What to Drink When It's Hot? Pros and Cons of Summer Drinks

Summer is here, and it's here to stay. And with the scorching heat, iced teas, carbonated drinks, fruit juices, functional or flavored waters become a must . Refreshing, thirst-quenching. But also healthy? Not always, and the important thing is to be aware of this, because you can always break the rules. But if unhealthy foods and drinks become a habit, it's our health that suffers. Here's a little guide to the pros and cons of summer drinks.

Hydration is important

Let's start with two premises. One obvious: drinking plenty of fluids when it's hot is essential for health. And one perhaps less so, even though it should be: the best way to stay hydrated when it's hot is to drink water. Nothing more, and nothing less: a liter and a half or two a day for a healthy adult, and even a little more when temperatures get really high.

“Any liquid other than water has components that can either increase calories, as in the case of sugary drinks, or act on our nervous system, as does the caffeine contained in tea and coffee,” Laura Rossi , of the Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, explains to Salute. “Of course, everyone likes to drink other things, and there is nothing wrong with doing so, perhaps being careful not to overdo it, and choosing drinks that have fewer negative effects on our bodies.”

Let's avoid sugars

The first thing to keep in mind when choosing a drink is whether or not it contains added sugars. There is no need to demonize them, but it is good to remember that looking at health and figure, each teaspoon of free sugar (that which is not naturally contained in some food) could be a teaspoon too many. The WHO recommendations say that it should not exceed 10% of daily calories, and if possible to stay under 5%, about 25 grams per day. For those who want to stick to it, we are talking about a quantity lower than that contained in a can of a sugary fizzy drink.

Everyone makes their own choices, then. Keeping in mind another detail, relevant in summer: "Sugar does not make silk pass, but increases it, dehydrates us - Rossi emphasizes - and therefore the more we drink or eat sugary products, the more we will want to drink, with the risk of creating a vicious circle that leads to overdoing it with sugary drinks".

The alternative now present in many products are sweeteners. Speaking of reducing calories, they work, and if consumed sparingly they do not have noteworthy negative effects. If you overdo it, however, they can also be harmful: they cause stomach ache and diarrhea, accustom us to the sweet taste, with the risk of pushing us to consume more and more, and in very high quantities they seem to cause metabolic and cardiovascular problems.

Healthy alternatives

So what to do when we are thirsty and water just doesn't feel right? Fortunately, there are healthy alternatives. Starting with flavored waters, now available almost everywhere. Each product has its own specific characteristics, but generally speaking they are the equivalent of a herbal tea, thirst-quenching and without contraindications, apart from the price obviously, much higher than that of water.

"Another healthy alternative is obviously fruit juices - adds Rossi - without added sugars they have a good nutritional profile, and are certainly thirst-quenching. The only thing to pay attention to is the fact that they naturally contain sugars, like fruit, and unlike this they do not have fiber and therefore are not satiating, and it is therefore possible to overdo it".

The fashion of functional waters

Mineral salts, vitamins, but also collagen and hyaluronic acid. Functional waters are a trend that has become increasingly popular in recent years. And they almost always fail to keep their promises. “There is no such thing as functional water,” explains Rossi, “or rather, water is already functional, in the sense that it contains mineral salts, calcium, it is a food in all respects and has its own function. What are sold as functional waters are drinks to which molecules are added that should produce a more marked physiological effect. But in most cases they serve no purpose, except to make these products extremely expensive.”

As with food supplements, these products are useless for most people: healthy children and adults get all the substances their bodies need simply by eating a healthy and varied diet. And for those with disorders or imbalances, it is better to rely on your doctor, and not on advertisements.

Alcoholic beverages

For many, nothing evokes summer more than an ice-cold beer or a glass of white wine in the evening. Medicine tells us that alcohol is not good for your health, in any quantity. But then it is up to each of us to decide how to behave. In summer, however, another negative aspect is added to the risks (minimal for occasional drinkers) for your health. "In addition to the contraindications that are valid all year round, in summer there is the aggravating factor that alcohol is not a hydrating substance: on the contrary, it dehydrates us greatly," Rossi reminds us. "If I drink a beer to quench my thirst, after half an hour I have to drink two glasses of water to compensate. It is an effect to keep in mind, because if you drink too many alcoholic beverages in the heat you can run into dehydration."