Drink up: How to stay hydrated this winter
Fill your glass to feel your best this season.
Hydration is necessary for the proper function of cells, tissues, and organs, and to regulate your body temperature year-round.
So, it’s important to “drink, drink, drink water regardless of the outside temperature,” says Los Angeles–based registered dietitian nutritionist Misti Gueron, M.S., RDN.
“Your blood — your greatest transporter of nutrients for maximized energy, immunity, and health — is more than half water,” she adds.
Staying hydrated also helps strengthen the immune system, boost metabolism, flush out toxins, and keep your skin from drying out.
Here are some other easy, tasty ways to quench thirst.
Eat your water
Make hydrating fruits and veggies — from cucumbers and celery to pears, strawberries, and spinach — the base of your winter plates, as they’re made up of 70 to 90 percent water.
Add other liquids
Herbal teas, warm water with lemon, lime, or other fruit garnishes, and broth-based soups (like miso, without too much added sodium) are good alternate sources of water, Gueron says.
Dr. Ramos says: Even if you don’t feel thirsty, your body still needs fluids. Try sipping warm tea or broth to stay hydrated on cold days
Skip the fruit juice
She adds that juice “does a lousy job of quenching thirst” because it isn’t absorbed into the body as efficiently as water, and it sometimes contains added sugar.
Go easy on ’ades
Sports drinks can help hydrate, but Gueron green-lights them only if you’re exercising vigorously for more than 90 minutes at a stretch. While they contain carbohydrates and electrolytes for energy, most people do not
need the added sugar, sodium, and calories.
Balance certain bevs with water
In cold weather, it’s tempting to curl up with a cup of hot coffee or tea, or a glass of wine, by the fireplace. But “coffee, black tea, and alcohol require water to break down, so they rob water from your bloodstream,” Gueron says. You can still enjoy them, though, without the “dehydration drawback” by watering up: For every 8 ounces of caffeine or one serving of alcohol, drink at least 16 ounces of water.
Give yourself a ring
Have trouble remembering to take a swig? Set a hydration timer on your watch, phone, or computer.
Website last updated: 9/30/2026
