Staying hydrated while supporting your favourite teams
This guide offers some tips to help you keep hydrated while supporting your favourite football teams
Our bodies need to replace approximately 2 to 3 litres of fluid daily due to losses of fluid through processes such as sweating, breathing, urinating.
Failure to take in enough fluids can lead to mild dehydration, which can cause symptoms such as thirst, headache, weakness, dizziness and tiredness.
Achieving water balance – when water intake matches water losses – depends on dietary and lifestyle choices1.
Fresh fruits are all more than 80% water, contributing to hydration.
Rice, eggs, pasta and seafood are all approximately two thirds or more water. When managing your daily water intake, remember that foods count towards this.
If you are doing sports yourself, dehydration during exercise may be reduced or prevented by drinking sufficient amounts of beverages or sports drinks both prior to and during sports activities when water loss is expected to occur. Sports drinks provide fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates.
It is a common misconception that the recommended ‘adequate intake’ of water for an adult man (2.5 L/day) or woman (2.0 L/day) refers only to plain water. In fact, this also includes other beverages and the water content in food.
Variety can be advantageous in helping to ensure we consume enough fluids. Beverages include coffee, tea, soft drinks, milk and fruit juices. Caffeinated beverages are thought to have transient diuretic effects but this is unlikely to have an impact on hydration in practical terms as they also contain water, and thus make a contribution to total water intake2. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks can also be consumed in moderation.
Drinks such as carbonated soft drinks and fruit juice, and watery foods such as some soups, can contain up to 90% water, while tea and sugar-free soft drinks can contain an even higher percentage of water.
Milk contains more than 85% water, and is also a good source of calcium.
Weak strength beers are over 95% water, although consumption is only recommended in small quantities due to the other effects of alcohol. High strength alcohol products such as spirits are not recommended.
