How to drink more water to hydrate and detox

Summer means catching up with friends, barbecues, parties and lots of fabulous food and drink. It’s great while it lasts but it can leave our bodies (and minds) ready for a detox as the weather cools down and the leaves change colour.

Detoxing doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the simplest ways to flush toxins from your body is to drink more water.

Water helps transport waste products such as urea and carbon dioxide out of the body through urination, breathing, and sweating.  It also helps the kidneys excrete waste and it improves digestion and nutrient absorption.

Staying well-hydrated has other benefits too – it prevents headaches and constipation, it improves muscle performance and improves mental and cognitive health.

How much water should we drink?

That seems like an easy question, but there isn’t a simple answer. It depends on how much we exercise, our age, the climate we live in, how much water we get from our food and even our metabolism. So you need to listen to your body and pay attention to signs you need to drink more. Feeling thirsty is one cue; another is dark-coloured urine.

However, as a rough guide, the New Zealand Heart Foundation recommends adults drink between 2 and 2.5 litres of fluid a day and children need 1.6 litres. While other drinks, including tea and coffee, can count towards your total intake, experts recommend drinking plenty of water and limiting beverages with added sugar and alcohol.

How can I drink more water?

Now we know why we need to drink water and how much we should consume. The next step is changing our daily habits to ensure we get enough fluids. We asked Te Atatu Toasted fans for their tips for making it easy to drink more.

1.   Keep a reusable water bottle with you – it is a visual reminder to drink more water and means you can drink water in any setting. Take a few mouthfuls when you are waiting in the car to pick up the kids, between errands or whenever you check your emails at work. Reusable water bottles are better for the environment than single-use bottles.

2.   Set alerts using an alarm on your watch or phone to remind you to drink water. You could set a reminder to take a few sips every 30 minutes or set an alarm every hour and commit to finishing a glass of water before it goes off.

3.   Replace fizzy drinks or sports drinks with a glass of water. It’s better for your health and your budget.

4.   Drink a glass of water before each meal—that’s at least three glasses a day! Plus, drinking before a meal can make you feel full, so you will eat less. It also helps your stomach produce digestive enzymes and gastric acids, which break down food. 

5.   Try adding flavour to your water – if you get bored drinking water on its own, add slices of fruit to a jug of water and keep it in the fridge. Cucumber, lemon, lime, strawberry or kiwifruit are popular options, but you can use any combination of fruit.

6.   Eat more foods with a high water content – these include lettuce, celery, zucchini, watermelon, cabbage, spinach, cucumbers, strawberries, peaches and oranges.

7.   Create routines such as having a glass of water when you get up or before bed.

8.   Add some sparkle – soda water or sparkling water counts towards your daily water intake and is a nice change for your tastebuds.

Later this month, we will explore the best ways to do a digital detox, how practising gratitude can detox your body and mind and why your oxygen intake is so important.