June 2026
Dehydration happens when you lose more fluids than you take in. It can occur from sweating, hot weather, exercise, illness, or simply not drinking enough water. When you’re dehydrated, you can feel tired and dizzy. Dehydration can cause your mouth and skin to become dry. Feeling thirsty or having dark-colored urine are also signs of dehydration.
Dehydration can negatively affect the heart, brain, kidneys, and muscles. It can also make you feel queasy and impair the absorption of nutrients. And because dehydration causes you to sweat less, your body loses its ability to cool down effectively in the heat, increasing your risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
How much water do you need per day?
A practical way to prevent dehydration is to drink more water throughout the day. But how much is enough? According to the National Academy of Medicine, men need at least 13 cups of fluid per day, while women need nine. If it’s hot out or you’re physically active, you may need more.
But what if you don’t like drinking plain water? You can meet this requirement with other types of fluids, but you do need to be thoughtful about what you’re drinking in its place.
For example, caffeinated drinks (such as coffee and black tea) are fine in moderation (two to three cups per day). But they are less effective at hydrating you than other sources of fluid because caffeine acts as a mild diuretic. (A diuretic is a substance that causes your kidneys to remove more water from your bloodstream, increasing urine production.)
Sugary sodas and even unsweetened fruit juice add a lot of calories and can spike your blood sugar. And whole milk has a surprising amount of fat.
Here are eight healthy ways to make sure you get the hydration you need.
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables
Drinking fluids isn’t the only way to stay hydrated. Many fruits and vegetables are naturally high in water, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Produce with at least 90% water includes strawberries and melons, especially cantaloupe and watermelon, green leafy vegetables, celery, and cooked squash. Fruit and vegetables with 70% to 80% water include bananas, grapes, pears, pineapples, citrus fruits, avocados, carrots, and cooked broccoli.
2. Sip on soup or broth
Adding these to your diet can increase your fluid intake. For the highest water content (and lowest calories!), choose clear soups or broths over cream-based chowders.
3. Choose low-fat dairy
You can enjoy the flavor of milk — and take advantage of all the protein, vitamins, and minerals — without the excess fat. Just choose skim, 1%, or 2% milk instead of whole milk. Moist dairy products, such as yogurt and cottage cheese, contain about 70-80% water.
4. Infuse your water to improve taste
If plain water tastes boring, try infusing it with lemon or lime slices, cucumber slices, grapes, or watermelon. Refrigerate a pitcher of water with fruit for a few hours for a stronger infusion. Or make flavored ice cubes to jazz up plain water quickly.
5. Add bubbles (skip sugary soda)
Carbonation can make drinks more appealing without adding sugar. Instead, try store-bought bubbly water in a can. Many come in some zero-calorie natural flavors. Alternatively, you could buy a bubbly water machine, attach a canister, and make bubbly water on demand at home for less than the cost of buying premade. Add a splash of juice or a slice of lemon for flavor.
6. Drink herbal teas
Herbal tea is a great source of hydration without caffeine. Drink it hot or refrigerate it and serve over ice for a healthy iced tea.
7. Try iced decaf coffee or decaf black tea
If you love iced coffee or tea, switch to decaf. Decaffeinated coffee and black tea still contain about 5% to 10% of the caffeine of regular, so if you’re extremely sensitive to caffeine, you’ll need to skip this one.
8. Dilute your juice
Even if you chose 100% fruit juice (by far, the best choice if you’re going to drink juice), your body will still respond with a blood sugar spike and a surge of insulin. Plus, juice is high in calories. Just one eight-ounce glass of orange juice contains 110 calories.
But that doesn’t mean you have to give up juice completely. Instead, limit your juice consumption to no more than four ounces per day. To make your juice go further, mix it with plain or bubbly water.
