Winter is a season when the body becomes more dehydrated than usual and it is important to hydrate more. A dietician explains why and how much water to drink.
Contrary to what one might think, summer is not the only season when the body becomes more dehydrated than usual. In winter, certain factors accelerate dehydration as explained by dietician Caroline Young to the magazine Eat This, Not That! The specialist highlights the impact of dry air, due in particular to heating in homes, which accelerates the body’s loss of moisture and can make the skin and hair drier.
Externally, the body is also subject to attacks which accelerate water loss : “Being in cold environments can cause the kidneys to excrete more urine than usual” underlines the expert. So many reasons that make it essential to drink a little more water than usual when it’s very cold. But in what quantity exactly?
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Drink enough water to prevent hypothermia
The body needs more energy and more water to maintain its body temperature when it is cold: “Drinking enough water in winter can help regulate your body temperature, as hydration is necessary for the body’s ability to prevent hypothermia” explains Caroline Young. So, it is interesting to drink a little more water than the usual recommendations which are 1.5 liters of water per day for adults according to Anses.
This quantity must also be increased if you practice a sporting activity in winter: “We need to drink more water than we think if we exercise in cold weather, because we probably sweat more than we think – it simply evaporates more quickly”, explains the dietitian. Therefore, it is recommended to drink 2 liters to 2.5 liters of water per day in winter. Hydration can also be maintained by including more hydrating products in your diet, ideally without theine or caffeine which are diuretic active ingredients, such as soups, herbal teas or broths.
Head of beauty/fitness/nutrition sections
After working for the Marie Claire and Prisma Media groups, Inès arrived at aufeminin in April 2022. Responsible for the beauty, fitness and nutrition sections, she likes to decipher the latest…