Hydration: Why every sip matters...

Around 60% of our bodies are made up of water.  Throughout the day, water is lost from the body by processes such as sweating and going to the toilet. It's important that we replace this lost water through hydration to ensure the body stays healthy and able to function correctly. 

Why is Water Important?

Water is required by the body for many different functions such a regulating our body

temperature. This is done by sweating when our bodies get too hot from things like high temperatures or exercise.  

Water is also important in the regulation of our blood volume and thickness (viscosity) to ensure our blood flows easily and maintains a constant pressure. It also used in our joints and tissues as a shock absorber.

One of the most important roles of water is in the removal of waste products from the body through our urine and faeces. If we do not have enough water in the body, our kidneys reduce the amount of water in our urine. This means that the colour of the urine becomes darker. As a rule of thumb, urine should be a straw or pale-yellow in colour and if its darker in colour then this, we are most likely dehydrated and need to drink more fluid.

It is also essential for our physical and cognitive functioning. If we do not consume enough water, it can result in symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, tiredness and headaches. This can be especially detrimental to a child’s learning at school.

If dehydration is not treated, it can become a serious problem. It’s therefore important to know how much water our bodies need to stay healthy and when these requirements may change. 

What Are the Recommendations?

Through the Eatwell guide, the government recommends we consume 6 to 8 cups or glasses of liquid a day (on top of any liquid we may consume through food). Water, fruit juices and smoothies, milk, lower-sugar or sugar-free drinks, tea and coffee all count towards this recommendation, however some options are better than others, particularly for children.

Although fruit juice and smoothies can contain micronutrients our bodies require, they also contain free sugars that can damage our teeth, so these should be limited to a total of 150ml a day. Sugar-sweetened drinks should also be avoided as they are high in energy and can also cause tooth damage.

Children should aim to avoid sugary fizzy drinks, squash and juice drinks completely. Young children should ideally not consume caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee and especially not energy drinks high in caffeine. The best drink options for children are water and milk.

The government does not offer specific water recommendations for children beyond the Eatwell guidance of 6-8 glasses. Generally younger children may require relatively smaller drinks than an older child might. A child’s water requirement can also be impacted by the weather, their age, their sex and whether they are doing physical activity.

Infants and young children are generally less heat tolerant and more likely to get dehydrated than adults. It’s therefore important to encourage children to drink regularly, especially if it’s hot or they are being active to replace the water lost through sweat.

How to Help Your Child Reach the Recommendations...

It’s important to encourage children to drink regularly and to provide water throughout the day, particularly with meals and snacks. Water should be the default and the more it is offered, the more likely they are to accept it.  It may help for them to have a personal water bottle they can take out with them.

If you or your child does not like the taste of water, you can try adding fruits like lemons or strawberries to infuse into your water. You can also try sparkling water or no added sugar squash. If drinking squash, fruit juices or cordials, dilute them well with water to reduce the sugar content and the sweetness.

Try not to have drinks high in sugar too often particularly for children and where you can, swap sugary drinks for water. If not, try to select diet, sugar-free or no added sugar drinks. You can check the traffic light labels on the front of drinks to help with selecting drinks lower in sugar (look for greens or ambers).

It’s also important to prompt your child to drink extra water if they have been sweating or if they are unwell to replace any fluids they have lost.

 

How does HCL Support Water Recommendations?

At HCL, we follow the School Food Standards (SFS) guidelines regarding healthy drinks. As part of the SFS, free, fresh drinking water must always be available throughout the day. In our primary schools, this is the only drink we offer at lunchtime and we do not have any drinks containing any added sugar or sweeteners.

The only drinks the school food standards permit are:

• plain water (still or carbonated)

• lower fat milk or lactose reduced milk

• fruit or vegetable juice (maximum 150mls)

• plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium

• plain fermented milk (for example yoghurt) drinks

• combinations of fruit or vegetable juice with plain water (still or carbonated, with no added sugars or honey)

• combinations of fruit juice and lower fat milk or plain yoghurt, plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium; cocoa and lower fat milk; flavoured lower fat milk, all with less than 5% added sugars or honey

• tea, coffee, hot chocolate

  
  

With regards to our secondary offer, we allow for a range of drinks to not limit choice and offer options healthier than those off site. Where we can we avoid drinks containing preservatives, flavourings, colourings and sweeteners to ensure we're providing only the healthiest options for our students.