The scorching sun is right above your head, and your throat is feeling dry and parched. You feel the urge to glug down anything and everything you can get your hands on (cold drinks, soda, energy drinks, ice cold liquids, ice candies, cold coffee, alcohol, smoothies, excessive tea, and tonics), but have you ever given a thought to whether those drinks are healthy?
Nothing can beat good old water. Always think before you choose to supplement water with any other drink to quench your thirst. Some might be good, some bad and some in excess may even be harmful. Let’s discuss them.
Cold drinks: Non-aerated liquids available commercially are packed with calories. They taste good due to added colors and flavours. They lack in electrolytes. It is advisable to have just plain water instead.
Soda:Any brand of soda is not good enough for you. They are full of empty calories with added fizz. You may pass more urine, leading to more dehydration.
Energy drinks: Energy drinks are for athletes who need instant energy especially after their second or the third round of exercise so that they can give their best in performance. These energy drinks are rich in calories and have high content of sodium and potassium. The only good they do to you is adding another layer to your waist.
Ice cold liquids: The temperatures may be high, but remember, you shouldn’t consume water directly from the freezer. The body temperature during summer is slightly higher than usual and the iced cold drinks that one drinks are too low in temperature as compared to body temperature. The body has to work more to bring this water to normal temperature, hence you feel thirstier and the thirst thus, is never quenched. On the contrary, what you develop is throat congestion and irritation.
Ice candies: Ah! We all love those candies. We can have two of them at a time. Having them occasionally is ok, but if you have one every time you feel hot, you will land up with throat infections during summers.
Cold coffee: The word cold coffee in itself is so refreshing. But we never think of the dryness that we feel in the throat after sometime. Everyone blames it on the heat, but it is actually the coffee that you just had which is making your throat dry. Coffee is rich in caffeine, and is a good diuretic. Hence it leads to dehydration.
Alcohol: Alcohol actually dehydrates you. It numbs your desire to drink water.
Smoothies: Those fruit blends in milk. They look so yummy and attractive. But they are loaded with sugars and calories. High sugar content makes you thirstier. Secondly, the milk in them is sometimes not acceptable by some during summers. As dairy products cause digestive troubles during summers like diarrhoea or vomiting.
Excessive tea: Everyone needs tea first thing in the morning to kick start the day. But drinking tea in large quantities and frequently in a day in the scorching heat leads to dyspepsia and other gastric troubles. Keep it to a minimum.
Tonic: This colourless liquid looks good and tastes good, but it is nothing but a free pack of calories. They are aimed towards giving you instant energy. Their use should be limited to when there is an urgent need to revive the blood sugar levels. Once taken it raises the body sugar levels to a maximum causing the body mechanism to work in a way to reduce these high sugars. In trying to do so, it actually reduces the amount of sugar in the body, and leads to more dehydration.
The conclusion to be drawn is all the above drinks are okay if taken in moderation. But the best way to keep one hydrated in this scorching heat is to keep drinking small amounts of water frequently.
