How can you stay hydrated without consuming empty calories this summer?

HYDERABAD: It's peak summer, and the city is suffering from blazing heat and soaring temperatures. People who routinely travel outside for work can end up dehydrated when temperatures rise and water intake decreases. That is why staying hydrated is so important throughout the summer.

People often drink a lot of summer drinks to stay hydrated throughout summer. However, whether on purpose or unknowingly, we consume a lot of empty calories in the form of fruit juices, sweetened beverages, and packed juices, which contributes to unwanted weight gain. Therefore, it is essential that we consume healthy liquids in order to prevent consuming empty calories while adding weight.

Read on to find out how to stay hydrated without drinking empty calories

Start your day with a glass of water : Always begin your day with a glass of water. This stimulates your metabolism and provides an energy boost. If you experience nocturnal urination or heartburn, avoid drinking water right before bed.

Drink a glass of water before each meal : Drinking a glass of water before each meal will keep you hydrated, aid digestion, and make you feel filled faster and help us avoid overeating.

Invest in a fun or fancy water bottle : A fancy water bottle can act as a visual reminder to consume more water throughout the day. Some bottles feature specified measurements for tracking water intake, while others have words of encouragement printed on the side when the water level drops.

Use alarms or water reminder notifications : Set alarms or notifications on your smart devices to serve as reminders throughout the day. Set your Alexa or Google device, smart watches, or smartphones to remind you to drink water every hour.

Focus on your body's signals : Be aware of whether your body is thirsty or hungry. We may overeat because we confuse thirst for hunger. So you might have just been thirsty when you thought you were hungry. Drink a glass of water whenever you feel hungry between meals or snacks.

Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables : Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables helps us stay hydrated during the scorching temperatures. Watermelon, cucumber, muskmelons, and citrus fruits are excellent sources of hydration.

Prefer eating fruits over fruit juices : While drinking 100 percent fruit juice may appear to be a healthy option, it is a far cry from eating the actual thing—whole, fresh fruit. According to Stanford research, drinking only one glass of 100 percent fruit juice each day leads to a weight gain of about half a pound over three years. A single six-ounce serving of 100 percent fruit juice includes approximately 15 to 30 grams of sugar and 60 to 120 calories. Also, whole fruits and vegetables also have healthy fiber, which is lost during most juicing. So, wherever possible, choose fresh fruit over fruit juice.

Add calorie-free flavoring : Make your water more enticing by infusing it with fruits or vegetables. To make it easy to fill your water bottle in the morning, place a jug in the refrigerator to infuse overnight. Get a water bottle with an infusion basket for flavour on the go.

Take healthy fluids : To prevent empty calories, always try to pick healthy options like coconut water, barley water, butter milk, black coffee, green tea over tea coffee, cold coffee, milk shakes, chocolate shakes, energy drinks, packaged juices, sodas, and beverages. You will not only reduce unwanted calories, but you will also increase your water intake.