Here are some tips for
drinking more water every day

• Drink a glass of water rather than having a sugary drink.
• It is much cheaper to drink tap water than to buy a sugary drink; water contains no sugar and no energy compared to sugary drinks, and is the ideal drink to help meet the body’s fluid needs.
• Always carry water with you. Having water at hand makes drinking water so much easier.
• Keep a reusable water bottle (preferably BPA-free) in a hand bag, gym bag, at work, in the car and make sure to refill it regularly. This will also help one to sip on water instead of sugary drinks and will also provide a visual reminder to drink more water.
• Fresh slices of lemon, cucumber, mint leaves, lime slices or berries add a different flavour to your water. Prepare flavoured water in advance.
• Make homemade unsweetened iced tea with rooibos or other fruity herbal teas. Add ice and garnish with lemon slices, mint leaves and fresh fruit slices.
• Take a bottle of clean, safe water to school/workplace.
• Try setting reminders on your cell phone or computer every hour or notes at your desk to drink water regularly.
• Make it a habit to drink water with meals.
• Increase daily water intake when the weather is hot.
• Drink one to two glasses of water thirty minutes before exercising and sip extra water for the next few hours afterwards.
• Put the number of water bottles you would like to drink the next day in the refrigerator.
• Drink a glass of water before brushing your teeth.
• There are no health benefits to drink more water than what is needed; when excess water is consumed it will be excreted as urine.
• Lobby for a water cooler at the office. This will make it easier to refill a glass of water than choosing another type of drink.
• Make it a habit to drink water with meals. It is a great way to increase daily water intake.

Do you know how to read a label and find out how much sugar is in your drink?

The food label on foods or drinks contains information on the ingredients that were used to manufacture the food or drink as well as a nutritional information table that gives the nutritional value of that food or drink.

Product ingredients are listed by quantity, from the highest to lowest amount. That means that the first listed ingredient is what the manufacturer used the most of. A good rule of thumb is to scan the first three ingredients, because they are the largest part of what you’re eating or drinking.

Sugar comes in many forms and with many names. Look at the ingredient list on the food label for names such as: sugar, brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates, sucrose, glucose, honey, invert sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, sucrose, syrup or cane sugar.

Look at the table with the nutritional information on the food label. Find the words: ‘Total sugar’ and see how much sugar in grams are indicated next to it. The container has to indicate the nutritional information per 100 ml and may also include it per serving size. It is important to note the amount per serving size is set by the manufacturer, and may differ from what you typically drink.

To calculate the number of teaspoons of sugar, divide the number of grams of total sugar by 4. For example: If a 500 ml drink has 60 grams of sugar, divide 60 by 4. That equals 15 teaspoons of sugar!