Which Fluids and Foods Dehydrate?
We all know how important it is to remain properly hydrated, but that doesn’t just mean ensuring we make regular trips to the water cooler and eat water-rich foods every day, it also means avoiding those foods or drinks which can counteract our good efforts and leave us dehydrated. And a popular myth to dispel right from the get-go is that a cup of coffee or tea is dehydrating. Although the caffeine inherent in both is dehydrating, it is offset by the water also contained in your cup so the odd drink will not adversely affect your system, in fact it counts towards the ‘eight glasses a day’ rule of thumb many of us follow.
So, what should you be wary of? To begin with avoid excessive consumption of diuretics – these are foods or drink that increase urination. Most notably amongst fluids is alcohol – beer, wine and spirits are all diuretic, and apart from the obvious unhealthy and potentially dangerous side-effects of overindulging, too much of it in your system literally wrings you dry. Which explains why you have that nasty ‘dry mouth’ feeling after a heavy night of excess and why you’d give all you own to wake up to a water cooler right next to your bed. Too much of certain foods can also play a role: mangoes, fennel, artichokes and asparagus are all diuretics, so avoid eating too many of these foods particularly if you’re not hydrating in other ways.
Next on the list is eating too much high-protein foods. While most healthy eating plans incorporate all food groups, there are some popular plans that encourage upping protein in favor of reducing carbohydrates. While this eating plan might work for some, one thing to keep in mind is that because protein is harder to digest than carbohydrate, our body not only has to work harder, but it also uses ‘more water to flush out the naturally-occurring nitrogen in protein’ – as noted by Monica Reinagel a board-certified, licensed nutritionist who features regularly on the Huffington Post.
And lastly there is salt and sugar to consider. Too much of either of these can also be detrimental in terms of remaining properly hydrated, not to mention the other more obvious health concerns like diabetes and high blood pressure. When you eat too much salt or sugar your body needs more and more water drawn into the intestine in an effort to dilute the excessive amounts you’ve eaten, which can ultimately leave you parched.
In short, if consumed in moderation, none of these foods or drinks will cause dehydration; but if consumed in excess, without increasing your trips to the water cooler to right the balance, dehydration is a concern. So, keep it mind the next time you’re inclined to overindulge on cocktails, steak and rich desserts.
Water Cooler Benefits – Health benefits of installing an AquAid Water Cooler
Recently, I wrote an introductory blog as a start to a series about the benefits you gain when installing any water cooler from a wide range on offer from AquAid.
One of the benefits mentioned was how, wherever your location, having a water cooler from AquAid installed provides access to chilled (and hot) drinking water throughout your working day.
In this blog, we’re discussing another of these benefits – that of the benefits to your health and well-being.
Throughout our busy days, we often forget to keep up with the simplest aspect to good health – drinking sufficient water. When we don’t drink enough water, the impact on us can be swift and distinctly unpleasant – just a few examples are:
Quick to tire;
Lethargy;
Lack of concentration;
Inability to perform the simplest calculations or tasks.
In any work environment, we all know how vitally important it is to be able to perform at our peak each day. An essential part of increased work performance is ensuring that we drink enough water. More often than not, though, access to drinking water isn’t always available, often isn’t visible and due to this, the importance of keeping ourselves hydrated slips our notice.
Many of us aren’t drinking enough, especially if we’re stuck at a desk all day. Not having easy access to a water cooler, or even not having a water dispenser in clear view, can result in poor hydration habits, which leads to poor work performance.
That’s why installing a water cooler from AquAid benefits you enormously. With a wide range of high quality water coolers designed to meet your drinking water requirements, promoting your own healthy hydration habits as well as those of your staff and co-workers hydrated couldn’t be simpler.
We’re here to assist – contact us at AquAid without delay.
Exercise and the Water Cooler
Dehydration is not something that only happens to athletes – it can occur regardless of age, circumstance or fitness levels – but the process is often accelerated when we exercise, so it’s especially important before we begin any activity that we make the water cooler our very first stop.
When we work hard our bodies heat up, and in an effort to prevent heat stroke and lower our core temperature, our bodies perspire. If the weather is warm or if we’re being particularly strenuous, our bodies continue to perspire in an ongoing effort to bring about balance, but this ongoing act can leave us dehydrated. A good indicator of our hydration levels is the color of our urine. If it’s pale and nearly transparent our body is properly hydrated, but if it’s dark in colour we run the risk of being dehydrated and should replenish with drinking water immediately.
To avoid dehydration, the most important thing to remember is to plan ahead. If you’re exercising at the gym, be sure to fill your sports bottle at the nearest water cooler before you begin your training. Remember to take frequent sips of water and if you’re going to be exercising for longer than an hour you might want to switch to electrolyte-enhanced drinking water. If you’re looking for an extra source of electrolytes try bananas and dates; both have high levels of electrolyte potassium and help your body refuel during a strenuous workout.
How much water you need will depend on how much you sweat – the bigger you are and the more intense your work-out, the more you’ll tend to perspire. This is also true if the environment is hot and humid. If you want to work out how much water you’ll need to replenish hydration, an easy way to figure this out is to weigh yourself before you exercise and again after you’ve exercised – for every kilogram of body weight you lose, be sure to drink up to 1.5 liters of water.
Be aware of feeling light-headed, this is a typical sign of dehydration. When you don’t have enough water in your system, your blood pressure can drop which is what causes the dizziness. If this happens remember to slow your pace and visit the water cooler to increase your water intake. Remember too that you should continue drinking water throughout the day, even after your workout, as it can take your body a full day to recover from the ill-effects of dehydration.
