Summer Beverages

As the weather heats up and hydration becomes more of an issue, we should look at what we are consuming to replace the fluids that we are losing. Water is the most important fluid that we should be consuming because it is your body’s most essential nutrient. It plays a role in the regulation of body temperature, cushioning joints, facilitating digestion and building muscles and other tissues. If we fail to get enough water, this can cause dehydration. Dehydration can affect not only physical performance, but also mental performance. Dizziness, headache and muscle cramps are just a few signs of possible dehydration.

However, we often think that if it’s a liquid, it should be good for replacing the water we lost through sweat, but often the fluids we consume are not as good for us as we would think. Some beverages can be high in sugar and calories which can expand our waistlines. They can also contain large amounts of caffeine which can add to our dehydration levels because caffeine is a diuretic. A diuretic is a substance that causes us to urinate more than normal. Alcoholic beverages also contribute to dehydration by using available water and nutrients to breakdown and digest the alcohol in the body. All of these can keep us from properly hydrating our body’s loss of sweat.

Additionally, it is easy to consume a large portion of our daily calories through beverages without realizing it. An average 20 ounce soda has 250 calories. Think how quickly you can drink one of these when you are really thirsty on a hot day. How easy is it to just grab another? One bottle can equal 1/8 of your daily allotment of calories, considering a 2000 calorie per day diet. If you drink two or more of these a day, you are consuming a meal or more in liquid calories without any of the valuable nutrients that are commonly found in meal foods.

It is also important to take into consideration what else we are losing through sweat. We lose important nutrients involved in muscle contractions: sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Certain beverages are better at replacing these nutrients than others. Sports drinks usually have all four nutrients in them, while juices commonly have at least one. Milk has a good supply of sodium, potassium and calcium. Soda, coffee, and alcoholic beverages do not provide any re-hydration benefits. But keep in mind that sports drinks and juices also have sugar in them which can make them high in calories as well.

Try to be aware of what you are drinking this summer and remember to stay hydrated in both fluids and nutrients! See the list below for some smart and not-so-smart summer beverage choices.

Water	0 calories
Propel Water 23.7oz	30 calories
Red Bull 8.3oz	113 calories
Vitamin Water 20oz	125 calories
Gatorade 20oz	130 calories
100% Orange Juice	210 calories
Skim Milk 16 oz	160 calories
Chocolate Skim Milk 16oz	340 calories
Regular Chocolate Milk 16oz	440 calories
Minute Maid Lt. Lemonade	5 calories
Coke 8oz	100 calories
Sierra Mist 20 oz	240 calories
Coke/Pepsi 20oz	250 calories
Mountain Dew 20oz	275 calories
Michelob Ultra 12oz	95 calories
Bud Light 12 oz	110 calories
Budweiser 12oz	145 calories
Michelob Honey Lager 12 oz	175 calories
Bourbon, Tequila, Vodka, Whiskey 1.5 oz	100 calories
Wine 6oz	~135 calories
Mike Hard Lemonade/Bacardi Silver 12oz	240 calories
Strawberry Daiquiri 8oz	400 calories

Source: Madonna Hospital (madonna.org)