fat or cholesterol, all benefits for a person with diabetes. And you won´t find caffeine in water. Most people need an average of eight to 12 cups (8 ounces) of water a day. Whatever you body doesn´t need will simply be eliminated, so it is hard to overdo on water. You may need more water if you are exposed to extreme temperatures, very strenuous exercise, prolonged exposure to recirculated air like in airplanes, or have been ill. Even though it is summer right now, it is still important to stay hydrated in the winter. You still may perspire doing outdoor activities such as shoveling snow. Most of the country´s water supply can be considered safe, so drinking right from your faucet is fine. Drinking bottled water does have its advantages. It´s portable, and almost forces you to think about drinking water throughout the day. Some people like the taste of it better. In some areas of the country, the water supply contains more lead, so bottled water would make a much healthier substitute. Be aware that a bottled water drink becomes a soft drink if sugar, low calorie sweeteners and artificial flavors are added. Flavored waters with the essence of the fruit are great alternatives to plain water. So your number one beverage should be water. But if you tire of it easily, what would be another choice? While diet soft drinks are considered safe for people with diabetes, talk to your dietitian about the amount you should consume. In excess, diet drinks can actually cause more thirst and clearly they are not as healthy as plain water. They can be addictive, leaving little room for the consumption of water. Also be careful with fruit juices. As a glass of juice is made from several pieces of fruit, the carbohydrate grams can add up quickly. There is little fiber in juice as compared to the whole fruit. The calories add up quickly too. If you like the fruit taste, learn to dilute the juice with water and ice so you can "stretch" it out, yet enjoy the fruity flavor. Only purchase pure fruit juice, not fruit blends or fruit drinks. Low fat milk or calcium fortified soy milk are other choices. Remember that they are counted as carbohydrates, so you can´t drink them as freely as running water, but they can quench thirst and supply much needed calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamins A and D, and protein. One to two servings a day could be worked into your plan. Herbal, green and decaffeinated teas are other choices. Since teas contain less caffeine than coffee, it can be a better choice and a tastier alternative to all water. Most herbal teas are safe, but do check with your physician to be safe. Some herbal preparations can interfere with medications. Green teas have become all the rage in America. Although not all the studies are in on its benefits, green teas are especially delicious and decaffeinated versions are available. Plain decaffeinated black teas can be counted as water and can also be a flavorful choice. All of these iced for the summer, with the addition of some orange and lemon slices, makes a fine cool beverage. Make tea drinks yourself. Bottled iced tea with exception for a few companies that I have found (and I know they are not available all over country) are usually loaded with sugars that mask the true taste of quality tea. So while water leads the pack, consider these fun suggestions when you want a hot weather treat: To get the fruit taste without so many calories, consider freezing fruit juice in cubes and add them to plain or sparkling waters. Puree berries with sparkling water or low fat milk for a nutritious shake. Remember it contains carbohydrates and more calories than water, but what a delicious way to get your fruit! Steep decaffeinated teas with an infusion of cinnamon or cloves (add cinnamon sticks into the water or place cloves in a tea infuser). Then cool and add cold low milk for your own exotic chai tea. Make your own mock sangria. Combine 1 part low calorie cranberry juice cocktail with 2 parts water and add 2 oranges, 2 limes and 2 lemons cut into small pieces into a tall pitcher.
No, I can't take credit for writing it. The lady's a hawk not a Robyn. LOL! It came in The American Diabetes Association newsletter that I receive and I thought it was worth sharing.
Thanks for sharing this, ladyhawk. My favorite beverages are water and green tea, but in the summer, I also find unsweetened lemonade very thirst-quenching (just squeeze a couple of lemons into a large glass of cold water -- who needs sugar?) Another place you can get dehydrated without realizing it is a swimming pool. I always keep a water bottle poolside, and try to remember to drink from it. If I forget, I can suddenly find myself cramping up.
Also, if you're looking for fruit flavor, try "Fruit2O." It's made with Splenda, doesn't have any strange aftertaste or side effects. Personally, I prefer just plain water, but my wife loves the Fruit2O. Mike
Good article ... thanks ladyhawk. Those of us who are experiencing the height of their summer do have to keep that in mind. Just want to mention that a good rule for determining how much water/fluid to drink is to multiply your body weight by .75 and consume that number in ounces of water. So a 120 pound woman should consume about 90 ounces of water a day. Because of their diuretic effect, caffeinated beverages like coffee and some teas count only half the amount of actual amount. So an 8 ounce cup of java is only worth 4 ounces of fluid. Remember too that most fresh fruits and vegetables contain large quantities of water and so if you eat alot of them this will also reduce your overall fluid requirement. While training your fluid intake should increase. Consume 8 ounces of water for every 15 minutes of exercise. This will help to prevent dehydration and keep your performance high. I try to avoid regular tap water. It is filled with toxins that can have an adverse effect on your body. Instead, I drink natural spring water. It is virtually devoid of the pollutants that taint our reservoirs and keeps the body free of contaminants. Did you also know that cold water is absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water, ensuring a continued state of hydration. I wonder if that is the same for beer?? ... only it would be a continued state of inebriation
Hmmm, that's interesting. I heard that your body burns more energy/calories to absorb cold water because of the temperature.
As far as I know ... no. I did read that for men who drink warm liquids have less prostate problems than men who are always imbibing cold liquids. For constipation you should just always drink warm water ... it flushes out the kidneys Cold water also is the best method of staving off hunger until meal time, since it depresses the activity of the digestive system.
a tip for people that dont like the way their tap water taste. After you drink a bottle of water fill it back up with good ole tap water, put it in the freezer until its a solid block of ice then put in the that fridge and let it return back to water that way. this will get rid a lot of the bad taste and make it good to drink. It also gets rid of a lot of the chemicals that are put into water.
Either I don't understand or the above statement and the one you made earlier about cold water being absorbed more quickly seem to contradict each other. If cold water slows digestion then how can it be absorbed more quickly?
Mean't to say "warm" and not cold"... "oops" *edit suppossedly I understand it to be that warm water dilutes the gastric juices and slows digestion while cold water does the opposite.... I may be wrong as I am not a "aquatologist"
Hi Mike, If your wife likes Fruit20 tell her to try "Propel" Fitness Water by the makers of Gatorade. I like it better, it's about the same price and it's fortified with vitamins. I prefer the lemon flavor.
A 16.9 ounce bottle of lemon flavored Propel that comes in 6 packs has 20 calories which I don't think is bad at all.
ah yes.... the new enhanced or flavored waters may have an advantage over regular H2O. Taste preferences do change during physical activity and there is research that shows that some people tend to drink more when they drink a lightly flavored beverage. You can buy your water infused with electrolytes, vitamins (A, B, C and more), minerals (calcium to zinc), ginseng, guarana, taurine, caffeine, bee pollen, kava kava, gingko biloba, saw palmetto and echinacea. The real question is -... will it do you any good? When all is said and done, you are probably better off drinking plain old water and eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Water and produce are cheaper than fancy water bottles and their benefits are backed with years of scientific research.
Usually the amount of herbs put in drinks is such an insignificant amount that there are no real benefits from them. It's just a phycological benefit because people think they are getting something more for their money. Vitamins are regulated by the Food and Drug Adm. so the percentages and requirements are right on the label.
