One of the greatest discomforts of hot weather is feeling sweaty and sticky. Eilat’s dryness provides a certain degree of relief from that problem compared to more humid areas. The one drawback to that, however, is...  [read more]

There are various debates as to what constitutes ‘fluids' and what products might cause as much fluid loss as they make up for (diuretics).  Some medications and supplements have a diuretic effect and until extremely recently it was believed that coffee or other caffeine-containing products (like tea or cola) did as well.   Recent research seems to disprove that, but these drinks do usually contain a lot of calories and few or no nutrients, so are not the product of choice for taking in your fluids.  Colas in particular have the added deficit of containing phosphates that bind with calcium and weaken bones.

Fruit juices are a lot healthier, but they are loaded with sugars.  The natural sugar in fruit, fructose, reduces the rate at which our bodies absorb fluid and thus make us even thirstier.    So if we gulp down more fruit juice to make up for it, we can really pack on the calories.

Sports drinks hydrate the same as water does, but with a few more calories due to their additives.  The extra electrolytes (sodium and potassium) they contain are important in endurance sports but are not necessary for milder sports and everyday life.  They are, however, very important if a person is already becoming dehydrated to restore these lost minerals to the body.

Energy drinks contain a lot of sugar and a lot of caffeine.  While caffeine gives an energy boost, that is later followed by a rapid energy dip, thus requiring another energy boost to get back up again... and thus can become habit forming.

Fitness waters and flavoured waters are good for hydration; the former contain calories that water does not, the latter usually do not.  So if you don't like just plain water, a flavoured water is your best bet.  However, like all the beverages listed, they cost money which can add up rapidly, and is not as healthy as pure spring bottled water. 

The most efficient, healthy, cost-effective, easily obtained, and convenient way to make sure you stay adequately hydrated is to drink lots of WATER!  Eilat's water is of adequate quality that it can be drunk straight from the tap, which many households do.  Otherwise, there is no lack of companies selling bottled water - that may or may not be pure spring-water, as not all bottled waters are ‘born equal'.  And many households, whether for ecological, budgetary, or other reasons, use tap water but install filters to ensure that it is of maximum quality.  Whatever you choose to imbibe, make sure you do plentifully, especially if you're out in the sun a lot. 

Oh ... and about those beers on the beach?  Alcohol dehydrates the body, so make sure you drink extra water to make up for it.  Besides the splitting headache that's the most infamous symptom of hangover or dehydration (the former derives from the latter), dehydration can be dangerous.  If you are feeling weak, exhausted, dizzy, and faint, if your urine is dark in colour, and particularly if this is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, start hitting the water (but do not gulp down huge amounts at once, as that can cause its own problems).  If symptoms are pronounced or prolonged, seek medical aid.  However, if you've been drinking adequate fluids of the non-alcoholic type, you can enjoy the fun and sun with a few cold ones with no worries at all - beyond who's going to get up and go fetch the next round.