There is nothing to better thirst, thirst for real, summer and heat, like a good drink of water. Some of us will like it colder than others but it is the drink that hydrates more and better, no matter how much the food industry tries to convince us otherwise.
Water outside in the pool, in the sea but also inside especially when we talk about the hydration of our children and more when temperatures rise. How much water do your children drink? And more importantly, do they drink all the water they really need?
Our planet is called "land" when perhaps it would be more logical for it to be called "water" since we have a greater extension of water bodies in seas and oceans than land extension.
Something similar happens with our body, we are more water than any other substance so that percentage we have to keep it always balanced to take care of our own health.
Almost 75% of body weight in children, some experts say is directly related to the fluid in our body. It is not a small or negligible percentage and yet we know that children usually do not drink all the water they should to maintain their health.
Up to 91% of children between nine and thirteen in the Community of Madrid, do not drink enough water according to a study published in the Spanish Journal of Community Nutrition.
How much water should children drink
From two years to three years, you should drink about a liter of water daily. From three years to eight years, a healthy child should approach the liter and a half and after eight years, experts suggest that the amount of water a healthy child should drink is like that of adults, around two daily liters
further the water in our body is a vehicle of important substances and helps our organs to function effectively, without unwarranted overexertion. Water is essential for the work of our kidneys, our stomach, our skin, our brain. It is vital.
We adults have easier to hear the alarms that our body gives us when we need more hydration, the sensation of thirst, dry mouth, we immediately react and drink fluids, not always water, although it should be in most cases. Children and the elderly are more refractory to these calls, of course, for lack of reflexes, for being focused on other matters, The chances of dehydration in children and the elderly are much higher and therefore heat stroke can affect them to a greater extent.
Tips for children to drink more water
We can take subtle measures to make it easier for our children at home, small practices that increase their intake of water, not liquids, of water.
All the recommended water in our body does not have bottled soft drinks or processed juices, taking this type of products all we can from our diet is a good measure to protect our health.
And if we talk about natural juices or smoothies, we should not forget the caloric intake that these foods provide them. Using them only to hydrate ourselves may not be a good measure if we do not take into account that they are not alkalic, as happens to water.
What we can prepare and have on hand is “Flavored water” that we prepare for example with them, with the children or even, "Flavored ice" to give an even more special touch to our water.
An attractive jug that has enough capacity or that each one has a small bottle of cool water always at hand.
The ice of fruits or herbs that we talked about before, some custom glasses, colored or that each one chooses his own.
A game, a fun alarm that warns us all that we have to drink a glass of water from time to time and we can spend the day calm because we are avoiding dehydration and removing the threat of possible heat stroke to the little ones of the house
Photos | iStockphoto
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