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The five shades of yellow have names such as Dry Spell for the darkest shade and Spring In Your Step for the lightest. The between shades are aptly called Feeling Good, Glass Half Full and You’re At Amber. The guide is unveiled to mark Highland Spring’s new 10 litre hydration pack going on sale and comes after a study of 2,000 adults found 40 percent are confused about how much water they should be drinking.
Despite believing they should be consuming seven glasses of water a day, people typically have five – although 23 percent only manage one to two.
Nutritionist Lily Soutter points to the NHS advice on the health benefits of proper hydration and said: “Drinking enough fluids and staying hydrated throughout the day is important for energy, concentration, mood, and even exercise performance.”
But 43 percent do not think they are getting enough, because they simply forget to drink water (63 percent), get distracted by their day-to-day routine (42 percent) and are too busy (15 percent).
Carol Saunders, a spokesman for Highland Spring said: “Our bodies have a built-in and natural way of helping us to know if we are drinking enough fluids. We know it can be embarrassing to talk about our pee, but it’s an important indicator to help us stay hydrated.
The study also found people are likely to drink more water if the weather is warmer (33 percent), if they cut back on other beverages such as coffee (27 percent) and if they set reminders (21 percent).
And almost a quarter of adults track how much they drink throughout the day, by using an app (26 percent), writing it down (22 percent) and with measurements on a bottle (27 percent).
But more than half of respondents do not take a bottle of water with them when they leave the house and 23 percent of desk workers do not keep a drink at their desk.
One in 10 of those polled via OnePoll do not even have a drink when they exercise and 14 percent do not have one with a meal.
Side effects people have experienced from not staying hydrated enough included a dry mouth (46 percent), dark urine (43 percent) and fatigue (26 percent).
Whereas the benefits adults have enjoyed from keeping on top of their water consumption were found to be clearer skin (25 percent), feeling more active (22 percent) and reduced cravings for snacks (18 percent).
Laurie Pressman, the Vice-President of Pantone, said: “Eating right and drinking proper amounts of water are critical contributors to taking care of our personal health and our overall well-being.
“Being able to collaborate with Highland Spring and their expert nutritionist Lily Soutter to create a colour flow chart illustrating the relationship between urine colour and hydration levels highlights how the visual language of colour can be used as an indicator to provide quick and natural insights as to whether we are keeping ourselves healthfully hydrated.”
Nutritionist Lily Soutter is accredited by The Association for Nutrition – a qualification which is recognised by the NHS and her top tips for staying hydrated are:
1. We’re all different and so are our hydration needs. The NHS advice is to check the colour of your pee to help see what you might need – the lighter, the better.
2. The saying out of sight out of mind is all too true when it comes to drinking the right amount. Try keeping a bottle on your desk, sipping slowly, instead of guzzling it when you remember.
3. Test out one of the many apps that are now available to help you track your fluid intake throughout the day.
4. Not a fan of plain water? Try infusing water overnight with fresh berries, mint, ginger, cucumber and even lemon.
5. Adding a splash of freshly squeezed juice to your water gives you a vitamin hit and a dash of flavour. The best part? There’s no shortage of nourishing, tasty fruit and vegetable juices. Go wild.
6. Brew a fruit tea and leave it in the fridge overnight. This hydrating, cooling, yet sugar-free beverage can be enjoyed in a wealth of flavours. Berries or peppermint is a must-try!
7. Why not try using your water to make warming homemade teas? Ginger, apple and cinnamon tea gives you that warm kick.
8. Adding loads of ice to your mocktails or cocktails is a sneaky way to get in extra fluids. Explore infusing yours with flowers, berries or even mint.
9. For additional hydration, invention is the key. Adding extra fluid to recipes contributes to your hydration challenge target. This could be using water as your smoothie base or in homemade ice lollies – it’s that easy!
10. Feeling like you can’t hit ten glasses? Start small. Aim to increase your fluid intake by just one glass a day until you feel the difference.
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