3 Foods You Must Avoid When Dehydrated

Mercury is rising day by day and as we move closer to June, health issues like dehydration catch us unaware. Dehydration is a situation when your body expels more water than it gets. It’s a myth that dehydration happens only due to diarrhoea, vomiting or excessive sweating, there are certain foods and drinks that make you dehydrated. The telltale signs of dehydration are pale/thick urine or decreased frequency, besides dizziness, lethargy and constipation. As dehydration worsens, you may experience sunken eyes, shriveled and dry skin, increased heart rate, low blood pressure and fever.

If you are off late observing any of these symptoms then first of all you must up your guard against dehydration by drinking more water. Refuel yourself with an electrolyte powder to boost hydration in your body. And avoid these 3 foods and drinks to not deteriorate your condition any further:

1. Soft Drinks

A can of Coke or Sprite may quench your thirst but the sugar content in soft drinks has a hypernatremic effect i.e. it draws water from tissues. Secondly, soft drinks also contain caffeine which has a mild diuretic impact on your body. Same goes for packaged fruit juices & energy drinks, you are better off these commercial packages of sugar.

2. Coffee

Limit yourself to just a cup of java when you are already dehydrated and do not go beyond 2 cups during summers even if you are otherwise ok. Coffee has high amount of caffeine which has a diuretic effect and inhibits sodium reabsorption in the body. Also, avoid artificial sweeteners or refined sugar.

3. Beetroots

The ruby-red Superfood is an amazing veggie, however, you must give it a break when dehydrated. Beets have diuretic properties as they wash out the liver and contain potassium that eliminates excess fluid from the body. Other veggies to avoid are asparagus and artichokes.