Choose water as a drink
Water – the best drink of all
Throughout each day we all need to drink plenty of fluid to maintain good health.
While all fluids help quench our thirst, as the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends, water is the best drink of them all.
Drinking plenty of water is essential for our wellbeing as it helps us to keep healthy and to be active.
How much fluid should I drink?
Drink plenty of fluids – water is best.
As a guide, you should not feel thirsty and your urine should not be a darker yellow than usual.
Adult women need about 8 cups (around 2L) and adult men need about 10 cups (around 2.5L) of fluid a day. But how much you need will depend upon how much exercise you are doing, your weight, if you are taking certain medications and if you are breast feeding.
In hotter parts of Australia, much more fluid may be needed to prevent you from becoming dehydrated.
All fluids count towards your daily fluid intake, but it is better if most of the fluid you drink is plain water. Limit your intake of sugar-sweetened drinks.
Plain tap water is a great choice
In South Australia, tap water is the logical choice:
- it’s cheap and convenient, coming straight out of the tap
- it contains no sugar, kilojoules or caffeine
- it usually contains fluoride, which helps strengthen bones and teeth and helps prevent dental decay.
Swap sugary drinks for water
Drinking water instead of sugary drinks provides many benefits to our health and wellbeing.
Did you know that sugary drinks such as soft drink, cordial, fruit drink, vitamin water, sports drinks and energy drinks are:
- low in nutritional value
- often high in kilojoules which can make it harder to maintain a healthy weight
- often high in sugar and acidity levels which can contribute to tooth decay
- expensive and make it hard to shop for healthy foods when on a budget.
So only have sugary drinks occasionally and in small serves.
Watch the Swap It and Save! Ideas to save your waist video about the sugar content of popular drinks or check out this clip on the effects of too many sugary drinks.
Keep your fluids up
Try these easy ways to boost your water intake:
- provide water on the table at all mealtimes
- keep a jug of tap water on the kitchen bench to remind you to drink between meals
- keep chilled tap water in the fridge on hot days
- when dining out, always ask for a jug of water on the table
- have a refillable bottle of water handy in your bag, backpack, at work and in the car
- for added flavour, try adding slices of fruit (fresh or frozen) such as watermelon, strawberries or a squeeze of lime or lemon juice and some mint leaves.