What Should You Drink on Hot Summer Days?

With heatwaves now a regular part of the British summer, knowing what to reach for keeps you cool, hydrated and feeling well. Here is a sensible guide, starting with the best choice of all.

The quick answer: On a hot day, plain water is the best drink for staying hydrated. It has no sugar, no calories, and your body absorbs it easily. When you sweat a lot you also lose minerals, so a naturally mineral-rich water such as a magnesium water can help replace them. For variety, lightly fizzy fermented drinks like kombucha, real-root ginger beers and botanical sodas, diluted natural juices, coconut water, and homemade lemonades and infused waters, all add interest while keeping you hydrated. Go easy on alcohol, very sugary fizzy drinks and large amounts of caffeine, which do less for you in the heat.

Why does what you drink matter more in hot weather?

When the temperature climbs, your body sweats to cool itself down. Sweat is mostly water, but it also carries dissolved minerals called electrolytes. The main one is sodium, but you also lose potassium and magnesium. During a UK heatwave you can lose far more fluid this way than on a mild day, often without noticing.

If you do not replace that fluid, you can become dehydrated. Early signs include thirst, a dry mouth, dark yellow urine, tiredness, dizziness and headaches. The simple fix is to drink regularly through the day rather than waiting until you feel parched, and to top up minerals after a lot of sweating.

What is the best drink on a hot day?

Water. It is the most effective everyday choice for hydration, it has no sugar or calories, and it is cheap and easy to find. The NHS recommends drinking plenty of fluids in hot weather, with water as the mainstay.

A few practical tips make it easier to drink enough:

• Keep a bottle with you and sip steadily rather than gulping a lot at once.
• Cool water, rather than ice-cold, is often easier to drink in larger amounts.
• Add slices of lemon, cucumber or mint if plain water feels dull. You are more likely to keep drinking something you enjoy.
• Eat water-rich foods too, such as cucumber, tomatoes, melon and berries.

Why drink magnesium water on hot days?

When you sweat, you lose magnesium along with other electrolytes, and magnesium has a direct role in how your muscles and energy levels work. Under the official GB and EU nutrition and health claims register, magnesium is authorised to carry these claims: it contributes to normal muscle function, to electrolyte balance, and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. These are often the first things to suffer when you are hot and tired.

A naturally magnesium-rich mineral water is an easy way to take some on board while you rehydrate. Donat Mg Magnesium Water is a naturally sparkling mineral water from Slovenia that is naturally high in magnesium, rather than having a little added in. Because it is so mineral-dense, it is sensible to introduce it gradually and drink it alongside your ordinary water, not in place of it.

Kombucha and fermented drinks

Kombucha is lightly sparkling tea that has been fermented with a culture of bacteria and yeasts. It is refreshing, slightly sharp in taste, and usually has much less sugar than a typical fizzy drink. Served cold, it makes a good alternative to soft drinks on a warm afternoon.

Worth trying from our range:

• Organic Ginger Kombucha, Equinox (250ml)
• Organic Classic Jun-Kombucha, Loving Foods (330ml)
• Organic Lemon & Ginger Jun-Kombucha, Loving Foods (330ml)

Ginger beers and botanical sodas

A ginger beer made with real root ginger, or a botanical soda built on plant and fruit extracts, gives you something fizzy and full of flavour without the heavy sweetness of standard cola or lemonade. These are treats rather than everyday hydration, but a cold bottle on a hot day is a better choice than a sugary energy drink.

• Organic Hot Ginger Beer, Luscombe (270ml)
• Organic Ginger Beer, Belvoir (750ml)
• Zesty Yuzu Bamboo Water, Juno (250ml)

Natural juices and coconut water

Natural fruit juices give you fluid plus some vitamins, but they also contain natural sugars, so they hydrate best when you dilute them with still or sparkling water. This stretches the flavour and lowers the amount of sugar per glass. Coconut water is another summer favourite. It is naturally refreshing and supplies electrolytes including potassium and a little magnesium, which is why it has a reputation as a natural hydration drink.

• Coconut Water, Vita Coco (1L)

Homemade lemonades and infused waters

If you want something cooling without buying it, a jug of homemade lemonade or infused water is cheap, quick to make and lets you keep the sugar low. A few that work well in summer:

• Classic lemonade: fresh lemon juice topped up with still or sparkling water, sweetened lightly to taste.
• Lemon and thyme: lemon slices with a couple of sprigs of thyme, left to infuse for an hour.
• Fresh lime: lime juice and a few slices over ice, topped with sparkling water.
• Watermelon: blend watermelon, strain out the bits, and finish with a squeeze of lime.
• Cucumber water: a few slices of cucumber left in a jug of cold water for a couple of hours.

Keep any added sugar to a minimum so these stay refreshing rather than sickly. For a simple homemade electrolyte drink after heavy sweating, add a small pinch of Fine Himalayan Salt to a glass of lemon water.

What should you go easy on in the heat?

Some drinks do less for you when it is hot. Alcohol has a mild diuretic effect and can leave you more dehydrated, so it helps to alternate alcoholic drinks with water. Very sugary fizzy drinks deliver a lot of sugar without quenching thirst well. Large amounts of caffeine can also have a mild diuretic effect, so if you drink a lot of coffee or energy drinks, balance them with extra water. None of these are off limits. They are simply not the best choices during a heatwave.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best thing to drink in hot weather?

Plain water is the best everyday drink for hydration in hot weather because it has no sugar or calories and is absorbed quickly. When you have been sweating heavily, a mineral-rich water and electrolytes help replace what you lose.

Is magnesium water good for hot days?

Sweating causes you to lose magnesium, and magnesium is officially recognised as contributing to normal muscle function, electrolyte balance and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. A naturally magnesium-rich water like Donat Mg is an easy way to top it up while you rehydrate. Introduce it gradually, as it is very mineral-dense.

Does kombucha hydrate you?

Yes. Kombucha is mostly water, so it adds to your fluid intake, and it is usually lower in sugar than standard fizzy drinks. Served cold it is a refreshing alternative to soft drinks.

Are fizzy drinks bad in a heatwave?

Very sugary fizzy drinks do not quench thirst well and add a lot of sugar. Lower-sugar options such as kombucha, real-root ginger beer and botanical sodas are better choices, and water remains the best for staying properly hydrated.

How much should I drink on a hot day?

There is no single figure, as it depends on your size, activity and how hot it is, but the general UK guidance is 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day, with more when it is hot or you are active. Use thirst and the colour of your urine as a practical guide; pale straw is what you are aiming for.

Sources: Authorised magnesium claims via the EU Register on nutrition and health claims (Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012) and the EFSA scientific opinion on magnesium. Hot-weather hydration guidance: NHS, how to cope in hot weather. This article is general information, not medical advice.