- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
Don’t Drink THIS If You’re Thirsty!
Photo credit: bigstockphoto.com
You may have heard talk about how the average person should drink 64 ounces or 8 glasses of water each day. This number proves to be overwhelming for many. Our bodies are nearly 70 percent water, and increasing our water intake on a daily basis is helpful to our bodies in so many ways. However, it can be very tempting to supplement water drinking with the intake of other beverages. Some of these beverage choices can make a person thirstier, and even have some adverse health effects if consumed in large amounts. Here, we will talk about some of the most popular beverage choices, and why you shouldn’t drink these to quench your thirst.
1. Fruit juices
Many fruit juices contain some benefits. However, the benefits that they do have can be outweighed by high amounts of sugar. True, fruit contains sugar naturally, and this is not a completely bad thing. However, many fruit juice manufacturing companies add even more sugar to their juices. Sugar has been shown to have an almost addictive quality. When you drink something too sugary, you may experience a temporary energy boost, but this will often be followed by a sugar crash a couple of hours later.
2. Beer or other Alcohol
Beer and other alcoholic drinks are a popular choice, especially if you are at an evening social event. Alcohol is a very ‘social’ beverage, and it is easy to get carried away if you are at a party or chatting with friends. Alcoholic beverages can make you thirstier over time, because many cocktails are what is known as a diuretic, which means they actually draw water out of your system. This is why you may find yourself running to the restroom frequently if you have several drinks while at a gathering.
Alcohol is also a depressant, which means that your reactions and judgments will become slower as you continue to drink. You may even find yourself craving saltier foods while drinking, which only leave you thirstier.
3. Coffee
Coffee is another popular choice for drinking when you are thirsty. Like alcohol, coffee is a diuretic. Even the fancy, flavored coffee drinks will draw water out of your system. As a result, you run to the restroom, and you are not replacing the water being drawn out of you. Coffee with sugar and creamer also has added fats and sugars. The combination of sugar and caffeine can elevate your energy for a short time (about two hours), and then you will feel a crash in energy. So if you are after a beverage to quench your thirst, coffee is also not the best choice.
4. Soda
Another hugely popular beverage, soda comes in caffeinated and non-caffeinated forms. Soda combines caffeine and sugar, which again give you a short energy burst, followed by a crash. The large amounts of sugar in these beverages make them addictive to your taste buds, and you may end up craving several sodas a day. However, most of these beverages are full of additives and sugar, which will not give your body the hydration it requires.
5. Energy or Sports drinks
Finally, many people swear by energy drinks. Some of these drinks have electrolytes in them, which put salt back into your body. This is helpful if you are working out hard and sweat a lot. Your body will lose a lot of sodium as you sweat, and these beverages put some of that sodium back into your system. However, many energy drinks also contain high levels of caffeine or sugar, which negates the good benefits of the electrolytes.
INTERESTING TO READ: 12 Unbelievable Health Benefits In One Six-Pack (#9 Is Our Favorite!)
There are many beverages you can choose to drink when you are thirsty. Almost all of them are okay, but in small amounts. Water is still hands-down the best choice. You can add carbonation; add flavor by adding fruit, veggies, and herbs to your water; and switch between water and another beverage choice. This will help you to break up the monotony and ensure that you are satisfying your thirst with enough water every day. The other choices might be fine in moderation, but only water will truly nourish your body and satisfy your thirst.
References:
