1. Be cautious when hydrating in the morning
Many women consider drinking water upon waking a daily ritual, hoping for its benefits like promoting bowel regularity, lowering blood viscosity, and making their skin look radiant. But how can you hydrate more healthily in the morning? Actually, there's no hard and fast rule; morning hydration should be personalized.
For individuals who are lean, fair-skinned, or have a "cold" constitution, it's not advisable to drink milk, juice, or cold water that is below body temperature in the morning. They can opt for warm soups or congee instead. Freshly squeezed juice is not suitable for an empty stomach in the morning and should be consumed with breakfast, even in the summer.
Morning hydration should avoid salt. Thick meat soups or salty wonton broths are not suitable for the morning, as they can only exacerbate the body's thirst and dehydration. 2. Hydrating before meals is best for the stomach
Do you need to hydrate before meals? Won't that dilute stomach acid and affect digestion? Western meals often include an appetizer course, the principle of which is to stimulate the appetite, lubricate the esophagus, and prepare for the meal. In the same vein, hydrating before a meal serves a similar purpose. Before eating solid food, first drink a small glass (about 100 ml). This can be room-temperature juice or yogurt, warm rock sugar chrysanthemum water or light tea, or a small bowl of rich appetizer soup—all excellent ways to nourish the stomach. 3. Drink more "invisible" water
Some people seem to drink no water all day, but that's because they get enough water from their food. Food also contains water; for instance, rice is 60% water, and congee is even richer in it. A look at a food composition table shows that vegetables and fruits generally contain over 70% water. Even if you only eat 500 grams of fruits and vegetables, you can get 300-400 ml of water (that's two glasses!). Furthermore, daily diets often emphasize a balance of solid and liquid foods, so obtaining 1500-2000 ml of water from three meals is not difficult. Why not make full use of your meals to hydrate? Choosing more fruits, vegetables, and unsalted soups and congee can be very effective for hydration. 4. Remember diuretic foods
So-called "diuretic foods" are those that increase the body's water excretion. For example, foods like watermelon, coffee, and tea contain diuretic components that promote urine formation in the kidneys. Grains, vegetables, and fruits contain dietary fiber, which can bind large amounts of water in the intestines, increasing stool weight. Spicy and stimulating ingredients can promote the dilation of surface capillaries, leading to profuse sweating and loss of surface moisture. Whether it's about replenishing or draining water, both are means of achieving the body's water balance. 5. Chugging water has nothing to do with beauty
When the body lacks water, the skin can appear dry and dull. Drinking too little water can also easily lead to constipation, and skin is prone to small breakouts. However, while this is true, the effect of simply drinking water on skin quality and complexion is limited. Yet, many vitamin-fortified drinks now market themselves as beauty products. For example, a dairy-based drink containing Vitamin B6 claims to "make skin smooth and supple," and there are quite a few such "beauty vitamin" drinks on the market. Standard nutrition textbooks do not mention its beautifying effects. Fortunately, consuming more of it is not dangerous and may even help prevent coronary heart disease, so it can be considered harmless. 6. The "danger" in water
Boiled tap water may contain high-chlorine compounds that are carcinogenic. If left for a long time (e.g., overnight), the water quality can "age."
Nowadays, various home water treatment devices have emerged, similar to once-popular mineral water pots. Such equipment has subsequent maintenance issues, much like water dispensers, and can become a source of secondary contamination of drinking water. 7. The science of drinking sports drinks
You should not drink plain water or high-concentration fruit juice before or after intense exercise; you should drink sports drinks instead. Sports drinks should contain a small amount of sugar, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and various water-soluble vitamins to replenish what the body loses and needs during exercise. Drinking plain water can dilute the blood and increase sweating, further worsening dehydration. The high sugar concentration in juice slows down its emptying from the stomach, causing discomfort during exercise. The specially designed concentration of minerals and sugar in sports drinks prevents these adverse reactions. The temperature of sports drinks also matters; too high is not conducive to lowering body temperature for cooling, and too cold can cause gastrointestinal cramps. It should generally be cool, with a temperature around 10°C. 8. Be wary of sour-flavored drinks
Many fruit drinks use citric acid as a flavoring. Excessive consumption of citric acid means a large amount of organic acid enters the body suddenly. When the intake exceeds the body's capacity to process acid, it can disrupt the body's pH balance, leading to acidosis and causing fatigue and drowsiness. This is especially true in the summer heat, when heavy sweating causes significant loss of electrolytes like potassium, sodium, and chloride—alkaline components. Large amounts of sour drinks can more easily make body fluids acidic. Therefore, it is not advisable to over-consume sour-flavored drinks with added organic acids in the summer. 9. The trap of sweet drinks
If the first thing you think of when thirsty is a soft drink, that's quite dangerous. The sugar content of Coke, Sprite, and Fanta is 11%, which is higher than that of many fruits like watermelon, apples, and oranges. A 350 ml can of Coke contains the same amount of energy as a slice of bread, an ear of corn, or 250 grams of fruit. The sugar content of various juices is similar, and sometimes even higher. Vitamin drinks that look like water, such as Pulse, He/She, or Activate, also contain 3% sugar. Drinking a large bottle (600 ml) of this can have a considerable impact on your weight. Indeed, there have been unfortunate cases of people developing diabetes from excessive consumption of sweet drinks. 10. The downsides of light salt water
Light salt water refers to a solution with a salt concentration similar to that of the body's fluids, containing about 1 gram of salt per 100 ml. It has several uses in daily life:
One, to replenish water and sodium lost after heavy sweating.
Two, to replenish water and salts lost due to diarrhea and maintain electrolyte balance.
Three, to rinse the mouth to remove bacteria and reduce redness and swelling from oral and pharyngeal inflammation.
However, light salt water is not suitable for people with poor heart function or high blood pressure, especially in the morning when blood viscosity is highest. Drinking it can worsen dry mouth and promote an increase in blood pressure. 11. Seeing through "fancy" waters
Purified water, after multiple filtration processes, removes various microorganisms, impurities, and beneficial minerals, emphasizing drinking safety. It is a soft water, and many believe it lacks nutrition and that long-term consumption is unhealthy, but this view has not been proven.
Mineral water is a natural resource, extracted from deep underground strata, rich in rare minerals and slightly alkaline, which should be more beneficial for health. However, the possibility of organic contamination cannot be ruled out.
Mineralized water is an artificial mineral water prepared by adding a concentrated mineral solution to purified water in proportions similar to the human body's concentration, representing a new height in drinking water technology. 12. If you love sports, you must know how to hydrate
Hydration during exercise should follow these principles:
One, don't wait until you're thirsty to hydrate. By the time you feel thirsty, you have already lost 2% of your body weight in water.
Two, hydrate before, during, and after exercise. Drink 250-500 ml 2 hours before exercise; drink 150-250 ml immediately before; drink 120-240 ml every 15-20 minutes during; and after exercise, replenish 1 liter for every 1 kg of body weight lost. 13. Frequent hydration is not wise
When the body is in a stable state, drinking 1000-2000 ml of water daily to keep urine clear and abundant is normal. However, if you consciously or unconsciously drink large amounts of water, there may be a problem. First, it may indicate that your body is in a state of dehydration, which can be caused by a high-temperature environment, heavy sweating, or a high-salt diet—in which case, rehydration is necessary. Second, if you have hyperglycemia, pituitary or kidney dysfunction; or are suffering from an infectious disease like a cold or fever; or have a urinary tract infection, or are even a patient with hyperuricemia, then actively drinking large amounts of water is also appropriate.
For a healthy person, however, there is no need to drink more than 2000 ml per day if you don't feel thirsty. It only puts a strain on your kidney function. 14. There's no benefit to drinking too much Vitamin C drinks
Many new drinks on the market contain Vitamin C. The benefits of Vitamin C are well-known; to prevent deficiency, the human body needs 60-100 mg daily. The Vitamin C content in "Qoo" is 3-30 mg/100 ml, "Pulse" is 25-50 mg/100 ml, and "She" is 15 mg/100 ml. This means that drinking one bottle of such a drink can meet your daily Vitamin C requirement.
So, what if you drink two, three, or more bottles? Could you get Vitamin C poisoning? Fortunately, Vitamin C has a wide safety margin, but don't think that "more is better." Excessive intake can lead to urinary tract stones, osmotic diarrhea, and high-dose Vitamin C dependence.