Keeping cool with drinks this summer!
With summer heat at its peak, it’s important that you stay hydrated throughout any activity. Dehydration can lead to fainting, heat stroke, and even death. Every year someone dies because they haven’t hydrated well while performing activities in the summer heat.
Unfortunately, many of the common options available to people wanting to stay hydrated are not healthy. And while staying hydrated should be your goal, you should also try to avoid excess sugar and other additives that could affect your health.
Soda
Soda is one of the most common drinks reached for by kids and adults alike. Unfortunately, soda is loaded with sugar and caffeine, both of which can dehydrate you. This is because caffeine is a diuretic. As a result, you might drink a soda and have to urinate more quickly. Over time, you lose more fluid.
Soda doesn’t replace any of the fluids you lose while you sweat. There’s also 39 grams of sugar in a Coke. When you’re drinking soda all day while playing sports you’re ingesting a ton of sugar and essentially bathing your teeth in sugar. Your teeth are more prone to decay when they’re constantly exposed to sugar, along with the carbonation in soda.
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks like Gatorade have a lot of sugar, but they also offer you many electrolytes that are lost while you are sweating. These drinks are a good choice if you’re doing more than an hour of work outside. It helps to replace sodium, potassium, and magnesium. It’s important that you pace yourself with these drinks and either water them down or look for a diet version. This is because the sugar these drinks contain is still detrimental to the overall health of your mouth and your waistline.
Water
The best thing you can do for your body when you’re outside working in the heat is to regularly drink water. It’s crucial that you hydrate before, during, and after activities. In fact, it’s recommended that you drink 4-6 ounces every 15 or 20 minutes.
Water straight from the tap will help your body regulate its temperature, help your muscles recover, and reduce fatigue. Additionally, water helps to reduce dry mouth, which is a common cause for bad breath.
When it comes to choosing a drink to hydrate during the summer, we recommend you reach for water or a watered down sports drink. Soda does nothing to help your body recover and is horrible for your oral health.
If you’re curious about how your diet might affect your oral health, contact us. Dr. Toyer is committed to helping her patients enjoy a healthy life through proper oral hygiene, as well as proper nutrition and exercise.
April Toyer, DDS, FAAPD
The team at Lifetime Dental Care brings a full range of services to patients in and around the Woodbridge, VA area. These four doctors bring a range of experience, diverse backgrounds, and professional knowledge together to provide families with a safe and friendly home for their oral health needs.