The Reason Orange Juice Is More Hydrating Than Water
If you're outside on a hot day or in the gym getting sweaty, what beverage are you keeping nearby? Probably water, right? It makes sense — nothing tastes as crisp as an ice-cold sip of good ol' H2O. But is it actually the best beverage for keeping you hydrated? A study conducted in 2014 and published in 2016 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that water actually isn't the most hydrating drink you can have. Along with milk, orange juice proved to be more effective than water at keeping the study subjects hydrated — likely due to the additional nutrients it contains.
Natural orange juice is actually about 90% water, but it also contains vitamins and minerals that plain water simply does not. One such mineral is potassium, which is an electrolyte — meaning it helps regulate fluids in the body. You often hear about the need to replenish electrolytes after losing a lot of water through vomiting, diarrhea, or a long night of drinking. A single eight-ounce glass of 100% orange juice contains about 10% of your recommended daily value of potassium, making it a strong contender for jumpstarting your hydration in the morning.
Don't rely solely on orange juice for hydration
If you're drinking orange juice specifically for its hydration benefits, that single glass at breakfast in place of water is actually about as much as you should have in a day. The reason to limit your juice intake is its high sugar content (albeit the natural kind). Even "no sugar added" orange juice can be a little misleading — it still contains a significant amount of natural sugar; the manufacturers just didn't add more during production.
If you consume more than one glass, you could end up undoing the hydration benefits you were hoping for. The body metabolizes sugar using available water, so if you take in a lot of sugar through juice, the hydrating water portion gets used up as your body processes all that sweetener.
If you're looking to replenish electrolytes and stay hydrated throughout the day, try boosting your water with lower-sugar alternatives for a fun and tasty twist. For instance, lemon water is great in moderation, and rosemary-infused water packs a lot of flavor with almost no effort.