Summer Wellness: Staying Hydrated in the Heat
Beat the Heat: Essential Tips for Staying Hydrated This Summer
Staying hydrated is a critical and oft overlooked strategy to staying healthy and vibrant. The NIH estimates that 50% of people, globally (including within the United States) are chronically underhydrated. Making hydration a habit and optimizing your water intake is critical to any health practice. Understand what to look out for when it comes to dehydration, our favorite summer hydrating tips, and our view of electrolyte supplements.
Here’s our Bala-approved summer hydration primer to keep you cool and refreshed.
Understanding Hydration
Your body needs water to maintain its basic functions and processing. Water supports cellular function temperature regulation, flushes out toxins, and plays a vital role in transporting oxygen, nutrients, and hormones through your body. It’s the oil to the engine of the human body. Beyond that, water is essential to gut health by maintaining mucosal barriers, gut motility (digestive tract contractions), and the microbiome itself. When you’re dehydrated, you’re disrupting your body’s ability to function at the most basic level.
The Signs of Dehydration
The human body’s great at flushing out excess water, so if you’re thinking about taking a drink - go for it! Odds are higher that you’re dehydrated rather than overhydrated, and we can’t overstress the importance of drinking enough water throughout the day.
Now that you’ve got that cup of water in hand, here’s some common dehydration signs - feeling thirsty (duh!), feeling tired, dizzy or a little light-headed. Beyond that, if you feel yourself licking your lips due to dryness or not being able to recall the last time you went to the loo, you’re likely dehydrated.
In the warmer temps of summer, you’re also sweating more - which is actively pulling water from your body to your skin to cool you. In the heat, stay hydrated - you’re keeping your body cool and your gut (and many body systems) on track.
If you’ve been drinking a lot of water, but don’t quite feel like you’re operating at your best, chances are you are under-mineralized. Symptoms of being under-mineralized include muscle cramps or spasms, irregular heart rhythms, fatigue, low energy, frequent headaches or brain fog. Read on to understand how to tackle under-mineralization.
Drink Better (Water)
Not all water is created equal. Optimized hydration has as much to do with the quantity as the quality of your water’s source. Good water contains important minerals that support all aspects of body function.
Spring water is perfectly mineralized and glass-bottled spring water is the most straightforward way to optimize your hydration. Our favorite spring water brands are Dasani and Fiji. Dasani is purified tap water, meaning it’s gone through reverse osmosis and remineralized for taste and health. Similarly, Fiji is able to market itself as “spring water” as it has come from a natural source in the ground. This means its mineral content is naturally balanced and naturally occurring. When you can, shop and drink spring water.
While many people default to tap water, it’s often filled with various contaminants like toxins, heavy metals, fluoride, and even traces of medication. If you are drinking filtered tap water, many important minerals have likely been reduced or filtered out completely.
The same goes for purified water (e.g. non-spring water) sold in plastic bottles - it’s low on naturally occurring minerals and potentially contains toxins and pollutants. Consider the mineral content of your water and seek out mineralized or spring water if you can. Don’t think just quantity, but also ponder your drinking water quality. Doing so can create a huge life and health upgrade.
If you are drinking tap water, we highly recommend filtering your water. There are plenty of solutions out there: pitcher-style filters, in-faucet filters, under-counter filters, and even whole-house filtration systems that rely on either carbon filtration or reverse-osmosis. If you filter your water, we also recommend remineralizing your water with trace mineral drops, remineralization filters, or by adding a pinch of pink Himalayan salt to your glass! It’s an easy way to get the benefits of mineralized water.
What you’re drinking your water from is also of major importance. Avoid plastic water bottles, if you can due to forever chemicals like PFAS, which can hijack your health and disrupt your hormones and immune system.
For your own health and that of the planet, we’re big fans of bringing your own stainless steel reusable water bottle when you’re on the go. And when you’re at home, why not enjoy some glass-bottled spring or remineralized water? Feel luxurious and get hydrated.
Heat-Beating Hydrators
Optimized hydration goes beyond drinking the right type of water. Other great hydrating fluids include milk, coconut water, broths, and teas. And beyond those, there’s a myriad of fruits and veggies that can keep you hydrated. Here’s our best hydrating foods. Add a pinch of sea salt to all (and any) of these for added hydration benefits and better gut health.
- Cucumbers: With a 96% water content, cucumbers are a great way to stay cool. Eat them solo as a snack or combine them with some dill and sour cream for a simple salad.
- Watermelon: Blend your watermelon into an agua fresca (add a bit of mint!), grab a few slices, or mix with feta and mint for a delightful salad. With water in the name and a 92% water content, watermelon is one of our favorite summer snack hydrators.
- Celery: We love celery for so many reasons. One of which is its 95% water content and easy snackability. Dip it in hummus, nut butter, or a bit of leftover dressing and you’ve got a cool and delicious snack.
- Pineapple: With an 86% water content, pineapples are a great way to get a bit of sugar and hydration into your summer days. Slice ‘em, add them to a fizzy water, or build out a fruit salad for some summer hydration delight.
- Bell Peppers are also a great hydration choice at 92% water. Eat ‘em raw, dip them in hummus, or cook them up with some other veggies for a healthy, hydrating choice.
What About Hydration Supplements?
Hydration supplements are having a hot supplement summer! (See: #watertok, #watergirlies, #wateroftheday). But are they worth it?
Hydration supplements can help your body become and stay hydrated. Supplements often include electrolytes (like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride), a carbohydrate (such as glucose or sugar), and vitamins (often vitamin B or C). While these additions can support the absorption of water, their proportions and mix can change how your body reacts. If there’s too much sugar, the supplement may actually work against your health goals! Similarly, those watching their salt or sodium intake may do well to check the label and understand what is actually getting “supplemented.”
Lastly, those supplements with caffeine (which is actually a diuretic) are definitely working against the goals they claim to be supporting. Make sure you read the label and look at your full vitamin, nutrient, and supplement consumption before adding a regular hydration supplement to your summer wellness routine.
While for the most part supplements are safe, they’re also not necessary. A well-balanced diet filled with nutrient-dense foods should support your hydration if you are drinking adequate amounts of ideally mineralized water. As always, listen to your body, keep an eye on overall health goals, and pay attention, record, and explore what works best for your body. And don’t forget a pinch of sea salt can go a long way!
Stay Refreshed with Bala
At Bala, we’re dedicated to providing personalized, unique full gut support to help you understand what works best for you, your body, and your health goals. A lot of the vegetables listed above that help you reach your summer hydration goals are part of our various programs to help you caretake your microbiome and stay feeling your best.
Try either our 2-week Essential Reboot or our 6-week Pro System to understand what works best for your body and health.
Your hot human summer awaits. Level up your gut health with a Bala program. Blast past being hydrated and start feeling your Bala best.