Nutrition Diet: What is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated?

October 10, 2025 •

4 min read

The human body is composed of about 60% water, and replenishing this fluid is critical for nearly all bodily functions. But in a world of endless beverage options, it can be confusing to know what is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated?

Quick Summary

Water is the most accessible and effective choice for daily hydration, while other drinks like milk and coconut water offer additional electrolytes and nutrients. Contextual needs, such as intense exercise or illness, may require specialized hydration solutions like sports drinks or oral rehydration mixes.

Key Points

Water is the primary choice: For everyday hydration, plain water is the most effective and healthiest option, being calorie-free and readily available.
Electrolytes are key for intense activity: During prolonged, high-intensity exercise or excessive sweating, replacing electrolytes (like sodium and potassium) is crucial, making sports drinks or electrolyte solutions beneficial.
Milk offers superior, prolonged hydration: Due to its mix of water, electrolytes, protein, and fat, milk can keep you hydrated for longer than plain water, making it a great post-workout recovery drink.
Many foods contribute to hydration: Water-rich fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, cucumbers, and leafy greens, contribute significantly to your daily fluid intake.
Avoid sugary and alcoholic drinks: Soft drinks and alcohol are often high in sugar or have a diuretic effect that can be counterproductive to hydration and overall health.
Listen to your body's signals: Don't rely solely on thirst, as it can be a delayed indicator of dehydration. Instead, aim for pale yellow urine and sip fluids regularly throughout the day.
Consider personalized needs: Your hydration requirements vary based on factors like age, activity level, climate, and health. There is no one-size-fits-all formula.

The Gold Standard: Why Water is Your Best Bet

For most people and most situations, plain water remains the undisputed champion of hydration. It is calorie-free, readily available, and gets the job done without any added sugars or artificial ingredients that can negatively impact your health. Water is essential for countless bodily functions, including maintaining body temperature, transporting nutrients, and flushing out waste products. Regular, consistent intake of water throughout the day is the best way to prevent dehydration, and is especially crucial in hot weather or during physical activity. For those who dislike the taste of plain water, infusing it with fruits like lemon, lime, or cucumber, or adding fresh herbs, can be a great way to make it more appealing.

How Hydration Works in Your Body

When you drink fluids, they are absorbed into the bloodstream from your digestive system. How quickly and effectively this happens depends on several factors, including the beverage's composition. Pure water is absorbed relatively quickly. Beverages containing electrolytes, carbohydrates, and protein, however, can slow down gastric emptying, allowing for a more sustained and prolonged hydration effect. Electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, are minerals that play a critical role in regulating fluid balance in and around your cells. When you sweat, you lose both water and electrolytes, which is why replenishing both is important during intense or prolonged exercise.

Beyond Plain Water: Other Hydrating Beverages

While water is ideal for everyday use, other beverages can offer distinct advantages for specific circumstances. A study from Scotland's St. Andrews University found that drinks with a little sugar, fat, or protein can keep you hydrated for longer than plain water.

Milk: Skim or low-fat milk can be more hydrating than water due to its nutrient composition. The natural sugars (lactose), proteins, fats, and electrolytes like sodium and potassium help the body retain fluid more effectively and for a longer duration. This makes it an excellent recovery drink after exercise. Chocolate milk, with its added carbohydrates, can be particularly beneficial for replenishing glycogen stores.
Coconut Water: Often marketed as nature's sports drink, coconut water is naturally rich in electrolytes, particularly potassium. It is a good option for post-exercise rehydration, though it may not contain enough sodium for those with very high sweat losses. Be mindful of the sugar content in some commercial varieties.
Herbal Tea: Caffeine-free herbal teas, such as chamomile or peppermint, are a great way to add variety to your fluid intake without added sugars or caffeine. They are essentially flavored water and can be a soothing way to stay hydrated.
Fruit-Infused Water: Creating your own flavored water by adding slices of fruits, vegetables, or herbs provides a refreshing alternative to plain water, encouraging you to drink more throughout the day without consuming extra calories.
Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS): For cases of significant fluid and electrolyte loss due to illness (like diarrhea or vomiting), oral rehydration solutions are specifically formulated to restore fluid balance quickly and safely.

When to Choose a Specialized Drink

For the average person, water is sufficient for most workouts. However, athletes or individuals engaging in prolonged, high-intensity exercise (more than an hour) or working in intense heat may benefit from specialized beverages.

Sports Drinks: These are designed to replenish fluids, electrolytes (especially sodium), and carbohydrates (sugar) lost during intense exercise. The carbohydrates provide energy for working muscles, while electrolytes aid in fluid absorption. It is crucial to read labels, as many are high in added sugars and are not necessary for casual exercisers.
Homemade Electrolyte Drinks: For a more natural and controlled option, you can create your own electrolyte drink at home using ingredients like water, a pinch of salt, a small amount of juice, and lemon juice.

Comparison of Common Hydrating Drinks


Drink	Best For	Key Nutrients	Added Sugar	Hydration Speed
Water	Daily, general use; light exercise	None	None	Fast
Milk	Post-exercise recovery	Calcium, protein, fat, electrolytes	Variable	Sustained
Coconut Water	Post-exercise recovery; natural option	Potassium, magnesium, electrolytes	Variable	Moderate
Sports Drink	Intense/prolonged exercise; high sweat loss	Electrolytes, carbohydrates	High	Fast

The Role of Hydrating Foods

Did you know that about 20% of our daily fluid intake comes from the foods we eat? Incorporating water-rich foods into your diet is a simple and effective way to boost your hydration. Foods like watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cucumbers, lettuce, and celery are all excellent sources of fluids. Soups, smoothies, and oatmeal also contain significant amounts of water. This demonstrates that hydration is part of a broader nutritional strategy, not just about what you drink.

Drinks to Limit or Avoid

Some beverages can work against your hydration efforts and should be limited.

Sugary Soft Drinks: High sugar content can be counterproductive for hydration. The high concentration of sugar can pull water from your body into the intestine to dilute it, and excess sugar contributes to weight gain and other health issues.
Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes you to lose more water through urination than you take in. The dehydrating effect can lead to hangovers and is detrimental to health. If you consume alcohol, balance it with water to minimize dehydration.
Excessive Caffeine: While moderate consumption of caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea does contribute to fluid intake, excessive intake can have a mild diuretic effect. It's best to limit intake and balance it with water.

Conclusion

Ultimately, what is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated? The simple answer is water. It's the most effective, accessible, and calorie-free way to meet your daily fluid needs. However, the best drink for you depends on your specific situation. For everyday hydration, water is the ideal choice. For sustained hydration after intense exercise, milk or a balanced electrolyte drink may be more beneficial. The key is to listen to your body, understand your personal needs, and make consistent, healthy choices to support your overall well-being. For further information on healthy eating patterns, refer to the CDC's Healthy Eating Tips.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 'eight glasses a day' rule is a general guideline, not a strict requirement for everyone. Your individual hydration needs depend on factors like your age, activity level, health, and climate. It's better to listen to your body and aim for pale yellow urine, which is a good indicator of proper hydration.

No, this is a common myth. While caffeine has a mild diuretic effect that can increase urination, moderate consumption of coffee or tea does not cause dehydration. In fact, these beverages contribute to your daily fluid intake.

For most people, water is sufficient for hydration, even during exercise. Sports drinks are best for athletes or individuals engaging in intense or prolonged physical activity (over an hour) where significant fluids, electrolytes, and carbohydrates are lost through sweat.

Yes, many foods have a high water content and contribute significantly to your fluid intake. Excellent examples include watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cucumber, lettuce, and soup.

Signs of dehydration can include feeling thirsty (a late-stage indicator), dry mouth, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and dark yellow urine. It's best to prevent dehydration by drinking fluids consistently throughout the day.

While rare, it is possible to drink too much water, leading to a condition called hyponatremia where the sodium in your blood becomes dangerously diluted. This is typically a risk during extreme endurance exercise or with certain medical conditions.

You can naturally flavor your water by infusing it with fruits like lemon, lime, berries, or cucumber, or by adding fresh herbs like mint or basil.

When you are sick with vomiting or diarrhea, oral rehydration solutions are often recommended to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. For general illness, sipping on broth, herbal tea, or water can help.