Soda Beats Water Among Best Drinks For Hydration

Well, look at that. My diet has had secret benefits all these years. I drink at least one can of Mt. Dew a day when I'm at work. I have a special stash of sodas in a drawer at my desk so I never run out. I do this because I hate drinking water and I actually had to make a personal goal to drink at least a cup of water each morning as a sort of new year resolution. Not because I wanted to be healthier. The change was mostly due to the fact that soda is expensive and I was drinking a lot of it. But, I did know that there were health benefits to drinking some water, especially for my kidneys. For almost two years I have been drinking my glass of water each morning at work followed by a can of soda (often a few cans) in the afternoon. Have I noticed any health changes by drinking water? Nope. But I'll keep doing it just in case.

I'll also keep drinking soda as my go to beverage in all situations - especially now when I exercise or am working outdoors. A new study reveals that water isn't very good at hydrating in times of need. It doesn't have the substance, vitamins, or nutrient composition that other drinks have. CNN has a story naming the top beverages for hydration and the top spot goes to skim milk and full fat milk. That seems crazy because most of us don't think that milk is a good idea when we get overheated and need a drink. I'm imagining the scene from Anchorman.

Water, which seems like the smart choice to go to when you are in need of hydration ranked 10th on the list. Water was a worse choice than almost everything else. It got beat by juices, soda, and sports drinks. That's a pretty crazy finding too - soda was better at hydration than sports drinks.

I'm not a doctor and definitely not someone you should take health advice from since I'd say go for the chocolate milk or soda any day over water. I can't think of a day that I have had the recommended eight glasses of water. The article does make sure to point out that water is still necessary for your body and a good choice when available.