16 Drinks To Keep You Hydrated That Aren't Plain Water

For years, a familiar refrain has been that drinking water is key to a healthy lifestyle. The human body is mostly comprised of water, so it makes sense that rehydration would be as necessary a part of everyday life as eating and sleeping. Anyone who has experienced fatigue from strenuous exercise (or a hangover after too much alcohol) knows the effects dehydration can have on the body, ranging from a mild headache to severe organ complications. In fact, not drinking enough water can cause complications leading to death. 

Plain water is so much a part of everyday life that we've deferred to it as the default, and only, option for hydrating the body and maintaining a balanced diet. However, some research shows that despite popular belief, pure water isn't always the best drink to grab to fuel your body. We've rounded up 16 of the best drinks to grab to keep the body hydrated besides plain water. We're by no means suggesting that you cut drinking water out of your daily routine. But adding different drinks to your diet can end up resulting in even more positive health benefits than just the plain stuff. Plus, everything on our list contains much more flavor than a glass of water from the tap. 

Contrary to popular belief, milk is one of the most hydrating drinks you can opt for. Whether you like skim or full-fat milk, both varieties contain a significant water content in general. When you consider the fat, lactose, and sodium content of milk, these factors will help to balance the fluids in the body. Additionally, the nutrients/water from the milk will stick around in the body for longer than water, which is filtered out rather quickly, and ultimately results in your body absorbing more of it. 

It's a fun fact to tell people that milk is arguably more hydrating than water. It's not common to see a person at the gym replenish with a tall glass of whole milk after a strenuous workout, but it might be a better option than water in some cases. However, it also doesn't provide a suitable swap for every glass of water. Milk contains a lot of calories, which can add up if a person is drinking eight glasses a day instead of water. 

As with everything, it's important to equip your body with both milk and water in tandem in an attempt to keep yourself as hydrated as possible. Additionally, non-dairy milk, like almond milk or oat milk, is also as hydrating — if not more so — than water. These alternatives are made by blending the base ingredient with water to turn it into milk, so the body will still absorb all of that water along with any additional nutrients. 

One of the best alternatives to water for keeping hydrated on a hot day (or after a night out of drinking) is coconut water. Coconut water is the clear fluid in coconuts that is slightly sweet and nutty. Unlike coconut juice, it typically doesn't contain any purée from the actual fruit. Coconut water is high in a variety of electrolytes, particularly potassium, that can aid in keeping low blood pressure. Hydration is also an essential aspect in preventing kidney stones, and the electrolytes in coconut water help the body filtration process function even better to avoid a trip to the hospital as a result of one. 

Vita Coco is a common coconut water brand you can find at the average grocery store and can be a fun drink swap for water. The brand has an original variation, which is pure coconut, pineapple, and peach mango flavors to make it even tastier to do something good for your body. 

Similarly to fruit juice, the juice pressed from fresh vegetables can provide a double-whammy benefit of hydration and a hit of vitamins. Pressed juice is the best option, as it helps to retain all of the nutrients in each vegetable while offering all of that water content. Also like fruit, each vegetable contains a varying amount of water. Some of the most water-dense vegetables are celery, cucumber, leafy greens, and bell peppers, which can also help keep the body hydrated when eaten fresh. Some people have juicers at home to make their own fresh-squeezed vegetable juice, but it's also a healthy treat from a juice bar that can keep you feeling hydrated and energized for the remainder of the day. 

V8 is one of the longest-available vegetable juices on the market. Famously, one of the brand's 8 oz. cans contains two servings of vegetables like beets, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, and more. The brand has gone on to expand its line of flavors, including both fruit and vegetable juices, and the drinks can be a great addition to the diet of anyone who is looking to keep healthy and hydrated. 

Bone broth is one of those nutrition fads in recent years that was seemingly everywhere for a while. It's not the miracle health cure that some advertisements may suggest, but the trendy ingredient (also known as stock) does have plenty of benefits for the body. Bone broth is made out of claws, knuckles, tendons, and bones from different animals, depending on the recipe, to make a rich soup. Soup made with stock from bones has long been associated with healing, and bone broth can also help to replenish a person's electrolytes. 

Bone broth is a naturally hydrating liquid with the added benefit of sodium, which is key for hydration retention. It doesn't matter if the broth is made from the bones of chicken, pork, beef, or fish — the nutrients that seep out of the bones into the broth are undoubtedly a boost to your health. Again, it's not that everyone should replace their daily water intake with bone broth. However, swapping out one glass could help your body better absorb all of the water and electrolytes you are consuming throughout the day. 

Kombucha is another buzzy health drink that gets a lot of praise, but it can also help you keep your daily fluid intake on par while boasting digestive health benefits. Kombucha is a fermented tea, usually made with a brew of sugar, black or green tea, and Scoby, or the bacteria and yeast culture that adds all of those sought-after probiotics. Kombucha can help to support a healthy immune system as well as gut health when you drink it alongside water. It's a great option for someone who wants to drink something a little fancier than water but wants a healthier option than a sugary soda or an alcoholic cocktail. 

There are so many popular kombucha brands on the market. Health-Ade is one bottled option with a flavor for nearly every palate. KeVita also has an extensive line of gut-boosting drinks, from bubbly kombucha to vinegar tonics. For those who prefer something without the funky fermentation, there are also probiotic soda options like Culture Pop that provide similar benefits but are a bit more flavorful than plain water. At their base, all of these probiotic health drinks are made with plenty of water, so they'll undoubtedly help to keep you hydrated. 

We love a pleasing aesthetic, and there's no better Insta-worthy way to hydrate than infused water. Floating any combination of fruit, vegetables, or herbs in a glass or pitcher of water creates a gorgeous look while lending flavor, vitamins, and fiber. The possibilities are endless: cucumber with melon, strawberries and mint, or watermelon with lime would all be refreshing and delicious. Whether you let the fruit sit in the water for a while before drinking or plop it in and drink up is your choice, but be sure to eat or strain out the solids within a day to avoid any nasty surprises.

Infused water is customizable to your preferences. Make a sangria-like drink by dropping slices or chunks of produce into the water or summon your inner mixologist and muddle add-ins so they release juice. If you don't feel like fishing around in your drink for a snack, you can still get all those vitamins, fiber, and micronutrients by pureeing whole lemons, limes, or berries and adding them to the pitcher. This will make your water pretty and make upping your fluids a snap.

Remember, even if you don't have fresh produce, you can infuse water with strong juices like açai, pomegranate, cranberry, or black cherry. Since undiluted juice has relatively high amounts of sugar and calories and lacks the fiber of fresh fruit, using it to elevate plain water while keeping your health goals on track is a win-win.

Chia seeds are on trend among those striving for a healthful diet. Chock full of fiber, protein, antioxidants, and omega-3s, these seeds from the Salvia hispanica plant are a perfect addition to smoothies, oatmeal, and baked goods. TikTok has endless recipes for chia pudding so you can enjoy a sweet treat that aligns with your nutritional goals, and content creators advocate sprinkling chia seeds on everything from ice cream to avocado toast for a boost of fiber that keeps you feeling full so you don't reach for snack foods.

One of those TikTok-approved recipes is a boon to hydration: chia seed water. You can make it in minutes — add a tablespoon of chia to water and let the seeds soak for a while, or if you're feeling fancy, jazz it up with honey and a squeeze of citrus. Since chia seeds absorb water (about ten times their mass), they grow into jelly-like blobs, similar to the tapioca pearls found in bubble tea. While some might find the texture a little weird, even intolerable, the nutrients in chia seeds may help with hydration, nutritionist Kerri Ferraioli told Business Insider.

Maple syrup is the favored topping for pancakes and waffles and is something you're likely to have in the pantry, but you may not appreciate the intense labor that goes into making it. Tapping maple trees, collecting sap, and boiling it for up to two days to condense it is challenging. The fact that 10 gallons of sap yields just a quart of syrup makes it easy to understand how the composition of the sap changes during this process; maple sap is 98% water and only 2% sugar, but after it's boiled into syrup, the sugar content climbs to a whopping 67%.

Enter maple water, otherwise known as fresh maple sap. While it may sound odd to drink maple sap, Drink Simple, one company that sells maple water (flat or sparkling), points out that maple trees make sap by absorbing water enriched with nutrients from the earth. With just 15 calories in an 8-oz. glass, maple water is lightly sweet with natural sugars, refreshing, and has trace amounts of minerals to boot, allowing the body to absorb the water at a faster rate than drinking plain water. While we don't suggest making maple water your primary source of hydration since it contains sugar and carries a hefty price tag, it's a nice treat, especially in hot weather or during an intense workout.