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You've probably heard by now how important it is to drink lots of water. How much? The answer varies according to who you read or listen to, but my advice is to not get carried away. Your body will tell you when it needs water -that's what thirst is for.

The funny thing is, at the same time we are bombarded with health information about the importance of staying hydrated, the market is saturated with products that are supposed to quench our thirst, give us energy, nourish us, make us smarter, and who knows what else. The only problem with all of these products? They aren't water.

I'm not saying that you should only drink water. There is definitely room for other beverages. Juices can be healthy and refreshing. Coffee and tea are debatable, but there is evidence that even they have health benefits when consumed in moderation. The same is true for alcohol -again, stressing the need for moderation. Soda and the various sugary "fruit flavored" drinks you would really be better off skipping altogether.

What I'm focusing on here is the way that juices, energy drinks and various "thirst quenchers" are being marketed as alternatives to plain water. They can never replace water, and in many cases they aren't even that good for you. Of course, this is a generalization, and with all of the products out there, new ones coming on the market every week, we cannot possibly make a general statement about all of them. Or can we?

The next time you are tempted to reach for an energy drink, or even pure juice, take a look at the list of ingredients and the sugar content. Now some sugars are better than others, but even if you are gulping down gallons of, say, 100% all natural, organic apple juice, you are still consuming lots of sugar. Natural sugar, to be sure, but still way more sugar than your body needs. That's why some health experts recommend to get your fruit from whole fresh fruit rather than juices.

For example, have you ever had a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice? It's certainly refreshing, but watch the person who makes it and see how many oranges they have to use to make one large glass. Certainly more than you'd ever eat if you were just sitting there eating oranges. I'm not saying that a glass of orange juice is bad for you, but if you rely on juices to quench your thirst, you will be getting lots of superfluous sugar.

When it comes to energy drinks, there are other things to watch out for. Many have high caffeine content. Combined with sugar, and maybe some herbal stimulants such as Ginseng as well, you may indeed get a burst of energy, but you will probably also crash. Many energy drinks have an impressive list of vitamins, herbs and other supplements. In most cases, you are better off getting these from a proper diet or taken as pure supplements, without all the added sugar.

The real point is that nothing replaces water. Pure water -finding a good source of water can be problematic nowadays, but buy the best you can or find a good purification system- should always be your primary thirst quencher. If you use anything else as a way to satisfy your thirst, especially when exercising or in hot weather, you will almost certainly be consuming excessive sugars, caffeine, and even vitamins (you can consume too much of certain vitamins, depending on your age, gender and overall state of health).

The bottom line, then, is simple --when you're thirsty, drink water. Sip on other beverages for variety, as a treat, at social occasions or whatever, but when you need to gulp down large quantities of a liquid, make it H2O.