The summer heat has arrived. Susan Mills-Gray, nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension, says that staying hydrated is crucial to staying healthy when the intense Midwest heat and humidity arrives.
“We don’t think about water being a critical nutrient for health, but it is. Dehydration can make you fatigued and hinder work and sports performance,” she says.
Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is adequate for most people. Water isn’t the only fluid that will meet the daily water requirements…
Young children and older adults often have poor functioning thirst mechanisms, so be mindful of these two groups during intense waves of heat.
To learn more, including which foods and beverages will keep you hydrated, see the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/
