Drinking a lot in the heat is important for your health! We explain to you how much liquid you should ideally drink every day and whether hot or cold drinks are better suited in summer.
Why drinking in the heat is so important
Especially with the rising temperatures in summer you should make sure you drink enough liquid. The consumer center advises drinking at least one and a half to two liters a day.
Especially during a heat wave or during heavy physical exertion during the summertime, you should drink more drinks if possible, according to the consumer advice center three to four times the recommended amount. In this way you feel fit even in the heat and prevent circulatory problems, dizziness and headaches.
Drink as regularly as possible throughout the day. By sweating in high heat, you lose a large proportion of fluid. The best way to compensate for this is to drink before you even feel thirsty. In addition, it can be helpful to eat water-rich foods such as melons, strawberries, cucumbers or tomatoes.
Drinking when it’s hot: cold or warm drinks?
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When the temperature is high, you probably tend to reach for ice-cold drinks at first. It is all the more important that you make sure that the liquids are neither too warm nor too cold. Lukewarm drinks are the best thirst quenchers. However, there is no such thing as an ideal temperature. Warm drinks make you sweat even more, while the body generates even more heat with very cold liquids. The drink has to be warmed up to your body temperature in the stomach, which in turn burns energy and makes you even warmer.
According to the German Society for Nutrition eV (DGE), mineral and tap water as well as unsweetened herbal and fruit teas are the perfect thirst quenchers for the hot summer months. You can also add some lemon juice, peppermint or fresh ginger to make them even more varied. Fruit juice spritzers, which consist of one part juice and three parts water, are also good.
However, if possible, avoid sweet and high-calorie drinks, such as common lemonades, ice teas, fruit juice drinks, nectars available in the supermarket. These often contain a lot of sugar and calories and can therefore lead to obesity and other health problems in large quantities. For a conscious diet, it is best to use mineral water or tea. But before you drink too little, if in doubt, the lemonade from the supermarket will do the trick.
However, on hot days, you should definitely reduce your consumption of any coffee and alcoholic beverages. According to an interview by the editorial network Germany with nutritionist Antje Gahl from the DGE, caffeine stimulates the circulation even further, which tends to be strained during the summer heat, while alcohol has a dehydrating effect.
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