Drink your way to good health

Staying properly hydrated is the key to peak performance and concentration, and what's more, it also gives yo a good healthy feeling.

People can go for several days without food, but if they don't have enough liquids, they will only survive for a few days. Even losing  2% of your body weight in water makes you thirsty, while a loss of 4-6% affects your sense of physical wellbeing and has an impact on your performance: you get tired and can't concentrate.

The general recommendation for adults is to drink 1.5 to 2 liters a day. Kids up to the age of the 10 should drink about a liter per day; up to age 15, it should be about 1.5 liters. The amount you drink should also depend on how much physical activity you get and what the weather outside is like. In general, healthy people can drink as much as they want, since the body gets rid of the liquid it doesn't need.

The fact, though, is that many people do not drink enough. You can even see this happen in children. We tend to eat too much but not drink enough! This is often because by the time we get thirsty, our body is already low on liquid. This is why parents should use simple tricks to encourage their children to drink enough:

• In the morning, set out all of the beverages you plan to consume during the day. This helps you keep an overview of things.
• Give your child different options. Variety, quality and flavor make it easier to keep drinking. In the long run, you're only going to drink more if you like it and enjoy the taste of your beverage.
• Always keep something to drink within your child's reach. That will help them remember to stay hydrated.
• Keep an eye on how much your children drink at regular intervals. For example, take notes in a journal.
• Gradually increase the amounts you drink — don't try to change everything from one day to the next.