Healthy Alternatives to Water for Staying Hydrated

A delicious cup of tea is our favourite and healthy alternative to water, but there are plenty more. Here are our top choices that are more than a cup of tea.

We may be biased, but a delicious cup of tea is our favourite, healthy alternative to water. A cup of tea counts towards your 6-8 glasses of fluid a day and is packed full of antioxidants. Your body requires just a few things to keep it going - food, air, and plenty of water. Sounds so simple but how much water are you actually drinking, do you even like the taste? We might not always feel thirsty but that doesn’t mean our body isn’t parched! We’re here to make hydration more appealing so you’re feeling at your best?

According to the NHS guidelines we should be drinking between 6-8 glasses of water a day, that’s around 2-2.5 litres per day. Our bodies are made up of nearly two thirds water so when we’re low on fluids we soon start to know. Lacking your daily intake of h20 and you might start to experience headaches, dizziness, trouble concentrating, and find yourself feeling pretty darn tired.

More Than Just a Cup of Tea

We’ve come up with some healthy and refreshing alternatives to water to keep you hydrated.

Flavoured Waters

Adding fresh fruit to still or sparkling water is a great way to brighten up an ordinary cup. Try adding some cut up citrus fruits like lemons, limes or oranges to a jug of iced water, or experiment with other flavours. Cucumber and mint are also nice additions, and you could even add a few sliced strawberries for a light, fruity flavour.

Flavouring water with fresh fruit minimises the added sugar and calories compared to cordials and squashes, and results in a lovely fresh flavour.

Fruit & Herbal Teas

Most fruit and herbal teas have just a couple of calories, with no excess sugar. What’s more, there are hundred of different varieties to choose from, so they are the perfect solution if you find water too monotonous. Many herbal and fruit infusions don’t actually contain any tea (‘real’ tea can only come from the Camellia sinensis plant), so many are naturally caffeine free, which is ideal for later in the day or if you’re watching your caffeine intake.

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Juices & Smoothies

Juices and smoothies can be packed full of sugar, especially packaged products, but if you make your own, and are careful with the ingredients you select, they can be a great healthy alternative if you have a sweet craving.

Homemade smoothies can be a great source of fibre, as well as helping you on your way to a few of your five-a-day, but be careful with juicing, as a lot of the fibre is removed during the juicing process.

Smoothies and juices can be quite high in calories and sugar, so it’s best to enjoy them in moderation.

Cold Infuse

More than just a cup of tea, our Cold Infuse range is the perfect blend of vitamins, minerals, and deliciously tasty hydration. Each blend has a different combination of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and fruits. Sugar-free, natural in flavour, and the best way to jazz up a glass of cold water.

Need a little spring in your step? Try Vitality with its juicy raspberry and hibiscus with extra vitamin c. Looking for that healthy glow? Try Radiant with its refreshing lemon and lime, and stevia leaves. Or want to take a deep breath? Try And Breathe with its sweet blend of pomegranate, elderflower, lemon balm and added magnesium.

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Coffee

While we’d recommend staying away from sugar laden coffees like frappes and those with added syrup, an ordinary black coffee or a coffee with a dash of semi-skimmed milk or your favourite non-dairy milk alternative is a perfectly good substitute for water from time to time - and still counts towards your 6-8 glasses a day.

Decaffeinated coffee is a great way to watch your caffeine intake (be aware, however, as even decaffeinated options will still contain some caffeine). Go easy with caffeine as it can have a mild diuretic effect which can start to dehydrate the body.

If you find it hard to wean yourself off sweetened coffee drinks then try adding a teaspoon of Monin Syrup, which has just 20 calories per teaspoon, with around 3g of sugar.

Iced Tea

Make your own iced tea (shop bought iced teas often contain jaw-dropping amounts of sugar) and always have a refreshing jug of delicious tea to hand.

To make your own iced tea, add 3-4 tea bags to a jug and fill with one third boiling water. Leave to steep for a few minutes, top up with cold water and serve over ice. You can experiment with different flavour tea bags and fresh fruit, or why not try our iced tea recipes, specially created to work with your favourite Twinings blend?

View our Top 10 Iced Tea Recipes

Soup for the Soul

It’s easy to glug a jug of h2o on those hot, sunny days, but don’t forget your body still needs plenty of fluids during the winter. If you’re struggling to hit your daily quota then why not make a hearty batch of soup, like our gingery Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup?

Tea

For us, the best alternative to water is tea. Yes, we may be biased, but a delicious cup of tea will always hit the hydration spot.

A cup of tea counts towards your daily fluid intake (even the caffeinated versions) and is packed full of antioxidants. It’s also completely calorie and sugar free (unless you add milk and sugar of course). So a brew is always a good idea!