Summer Hydration 101
Mmmm… August in North Carolina! Is it safe to say we could all move to the Amazon Rainforest for relief of the heat and humidity?! This year hasn’t been terrible, but we’re coming into the halfway point – so we’ll see!
Last weekend our family went to a local soccer park to kick the ball around with our three-year-old who starts “real” soccer in the fall. IT WAS HOT… but really fun. Even more fun that us playing together, was us watching older boys practicing. There was a 10-ish looking year old practicing footwork and shooting alone and a couple high school football players doing drills – Reed was captivated.
As we were blatantly staring at these young athletes do their thing (sorry, guys… don’t mind us!) my husband reminisced about high-school, pre-season soccer training. The grueling 1-2 weeks of physical and mental hell that turns the summer party animals and beach bums into athletes again. From what he told me there was lots of sweat, cussing and throw up.
The wife in me would have engaged more in his experience, however the dietitian in me said, “Wow, I sure hope you replaced your electrolytes!”
As we approach mid-August, a season of hot playground play and sports practices and games let’s review best practices around hydration and rehydration.
First, here are your child’s hydration needs by the day:
1-3 years: 5.5 cups per day
4-8 years: 6 cups per day
9-13 years: 9 cups per day (girls) and 10 cups per day (boys)
14-18 years: 10 cups per day (girls) and 14 cups per day (boys)
My oldest is not a huge water drinker so, at first, these numbers scared me, “Holy cow, he’s dehydrated every day!!” That’s not necessarily the case. You see, we get water from other places besides… well, water! About 20% of the water we need comes from food. If I think about the amount of fruit (lots of melons, peaches, and berries in the summer) and all the cucumbers and tomatoes we eat in this season, we might even be getting more than 20%!
Now here’s the kicker, if your older child is sweating a lot at camp, sport practice, or games you need to replace that water as well. Interestingly enough:
1 pound lost = 2 cups lost fluid
Weighing is helpful, but if you don’t weigh simply offer water before, during (about every 8 ounces every 20 minutes) and after these events to cover their needs.
Water? Only water? What about sports and energy drinks? Glad you asked. Here’s a simple rule of thumb:
Vigorous exertion…
Over and hour: choose a drink that provides carbohydrates, salt, and potassium – not energy drinks
Under and hour: choose water
Most recreational practices and games for American children don’t warrant a rehydration drink. They’re just not long enough or sweaty enough. I’m not a sports terminology professional but I’m thinking challenge or select soccer practices and games, pre-season training camps for high-school football and soccer, strenuous lacrosse practices and games… you get the idea, lots of running and conditioning. Sorry, but you’re six-year-old isn’t going to need that, “after game Gatorade” after all. In fact, a sports drink is simply a rehydration drink. Despite marketing, there’s no evidence that it, “enhances athletic performance”. And, if used in the wrong way, can just add unnecessary sugar and calories to the diet – like soda does.
I hear from lots of families where kids (and adults) don’t really like water - that they’ve become accustomed to flavor… sweetness. Think about all the juice drinks, flavored waters, and flavoring packets on the market right now… it takes up half an isle of the grocery store!
Simply said, sugary drinks can have a reverse effect. When there’s too much sugar in the blood stream the body takes blood out of the cells and moves it to the blood to counter balance the sugar. So when you’re child asked for a sugary sort of drink like juice, juice drinks, lemonade, sweet tea, sport drinks (unless they need it!) or soda suggest some of these alternatives:
Water
Fruit infused water (think water sangria!)
Juice cut with 50% water
Yogurt and fruit smoothies
Milk
Juice ice cubes
Fruit ice cubes (just freeze the entire fruit – grapes, berries, peach slices, pineapple chunks, etc.)
Frozen fruit popsicles (made with fruit and juice)
Fluid heavy fruits (melons, berries, pineapple, peaches, oranges, peppers, celery, cucumbers)
If you’re among those parents whose children do need a rehydration drink, consider your options and choose the one your child enjoys and will actually drink. A sports drink or rehydration drink has sodium, potassium and/or magnesium and carbohydrates. There’s the standard, Gatorade-type sports drink or you could opt for a sports drink/electrolyte powder or tablet (such as Nuun) that can be added to plain water.
Coconut water and milk have all those nutrients but are lower in sugar. In fact, the combination of electrolytes, carbohydrates and protein in milk make it one of the most efficient recovery drinks on the market!
Want to make your own? I did. I was curious to see how they compared to the standard Gatorade and Power Aid drinks. They’re not exactly the same. A little less sweet, but I was surprised at how refreshing they were.
Jill Castle’s Recipe: makes 4 cups
I thought this recipe tasted about as close to real Gatorade as a homemade version could. It’s slightly sweet, slightly salty, and lemony.
Ingredients
1/4 cup lemonade
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup hot water
3 1/2 cups cold water
Instructions
In a pitcher or quart-size water jug, add the sugar and salt to the hot water; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Add the lemonade, lemon juice, and cold water. Mix well.
Five Heart Home Recipe: 8 cups
This one wasn’t as sweet or tart as Jill’s but still oddly tropical and refreshing. I used pomegranate cherry juice, but might try a mango, pineapple, or more citrussy flavor next time.
Ingredients
3 cups 100% coconut water
1 cup 100% fruit juice
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups water
2-3 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, optional
Instructions
Combine the coconut water and fruit juice in a 2-quart pitcher.
In a small measuring cup combine the honey, salt and lemon or lime juice, mix until dissolved.
Stir the salt mixture into the coconut water mixture. Pour in the water and serve chilled.
Note: Reserve the water and just keep the concentrated solution in the fried. The mix with ½ concentration and ½ water before serving.
I hope this helps you decide whether or not your child needs a rehydration/sports drink, gives you suggestions for alternatives to sports drinks, and ideas for how to make water more fun and palatable! If you have questions about more childhood sports nutrition related topics or want to chat more about hydration, please contact me!