Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Wednesday 15 March 2023

Britta Tried and Tested: How to Avoid Dehydration

 


Well, maybe you think: "Ah, that old chestnut!" 

Because we all know that we shall drink more water, that this is very beneficial for our health - and yet, the older one gets, the easier one forgets it. 

Well - me at least. I never drank much, and I am a non-believer in those huge amounts some doctors or health-gurus propose. 

I believe in the Japanese sight of things: drink water in moderation, listen to your body, when thirsty: then drink water. First. Or: with something else. 

But sometimes I just am lazy. Or forget it and do something else instead. 

Now my (simple) trick: I put a reminder,  "a fountain of water" on the kitchen table -  a glass pitcher and a tiny (!) glass always remind me to drink something (and the glass shows me if I did). 

It helps. Me, at least. 

Query: Do you drink enough? What do you do to reach standard recommendation? Do you feel an effect when you drink enough water? 




19 comments:

  1. That visual reminder is a good idea. As we age we don't feel thirst the same way. Hence the urging to drink water.

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    1. Yes, and most often I feel better when I drink it (in a moderate way, 1 litre per day is enough for me, as I drink black tea and coffee too - and though some say that those beverages dehydrate, I also read articles that they add to the "water"input. :-)

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  2. I've never been interested in drinking lots of water. That said, hydration is important and I've found a happy medium to good hydration. Electrolytes. I use a product called Nuun Hydration. You simply add one tablet to 16 oz. ( 475 ml) water and drink the naturally flavored water. The flavors are blueberry, strawberry and cherry. They are all good. For me, drinking flavored water is easier than unflavored.

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    1. Thank you for that tip, Susan! I looked it up on Amazon - sounds good, and as they offer us at the Fitness-Center water in many flavours, I think that it might be with electrolytes too - but I will ask, as till now I only take my water there pure.
      Calcium, magnesium and the lot I take via an evening pill - thus I have to look out not overdo it.

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  3. I do now. After a stroke I was having a hard time putting anything including liquids into my stomach. I have since read that often a feeling that you would like to have a nibble is actually a sign that you need a glass of water.

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    1. Thank you for that tip, dear Emma!
      To have a stroke must have been an awful experience, good that you can now eat and drink again.
      Whenever I feel that I want something sweet, I drink a bit of water, than wait, and if the craving isn't gone, I eat a piece of very dark chocolate.

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    2. Dark chocolate is my favorite sweet treat. I now eat low carb dark chocolate to try to follow my low carb method of eating.

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  4. I remember finding it difficult to get my mother to drink water and I consciously endeavour to not let this happen to me. For this reason I drink water frequently through the day.

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    1. It was the same with my mother, Rachel.
      I admire your discipline - I often need a visual reminder to drink enough water.

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  5. I am quite bad about water. I know I do not drink enough simply because I do become dehydrated and know it and must consciously get to a source of water.

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    1. Dear Joanne, please excuse me - I was on a journey, so I couldn't answer. Yes, "consciously" is the keyword - thus my jug of water as reminder.

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  6. What an excellent idea to use your gorgeous vintage jug! I must steal your idea. I'm totally in agreement with your water-drinking philosophy and have a tendency to not drinking enough, so have been trying to keep

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  7. Woops, a wayward finger pressed the wrong place :)

    Where was I? Oh, yes, trying to drink more water. I find that adding a bit of salt also helps, especially when I'm dancing, to keep cramps in the toes and calves at bay. Such a timely reminder!

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    1. Dear Pip, same excuses as for Joanne: I was travelling.
      I am glad that you like the jug! It is just the amount of water that I want to drink per day (added sre half a litre tea in the morning and two cups of coffee over the day).
      Adding salt I have to try - I think that goes into the same direction as the proposal of Susa, electrolytes? When I get a cramp (awful feeling!), I use a magnesium pill.

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  8. Does it have to be pure water? what about black tea with no sugar, Diet Coke, or soda water with lemon juice squeezed in?

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    1. Dear Helen, I think the Health Gurus would only "allow" the lemon, or the bubble - they say that black tea or coffee dehydrate too - though I found others who say it counts as fluid-drinking too. And I think: we do as we want - as long as we feel good.

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  9. For the last few years I have been drinking water throughout the day. A carbon water filter jug really helps. It just makes you feel better.

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    1. So you use the carbon filter, which makes the water softer?
      I use that for cooking the water for tea - which otherwise gets an ugly coat on it, because our water is so full of lime here. Have to try, though I am not sure whether lime in drinking water is valuable for our bones?

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  10. Generally I do drink enough water and I am not a believer in over drinking water. Animals only drink when they are thirsty. I keep a plastic water bottle, refilled from a tap at home and take it with me if I go out in warm weather. I can't say what the symptom exactly is, but I get a feeling that even if I don't feel thirsty, I haven't been drinking enough water.

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