‘It’s always been a battle to get Max to drink water,’ Kelly Mulligan says of her nine-year-old son.
The youngster stopped drinking plain water at the age of four — and he hasn’t had a glass of it since.
His mum claims he doesn’t like it because there’s ‘no flavour’, and it seems Max isn’t the only one that feels this way.
New research has revealed that 43% of Brits think plain water is ‘boring’ and a whopping 6.7 million of us go days without drinking a single glass of H2O.
Instead, a study of 2,000 adults and 1,000 teenagers by Más+ by Messi found that tea is many people’s main source of hydration (40%), closely followed by coffee (30%) and fizzy drinks (17%).
And issues with drinking water were shown to be passed down from parents to children, with 54% of parents struggling to get their children to drink water on a regular basis.
This is a struggle Kelly, 53, knows only too well. She won’t forceher son to drink it, as she doesn’t drink it herself.
‘Max refuses to drink plain water as he doesn’t like it and I agree with him that it has no flavour — I don’t drink it either.
‘I only drink carbonated water or tea,’ the mum, from Brighton, admits.
She tried getting her son to give sparkling water a go, but he wasn’t a fan of the bubbles, so she’s had to find an alternative way to get fluids into him.
‘I looked it up online and it said as long as you’re putting [water] in something else and he’s getting it one way or another it’s ok,’ Kelly explains.
‘He loves fresh apple juice, but to make sure he’s not having too much natural sugar, I water it down. He’s fine with that, and it helps me to know that he is having some form of water.
‘He also has a low sugar squash to add variety.’
It’s these drinks that keep Max hydrated throughout each day, and it’s what he slurps after any doing any exercise too.
And while both juice and squash can be high in sugar, Kelly is confident that her son’s teeth aren’t rotting away. In fact, she claims to have received the seal of approval from her son’s dentist.
‘We went to the dentist recently and Max got a gold star — his teeth are totally fine, so there’s no problem,’ the mum says.
‘The dentist even though it was a really good idea to dilute the juice because that way he’s not having a whole glass of it.’
While he has altnerative options at home, at school, he’s only allowed water in the bottle he takes into classes. ‘They don’t allow anything else, but how much he actually drinks of that, I’m not sure,’ says Kelly.
Despite many parents worrying about the amount of water their child is drinking, Kelly doesn’t see an issue.
‘It’s been five years since Max has drunk a plain glass of water, but it isn’t like he’s drinking no liquids at all.
‘The diluted apple juice is a middle ground which helps keep my concerns for his teeth a bay.
‘He’s happy and healthy, has a varied diet and keeps active.’
She adds: ‘I don’t think many people really enjoy just plain water.’
Many doctors would agree with Kelly that it doesn’t matter exactly what you’re drinking, as long as you’re keeping hydrated — and the NHS website states this too.
Our bodies consist of 50% water and we lose some of this each day through breathing and sweating, so it’s crucial that we’re constantly replenishing. Without water, a human can’t survive for more than a few days.
GP Dr Philippa Kaye confirmed that there are other options aside from water.
She told Metro: ‘Water isn’t the only fluid you can have. The main thing is, have a drink.
‘You need to drink enough water to replace all the fluids that are lost through urine, sweat and digestion.
And the best way to check whether you’re getting enough fluids? Pay attention when you go to the loo.
Most people should aim to drink enough during the day so their pee is a clear pale yellow colour.
If it’s not, you might want to pour yourself a glass of water, lower-fat milk or a sugar-free drink like tea or coffee.
How much water should we drink each day?
According to the NHS, most of us need between 1.5 to two litres per day and while plain old water is the best thing for this, it can also be consumed through various food and drink that contain water, such as tea and coffee, as well as things like milk, melon, soups and stews.
For reference, 1.5L to two litres is the equivalent of about three to four pint glasses of water, so you can use this as a rough guide.
This is a rather general recommendation though and the exact amount of fluid a person requires can vary by age and gender.
Young children, under the age of eight should aim for about 1.2 litres of fluids per day. This is the equivalent of six to eight 200ml glasses.
Teenagers need to drink more than most of us, especially those aged between 14 and 18. During this key period of growth, their hydration needs rise and water is essential for helping them maintain energy, support their metabolism and aid in muscle function.
Teen boys need between 1.6 and 1.9 litres per day, while for teenage girls, the requirement is a little less at 1.5 litres.
The general advice for adults under the age of 60 is for men to drink two litres of water per day, and women to have 1.6 litres.
And those over 60 should aim for an intake of between 1.6 and two litres per day and this goes for both men and women, as it’s important everyone drinks enough as they get older.
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