Hydrate

One near-universal piece of advice given to weight watchers is to drink more water, with the typical recommendation being about 64 ounces a day. And those who live in dry climates, where dehydration is a concern for everyone, may need to go beyond a half-gallon a day.

Nutritionists and weight loss coaches say people often confuse hunger with thirst, and some suggest first drinking a glass of water and waiting 15 minutes when feeling hungry.

But does "water" have to be water? The answer depends on who you ask.

My research on this question has led me to the conclusion that some flexibility exists in satisfying the 8 glasses per day rule. Sadly, this flexibility does not extend to alcohol; beer, wine, and vodka martinis are certainly liquids, but they are dehydrating, not to mention highly caloric. You may need to drink even more water to counteract the diuretic effects of the alcohol.

I've seen mixed reports on coffee. Although many of my older diet books marked it as a villain and required any consumption of it to be offset with additional water, some more recent findings say it may be counted in your daily water tally. I've decided to split the difference and consider it neutral.

I'm counting tea, particularly green tea. I wrote about this on my foodie blog a few months ago, so click that link if you want to know more.

hydration station

To those fond of those much-maligned fizzy beverages, consider investing in a sodastream or similar device. I bought one earlier this year on the recommendation of several friends and the request of my daughter, who loves soft drinks. Although you can purchase packets of syrup that attempt to imitate popular beverages, I prefer creating my own flavors. The internet has countless recipes for flavored syrups, with or without sugar, but one of my favorite fizzy drink concoctions is just adding a squeeze of lemon and a couple of drops of stevia to the carbonated water.

If I'm feeling slightly more enterprising, I'll make a fizzy version of doogh, a refreshing Persian drink of yogurt and mint. I whiz a little yogurt, salt and mint in the blender, and then add about an equal volume of fizzy water.

Herbal teas, or tisanes, also are an excellent option for getting your water. Most groceries have a decent selection of herbals, and you may have some plants in your yard or garden that are tea-worthy. Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy book, which I can't stop recommending, has some suggestions for tisanes with parts of the plant you may have been discarding (such as fennel fronds).

With so many creative, easy and tasty options available for keeping hydrated, this can be one of the most enjoyable opportunities for improving one's healthstyle.

Cheers!