HYDRATION 101
By Caroline Allen, Nutrition coordinator
In collaboration with Marion Champagne-Cliché,
Nutrition stagiaire (University of Ottawa)
A beautiful, hot summer is on its way! Unless you spend your days in the pool, you must make
sure you are well hydrated. With 70 percent of our body composition being water, it is important
to consume enough water to maintain adequate hydration and enjoy the summer season to the
fullest.
Why drink water?
Water not only quenches our thirst and cools us down, it also, among other functions, transports
nutrients, cleans the blood, lubricates our tissues and joints, and helps regulate body temperature. This
precious liquid is within everyone’s means. Available in various forms (tap, mineral or sparkling) and
different flavours (lemon for instance) there is no reason to go without water!
How much should you drink?
A sedentary male needs about 2.5 litres of water a day while a sedentary female needs 2 litres. A rule
of thumb is that you should drink one millilitre of water for each calorie consumed...
When the volume of physical activity increases or the temperature or humidity level rises, you should
hydrate yourself more to restore the fluids lost through breathing, sweating and urinating.
§ You must drink between 400 and 600 ml of water in
the 2- to 3-hour period before exercising.
§ You should drink between 150 and 350 ml of water
every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
§ You should, ideally, consume a sports drink during a
long bout of exercise.
§ You should drink another 500 ml of water in the hour
that follows a physical activity.
Water is essential for survival
Let’s take the example of
Bobby Sands, the hunger
striker, a volunteer in the
Irish Republican Army, who
refrained from eating for more than two
months to defend a civil rights cause. It was
thanks to the water he drank, “fortified” with a
few pinches of salt, that his body was able to
adapt to this period without food. Be careful
though, don’t try it at home!
What about other drinks?
Fruit juices
The juices from fresh fruits that contain no added sugar are a good choice. They do,
however, have a high carbohydrate content that contributes to caloric intake, even
though they are of natural origin (fruits). You are better off drinking water if your goal is
hydration.
Sports drinks
These drinks are, in fact, water with caffeine and sugar (except a few products that are
unsweetened or artificially sweetened). It goes without saying that drinking plain water is the best
way to hydrate yourself, since added caffeine and sugars are neither necessary nor desirable.
Alcohol
Of course there’s no harm in having a drink on the patio or in a restaurant; excess is the
culprit, as with everything else in life. Some cocktails can contain a lot of sugar and calories.
Don’t forget though that for each alcoholic drink, you should drink a glass of water.
DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE THIRSTY TO DRINK - Carry your water bottle around with you all the
time and make a habit of drinking before you feel thirsty. A well hydrated body will assure you health
and vitality!
FLAVOURED WATER
A pitcher of cold water
with ½ sliced cucumber
or ½ lemon cut into wedges
or 2 limes cut into pieces
or ½ cup (125 ml) frozen cranberries
Flavour the pitcher of water with one of the above ingredients.
Refrigerate and serve with ice cubes.
HOME-MADE ICED TEA
§ 2 bags of green, white or black tea
§ 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water
§ 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of sugar
§ 1 cup (250 ml) of cold water
§ optional : ½ cup (125 ml) of light grapefruit juice
§ fresh mint sprigs
Place the tea bags in a large teapot (or a saucepan) and pour boiling water over them. Cover and
leave to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the sugar to the tea. Stir to dissolve.
Let cool.
Pour the cold water and (optional) grapefruit juice into a pitcher. Add the cooled tea. Serve in
glasses filled with ice cubes and garnish with fresh mint. Serves 2.
61 calories 15 grams carbohydrate 0 gram protein 0 gram fat per serving