Just as we thought that was summer (or lack thereof) over for another year, the weather has taken a U-turn and treated us to a full week of scorching 28°C heat.
Whilst we may be drinking more fluids than usual in this heat, I’m willing to bet very few of us actually drank enough – the recommended daily intake of 2 litres.
Despite our desperate attempts to cling on to summer, and as glorious as the weather is – the warm weather can pose a series of health risks such as sunstroke, sunburn and the most common heat-related condition, dehydration.
When the weather is hotter, your body needs more fluids. If you don’t drink enough, you’re more likely to become dehydrated In order to avoid this, you should aim to drink the recommended amount of 2 litres (that’s 6-8 cups) of trusty old tap water daily, especially when the sun is making an appearance.
Choose your drinks wisely and try to avoid fizzy drinks or alcohol as these can cause dehydration and are often laden with sugar which may lead to weight gain and tooth decay. You may also want to steer clear of tea and coffee as caffeinated drinks can have a diuretic effect, causing you to lose fluids.
EH top tip: we know plain old H2O can get boring, so start infusing your water with fruits and herbs such as strawberries and mint to give your water some flavour. If you prefer to stick with what you know, then good old no-added-sugar diluting juice will also do!
