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How to Stay Hydrated Without the Added Sugar

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We all know it’s important to stay hydrated, especially in the hot summer months. But sugary drinks can add unnecessary calories to your day and poorly affect your health. So, how can you stay hydrated without the extra sugar? Luckily, there are plenty of options for drinks without sugar that you can enjoy!

In this post, I’ll explain why you should be removing added sugar from your diet and give you plenty of sugar-free drink ideas.

Why You Need to Stay Hydrated

Now that it’s summertime, we’re all focused a bit more on keeping ourselves from becoming dehydrated. Even mild dehydration can cause problems such as dry skin, fatigue, and headaches. More severe forms of dehydration can cause serious conditions like rapid heart rate and low blood pressure.

Making sure you drink enough water not only prevents dehydration but also has many benefits. Staying hydrated ensures you properly regulate your body temperature, keep your immune system working well, and it even helps you sleep better. In short, getting those 8 glasses of water each day is totally worth it!

Here are a few tips to help you stay hydrated:

  • Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning to start your day off right. We lose a lot of water when we’re sleeping.
  • Invest in a reusable water bottle and keep it with you throughout the day.
  • Set a goal for how much water you want to drink each day and track your progress.
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Removing Added Sugar from Your Diet

There are many reasons to remove added sugar from your diet. Firstly, added sugars like the ones in soda, coffee, or energy drinks have no fiber or nutritional value like fruit does. So, when you consume added sugars, you’re getting extra flavor and calories, but that’s about it. Sugary drinks are a great way to pack on the pounds without much effort.

Secondly, added sugar can spike your blood sugar, causing your body to release insulin. While this isn’t a bad thing, excess insulin usage can lead to insulin resistance, which leads to type 2 diabetes. While sugar itself doesn’t cause diabetes, overworking your pancreas does.

Eating too much sugar also has harmful effects on our energy levels and mood, and can cause inflammation in the body. Inflammation can lead to everything from joint pain to damaged arteries.

Check the labels on what you typically drink so you can be aware of hidden sources of sugar, such as honey and agave nectar. Then, you might be surprised at how much sugar you’re actually consuming.

Swapping Sugary Drinks for Sugar-Free Options

Swapping out sugary drinks for sugar-free alternatives is one small change that can make a big difference. Drinks without added sugar are often just as refreshing as their sugary counterparts but dramatically reduce our sugar intake. In addition, sugar-free drinks tend to be lower in calories, which helps with weight management.

Once you’ve checked what you usually drink, pick the beverages that have the most sugar and swap them out for healthier ones. The best thing to do is find another drink you like, so you don’t feel too bad giving up your usual. If you don’t, you’ll likely end up falling back into your old ways.

If you’re a coffee-lover, consider drinking your coffee without sugar or cutting back on it. Even if you’re not a fan of sugar-free coffee, you might find it starts to grow on you. If you don’t, don’t worry too much about it. Find another drink to make a sugar-free swap.

Unsweetened tea, coffee, and sparkling water are all great choices. If you’re looking for something a little more flavorful, try adding some fresh fruit or herbs to your water. Mint, cucumber, and lemon are all great options. And if you’re craving something sweet, there are now many options for sugar-free flavored waters on the market.

My go-to favorites for drinks without added sugar are ones that are easy to make and inexpensive. I make iced tea by adding 2 tea bags to a pitcher of water and letting it steep in the fridge for a few hours. Another thing I love is my Sodastream, which I can add fruit slices or juice to. Even if it’s not completely sugar-free, it goes a long way to removing added sugar from your diet.

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Ideas for Drinks Without Added Sugar

Now that you know all about making healthy drink swaps, here’s a list of some great sugar-free drinks to try:

  • Unsweetened tea. Don’t forget to try a few to find which tea you like.
  • Try a new flavor of Bubly.
  • Iced coffee made without the flavor syrup.
  • Sodastream with sugar-free water enhancer or fruit slices added.
  • Water infused with fresh mint, cucumber, and lemon.
  • Coconut water.
  • Homemade iced tea made with peach or berry-flavored tea bags.
  • Give kombucha a try.
  • Make a smoothie with fresh or frozen fruit and oat milk.
  • Drink your alcohol on the rocks, neat, or with some flavored sparkling water instead of soda.

Stay Hydrated Without Added Sugar: Conclusion

Avoiding dehydration and reducing sugar intake are great ways to improve your health without much effort. By following these tips and keeping sugar-free drink options ready, you’ll be well on your way to staying hydrated and feeling your best!

So, next time you’re looking for a way to rehydrate without all the sugar, remember there are plenty of delicious and healthy options available. A simple swap is all it takes. Stay cool and drink up!

What’s your favorite way to stay hydrated without added sugar? Share it in the comments!

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25 thoughts on “How to Stay Hydrated Without the Added Sugar”

  1. It’s a gorjess life

    I try to drink as much water but being pregnant again it’s changed my taste for it so I add a little bit of cranberry juice in it for flavor😅

  2. My old bones are starting to feel osteoarthritis, so I will probably wind up reducing sugar this summer, as I have read it aggravates arthritis. My sugar tooth will not like the new choices, but “c’est la vie,”
    ❤️&🙏, c.a.

  3. What are your thoughts on Crystal Lite and sugar free koolaid drops? I’m so torn about it because it’s “sugar free.” But idk if I should be drinking that stuff… I started drinking it because water was making me nauseous but now I’ve stopped drinking water and feel like I should go back to drinking the water without the artificial sweeteners. When we do have fruit, I will add some fruit to my water for extra flavor.

    1. I use sugar-free Mio drops, in my Sodastream and I find because of the carbonation, I don’t need to use nearly as much. It’s a great way to cut back if you’re concerned about sweeteners.

      1. Thank you for replying! My biggest worry was that these sugar free drops and Crystal lite would cause me to crave the real thing. I add half of the amount that it recommends to my water and It still leaves a stickiness in my mouth… it’s so hard to describe.

        1. Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. I’ve never had the Crystal Lite drops but now I probably won’t try them 😬

          1. It’s so good, so that is probably a red flag right there lol Beverages that are extremely low calorie should not taste like juice. It has Aspartame in it so I really do question how “healthy” it is. I might have to do some research on these fake sweeteners.

  4. I usually drink a lot of water but if I’m busy at work, I sometimes forget. So I’ve set an alarm that reminds me to drink water hourly. Summers be so dehydrating!!!

  5. Ang, well done. As you know, many of these healthy drinks contain sugar. Even the ones whose name connotes they do not. Water is the best source and cleans out the kidneys better. Gatorade is good, but really should be saved for after work outs or yard work. I am old enough to remember when Gatorade was invented – it was a powdered drink at first. Keith

  6. Luckily I just love plain water and drink LOADS of it, so I’m always hydrated! Although I do love squash but this has prompted me to maybe try a sugar free option x

    1. I’m jealous! I hate normal water and rarely drink it without something like fruit or tea to flavor it. It’s still hydrating, just takes a but more to make, I suppose 🙂

  7. 6-8 liters is a lot! You must always make sure there’s a washroom nearly. Keeping a water bottle with you is a good idea!

    1. Well yeah!! I keep bottle, so I don’t need reminders. 😃
      I’m glad to read this blog of yours, cause recently I’ve also written on a similar topic. I find this blog as a valuable information.

    1. Cool! I haven’t seen that one, but we might not have it in east coast Canada yet. I’ll keep my eye out 🙂

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