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Summer is here! While the summer heat allows us to enjoy more time outdoors, it can also increase our risk for dehydration. Water, which makes up more than half of our body weight, is essential in maintaining circulation, regulating temperature, aiding in digestion, and removing waste from our bodies. It’s also the best beverage to help us stay hydrated and keep our bodies cool in the summer.
Here are five ways to keep your family hydrated:
1. Schedule set times during the day to remind your family to take sips of water: when they wake in the morning, during each meal, before and after going out to play, and naptime.
2. Avoid other drinks like juice and sodas (they don’t help our bodies rehydrate and they usually have too much sugar).
3. Add in fruits like lemons, cucumber, berries, or mint for flavored water.
4. Offer vegetable and fruit snacks with high water content like celery, zucchini, watermelon, tomatoes, and grapefruit.
5. Let your kids pick out and decorate their own water bottle to make drinking water fun.
Encourage your kids to drink plenty of water by setting the example and drink plenty of water yourself. Teach healthy habits from the start and choose water first!