What Types of Liquids Count as Water Intake?
Staying hydrated is essential for maintaining your health, but it’s not always clear what types of liquids count as water intake. Fortunately, there are a few simple rules you can use to make sure you’re drinking enough fluids. Let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of calculating your daily water intake.
To get the most out of your daily water intake, you should aim to consume at least 8 glasses of water per day. Your body needs this water for many essential functions, such as maintaining your body temperature and lubricating your joints. Drinking liquids throughout the day helps you stay hydrated, but not all liquids are created equal. Water is by far the best choice for staying hydrated, but other drinks like low-fat milk, 100% juice, unsweetened tea or coffee, and vegetable/fruit juices can also be beneficial. Smoothies made from pureed fruits and vegetables can also contribute to an adequate liquid intake.
It’s important to note that alcohol does not count toward a person’s daily water intake. Alcohol can have diuretic effects which can lead to dehydration, making it important to drink plenty of water between alcoholic beverages to stay hydrated.
Water intake is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Many people are unaware that other liquids than water can contribute to daily hydration needs. The following types of liquids all count towards your daily water intake:
- Water
- Low-fat milk
- 100% juice
- Unsweetened tea or coffee
- Vegetable and fruit juices
- Smoothies made from pureed fruits and vegetables
What Counts as Water?
The most obvious source of water is, of course, plain old H2O. Drinking eight glasses of water per day—or two liters, if you prefer metric measurements—is generally seen as the gold standard for staying hydrated. But that doesn’t mean you need to stick solely to plain tap or bottled water; other liquids can also be counted towards your daily intake. This includes other non-alcoholic beverages such as unsweetened tea, coffee (without added creamers or sugars), and low-sugar juices like cranberry or grapefruit juice. You can even count milk towards your daily water intake if you drink it regularly!
What Doesn’t Count?
Unfortunately, not all drinks will help you reach your daily hydration goals; highly sugary beverages like soda or energy drinks won’t do much in terms of helping with hydration. Alcoholic beverages are particularly bad in this regard; not only do they contain zero nutritional value, but they can cause dehydration due to their diuretic properties (which encourage frequent urination). So while alcohol may taste refreshing at the moment, it won’t do much for your body in the long run.
Conclusion:
Overall, when it comes to meeting your daily goals for hydration, make sure that whatever liquids you imbibe are either pure H2O or free from added sugars and preservatives. This way you can ensure that any liquid consumption is beneficial to both your overall health and well-being! Being mindful of what types of liquids count as water intake will help ensure that you stay properly hydrated throughout the day.
