VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Are you drinking enough water? How do you know if you are?
Health experts say it does so much more for your body than quenching your thirst.
"We're, like, 60 percent water and water is really great for us," said Ashley Moody, a registered dietitian from Sentara Healthcare. "It can help to lubricate our joints, help our skin stay nice and elastic. It's great for our heart functions, and helps with our cognitive function."
How much should we be drinking daily?
Ashley says it depends.
"So for women, it's nine cups a day," she said. "13 cups a day for men, but again, that changes depending on your health status [and] your activity level."
If you need help keeping track, Ashley said those water containers with liter level markings on the sides can be helpful. She also acknowledges there are other options besides plain H2O.
"You can also opt for things like sparking water or infused water," she said.
We asked for her thoughts on a bottle of Smartwater with ashwagandha and tangerine extract.
"What we want to look at is sometimes, in these beverages, added sugars can sneak in. So you want to check your nutrition label and we can see no added sugars have come in," she said.
Another option we showed Ashley was Sparkling Ice Kiwi Strawberry, with vitamins and antioxidants.
"So they've added some things to make it a little more enticing," she said. "We want to check to make sure there's no added sugar and, again, we can see there's no added sugar. It may have been sweetened with some other things, but that's okay, this is just a good way to help increase your fluid intake."
I took a swig and it really had a nice, fizzy taste!
Ashley said alcohol does not count toward fluid intake in a day because it has diuretic properties, meaning it will cause you to lose water.
Another way you can gauge your hydration levels is by looking at the color of your urine.
"So if you checked the toilet bowl, you're going to want to look for pale yellow color," Ashley said. "Anything darker than that might suggest that you need more fluid intake."
Meanwhile, if you're looking for some homemade alternatives to motivate you to drink more fluids, Ashley suggests adding fruit, like apple slices, some crushed ice, and maybe throwing in a few blueberries, to your water.
For additional information from Ashley and her health and wellness links through Optima Health for prevention and wellness, click here.To learn more about Eating for Life, a program with a variety of resources that can help you boost your health, click here.
