Dehydration is the medical term for when your body’s water losses exceed your water intake. Many factors can cause you to become dehydrated, including excessive sweating, inadequate fluid intake, diarrhea, vomiting, and certain medical conditions.
Not taking in adequate amounts of fluid during the day and making certain dietary choices can increase your risk for dehydration. Some foods and drinks contain ingredients, such as high amounts of added salt and caffeine, that can increase water loss from your body and contribute to dehydration. However, many foods and drinks can provide fluids and help hydrate you.
Fast food, like French fries, cheeseburgers, and fried chicken, is very high in added salt, which can dehydrate you if consumed in large amounts.
High sodium intake from salty foods leads to increased urine production. This is because when your sodium levels increase due to high salt intake, your kidneys have to increase urine output to keep your blood levels of sodium within normal limits.
A study with 156 young adults found that although the participants with higher salt intake drank more total fluids, they had inferior hydration status compared to participants with lower salt intake.
Most fast food items are very high in added salt. For example, a burger and fries from a fast food restaurant can provide more than half of the Daily Value (DV) for sodium, which is set at less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.
Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which is a substance that increases urine production. Peeing more frequently can increase your water loss, raising your risk for dehydration.
Alcohol can also contribute to dehydration by affecting alertness and judgment and making you less aware of your body temperature. As your body becomes dehydrated, it starts losing the ability to sweat and cool itself down. If you are unaware of your body temperature rising, you may become hotter and more dehydrated without realizing it.
Drinking small amounts of alcohol or sipping low-alcohol beverages, like beer, is unlikely to cause dehydration. However, drinking large amounts of alcohol or choosing very strong drinks can contribute to dehydration.
When consuming alcoholic beverages, it’s important to limit your intake and stay hydrated by drinking water between cocktails.
Though sugar isn’t usually considered dehydrating, research shows that many people consume sugary drinks in place of water, leading to dehydration.
Sugary drinks, like soda, can also lead to fluid loss in the gut and negatively affect kidney health. Your kidneys are essential to maintaining hydration because they control urine output. Studies show that rehydrating with soda after intensive exercise in the heat can damage the kidneys and cause acute kidney injury.
Sugary drink consumption is also linked with several health issues, such as an increased risk of high blood sugar, heart disease, and more. Experts recommend keeping your daily intake of added sugars below 10% of your total daily calories.
Many energy drinks are very high in caffeine, which can cause increased urine output in large doses. They also tend to be high in added sugar.
Energy drinks slow fluid absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and increase urination. This can be especially harmful to people at a greater risk of dehydration, such as people exercising in hot environments.
Studies have also linked energy drinks to serious side effects, including anxiety, rapid and irregular heartbeat, kidney injury seizures, and death.
Savory snacks, like chips and pretzels, are one of the main sources of sodium in American diets.
Following a high salt diet can contribute to dehydration by increasing water loss through the urine. Limiting foods high in added salt, like salty chips and pretzels, and replacing salty snacks with more hydrating foods, like fruits and vegetables, is an easy and effective way to support optimal hydration.
A recent study identified 15 food categories representing over 50% of total dietary sodium intake for American adults, with pizza being number one.
One slice of pepperoni pizza from a chain restaurant contains 664 mg of sodium, which provides 28% of the DV for sodium.
Eating very salty foods, like pizza, too frequently could increase your risk of dehydration. To make your pizza less salty, swap out sodium-rich toppings like pepperoni, pancetta, and ham for more hydrating toppings like fresh vegetables.
Processed meats, like pepperoni, bacon, ham, hot dogs, and sausage are usually very high in sodium. This is because salt is used to both preserve and flavor processed meats.
Eating too many processed meats could contribute to high salt intake, which is linked to poor hydration status.
Also, high processed meat intake is linked to many health conditions, such as breast and colorectal cancer. For this reason, many experts recommend limiting your intake of processed meats.
Like fast food, takeout food, such as burritos, tacos, pasta dishes, and burgers, can contribute to dehydration by increasing your intake of added salt.
Takeout food, like burritos, is a main source of sodium in the diet and can pack a surprising amount of salt. For example, a burrito with steak from a chain restaurant contains 1,520 mg of sodium, or 66% of the DV for sodium.
Regularly consuming high-salt foods can harm your hydration status and increase your risk of common health conditions, such as high blood pressure and kidney disease.
Condiments, like salad dressings, ketchup, and soy sauce, can be an unexpected source of sodium in your meals. This extra sodium may impact your ability to stay hydrated.
For example, one tablespoon (tbsp) of soy sauce contains 878 mg of sodium, or 38% of the DV.
Try using lower-sodium condiments, like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and reduced-salt dressings. You can also make your own condiments at home using salt-free or low-sodium ingredients.
Coffee and other caffeinated beverages, like tea, aren’t necessarily dehydrating. However, highly caffeinated drinks, like very strong coffee, can increase urine production, which can lead to dehydration.
A small study that included 10 healthy adults found that, compared to low-caffeine coffee that delivered 3 mg of caffeine per kilogram (kg) of body weight, drinking highly caffeinated coffee that delivered 6 mg/kg of caffeine led to significantly greater urination after consumption.
Keep in mind that this study used a very high dose of caffeine. Six mg/kg of caffeine equates to 409 mg of caffeine for a 150-pound person, which exceeds the safe upper limit of 400 mg per day.
While very high doses of caffeine can increase urinary output, which causes you to lose more water, low to moderate doses of caffeine have not been linked to this side effect.
In addition to cutting back on foods and drinks that may dehydrate you, it’s important to choose hydrating foods that can help you maintain optimal hydration.
Here are a few nutrient-rich, hydrating foods to add to your diet:
- Melons, like honeydew and watermelon
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Berries, like strawberries and blueberries
- Pineapple
- Citrus fruits, like grapefruit and oranges
Fruits and vegetables contain a high percentage of water and increasing your consumption of these foods is an effective way to improve your water intake. Plus, diets high in fruits and vegetables are linked to several other health benefits, including protecting against the development of heart disease and certain cancers.
Drinking plenty of water is the best way to stay hydrated. Up to 80% of your water intake comes from fluids, which is why drinking fluids throughout the day is the most important factor in maintaining optimal hydration.
Your specific hydration needs may depend on factors like your activity levels, body weight, and the environment in which you live. However, a general recommendation is that adult women consume 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of water per day and adult men consume 15 cups (3.7 liters).
To make meeting your hydration needs easier, you can add flavor to your water by using refreshing water additives like lemon juice, berries, and fresh herbs.
Maintaining optimal hydration is essential for health. Eating certain foods and drinking certain beverages may dehydrate you by triggering increased urination and impacting your ability to maintain optimal fluid balance.
You can combat dehydration by cutting back on foods high in added salt, like fast foods, chips, and pizza, and limiting your intake of alcohol and drinks very high in caffeine.
In addition to limiting certain foods and drinks, you can eat more hydrating foods, like fruits and vegetables, and drink adequate amounts of water to maintain optimal hydration.