Stay hydrated and stay healthy all summer

Everybody knows, summer means hot weather! In order to cool off during a heat wave, there’s nothing better than an ice cold drink (well, maybe a dip in the pool).

There is one snag. Many of these options are much higher in calories than water…the hydrating powerhouse. However, despite having ingested all those liquid calories, we’re still hungry. Think about it, a medium sized iced coffee from the corner shop contains between 420 and 520 calories, which is the equivalent of a complete meal!  Other high calorie drinks that we need to steer away from, because of their sugar content (hence their calories) are : soft drinks, commercial iced teas, juices, cocktails, slushes and milk shakes.

Okay…what should we drink?

Water, water, water! You can’t say it often enough. As a rule, we need at least 2 liters of liquids per day, all liquids considered. It is to our advantage though if the majority of these 2 liters come in the form of water. Other than tap water, many options do exist that can add flavour without adding calories :

• Fruit flavoured water : Slices of citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit), whole or squashed berries, cubed pineapple, mango or melon…even thinly sliced cucumbers are very

• Add some fresh herbs along with the fruit. Basil works best with berries or pineapple, mint with citrus or cucumber is a great combo. But don’t be shy to try your own pairing with other herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme!

• Steep some tea and make your own sugarless iced tea : Make 1 to 2 liters of your favourite tea, add a half of any sliced citrus plus two handfuls of any fruit (whole or sliced), and refrigerate. Try a classic black tea with lemon and strawberries, a green tea with lime and blueberries or a white tea with orange and peaches.

• Buy tea blends or herbal teas: These teas are sugarless and made from fruit and herbs, and are meant to be steeped in hot water and drank cold. A wide variety of brands and flavours are readily available at your local supermarkets and in tea shops.

• Buy sparkling water: More interesting than tap water, it can be purchased plain or flavoured. Careful though, certain brands are made with fruit juices, making them almost as sweet as soft drinks! To be on the safe side, it would be wise to stick to plain sparkling water. Besides, it is far more interesting to flavour the sparkling water with your choice of fresh fruits and herbs as mentioned above!

Do you have any healthy and refreshing summer beverage ideas you’d like to share with us? Please post your comments and recipes!

Stay hydrated and stay healthy all summer is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
Copyright © Nautilus Plus 2017