How to stay hydrated

Monday, January 20, 2014

English Tea Shop herbal teas

It's important to stay hydrated properly and of course water is your best option but how many of us can claim to stick to that all day? Did you know that tea and coffee are diuretics? Maybe you didn't. Diuretics promote the body to produce urine and so in fact drain the body of more water than necessary. Drinking regular tea and coffee all day therefore is a really bad idea! My grandmother (under the watch of two carers) took a turn, perceived to be akin to a stroke so paramedics were called to the scene (3 turned up, all guns blazing) which turned out to be a dizzy spell caused by dehydration, the result of too much tea and not enough water. Do you get headaches through the day? Could be too much tea or coffee. Be warned.

So what should we drink instead? Well, if like me you can't face glass upon glass of good old H2O then fruit teas and herbal infusions are a great idea. There are hundreds of different varieties you can pick up so whatever your taste there WILL be something you like, trust me. I was given quite a few new selection packs for Christmas and I'm rather excited to be trying them, they sound great. I discovered Fruitbroo late last year and want to try more flavours.

fruita nd herbal infusions

Above is my current tea selection, Twinings are reliably good and the others were bought for me. There is is my beloved peppermint tea; a must to start the day with a very large mug of this. I firmly believe that a good night's sleep and a large hydrating and invigorating beverage is the right way to start the day instead of an IV of strong coffee. Most evenings I like to sip upon a large mug of Twinings camomile honey and vanilla infusion as it's delicious and of course, caffeine free. Favourites are Raspberry and Echinacea, Blackcurrant and Rhubarb, Blackcurrant and Vanilla as well as (not pictured) Blackcurrant and Nettle.

Twinings fruit infusions

There are many conflicting studies out there regarding the positives and negatives of coffee, caffeine and green tea. Who knows what is in fact the truth? Personally, I like to think it's wise to have plenty of hydrating beverages, a cup of coffee and a nice mug of green tea each day. (Don't forget that green tea has caffeine and is a diuretic too, unless you buy decaf). There are plenty of alleged health benefits to green tea and let's face it, there has to be if it tastes *that* bad to start with, though I've become so accustomed to it now that I don't even notice the flavour. If you've been put off it then do persevere. I love fruit juices but after being berated by my dentist, I try drinking them through a straw in an attempt to save my teeth from being eaten away by the acid.

Water can be jazzed up with the addition of a slice of lemon, lime or orange if you're feeling super holy. I indulge in a little weak squash but am planning to try more waters in an attempt to be a little more grown up.

Are you guilty of dehydrating? Have I persuaded you to make any changes?

Sophie

You Might Also Like

5 comments

Popular Posts

Disclaimer

Sometimes I am sent items to feature as part of a post and these will be clearly mentioned as part of each post.Everything else is bought by myself. Any sponsored or collaboration posts will be clearly marked. Each post is my own content and all opinions are honest.