The concept of dehydration seems to be associated only with an intense workout session or hot weather, but actually, dehydration occurs silently and gradually due to what we eat. Most foods that we regularly eat are rich in diuretics or substances that trigger our kidneys into urination. Some other types of food need quite a lot of water to be digested. Therefore, whenever there is a need for your body to use some additional effort in order to digest the food, your body will take water from your body fluids, making you feel dehydrated.
Handmade and Manufactured Soft Drinks
Drinking soft drinks makes you suffer from the problem twice since the drinks are composed of caffeine and highly concentrated sugar. The consumption of beverages with high quantities of caffeine causes you to use the washroom too often. Moreover, due to the sugar overload in your intestines, your body needs to draw water from your blood vessels and organs into your digestive system.
Energy & Pre-Workout Drinks
The contents of energy drinks contain uncontrolled high amounts of caffeine, taurine, and artificial stimulants. Consumption of these drinks just before or during a workout results in an almost instant increase in the speed of heartbeat and kidney function. This causes fluid retention in the body to be stopped immediately, leaving muscles dehydrated.
Diet/Zero-Sugar Soda
Replacing soft drinks with diet varieties will not help in any way. The artificial sweeteners used in the manufacturing process, including aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose, have been reported to stimulate bladder lining in many cases, making a person frequently visit the bathroom.
Soy Sauce and Strong Condiments
There is approximately 39% of your total required daily sodium intake in one single spoon of soy sauce. Introducing such a huge amount of sodium in your body makes your body immediately rush towards making your blood less salty. In order to save your cardiovascular system from damage, your brain steals water from your cells, making you highly thirsty and dehydrated.
High-Protein Whey Shakes
Protein digestion is very demanding on your metabolism. You need to use much more water in your kidneys to metabolize proteins and urea. By increasing your protein intake without increasing your water intake through shakes, your body uses all of its stored fluid simply to process that shake.
Instant Ramen and Bouillon Cubes
Although these dehydrated soups appear as hydrating beverages on first glance, they usually contain a lot of salt underneath the seemingly harmless surface. Just one serving will give you your daily allowance of sodium.
Potato Chips and Salty Pretzels
Dry salty foods deprive your body of hydration not only because of a lack of physical water content but also thanks to the surface layer of fine salt that is added to such foods. Salt immediately starts drawing water from the mucous membranes of your mouth and throat, and then forces cells to release additional water to compensate for the excess sodium level.
Bottled Salad Dressings
Commercial salad dressings are known for their high sugar, fructose corn syrup, and sodium content. These three ingredients substitute for the missing taste that results from the removal of fats from the dressing composition.
