by Fern Shaw | Jul 15, 2020 | water cooler
Recently we looked at food and drink ingredients that make us more dehydrated, and found that salt in particular seemed to be the main culprit.
Reducing your salt intake doesn’t mean reducing flavour. Salt has been used to flavour food (originally, it was used to preserve food) for millennia, however with the advent of modern food processing, excessive use of salt can contribute towards a number of health issues.
The simplest route to a healthier you is to make sure you drink enough water and maintain good hydration habits however; this by itself often isn’t enough.
So, if you’re a lover of salty foods what can you do to reduce your salt consumption but retain the flavour in what you eat?
There are myriad ways in which to achieve this and none of them will affect your pocket or leave you feeling, taste wise, as if you’re missing out.
There is a comprehensive list of herbs and spices, their taste profiles and uses to create great flavour, available in the Health Matters magazine that we really like the look of. A few favourites drawn from there are: mint, rosemary, oregano and paprika.
Moving a little further afield into the citrus groves, lemon remains a favourite of mine. It not only packs a powerful vitamin C punch, gives great flavour to any dish, but it’s also believed to aid weight loss; reduce the risk of heart disease; anaemia; kidney stones and digestive issues.
Whatever salt alternative flavour route you choose to follow, remember the cardinal rule to maintaining good hydration: drink water regularly throughout the day. And as always, speak to us at AquAid for all your water cooler and water boiler requirements, whether at work at the office, construction site, hospital, clinic, school, college or university.
by Fern Shaw | Jun 4, 2020 | bottle fed water coolers, water cooler, Water Coolers
As with all our bottled water products, AquAid provides Bottled Water Coolers and water filtration that ensure you are drinking only the finest fresh water available, drawn from three sources around the United Kingdom.
Our bottled water is pure and filtered to remove any harmful chemicals and bacteria, leaving you feeling healthier and refreshed. Many water-processing plants use dangerous chemicals to purify their water, but AquAid do not. Our water is as clean as nature intended it to be.
Bottled Water Coolers are the perfect solution where portable water or a mains water supply is unavailable.
A Bottle-Fed Water Cooler is ideal for placement in any workplace and for any size of staff contingent. These free-standing coolers are easy to move to a new location within the organisation should this be required.
Another benefit of having a Bottle-Fed water cooler is easy access to a source of proper hydration at all times. Tests have shown that a drop in body fluids can lead to poor mental and physical performance of up to 30%. Having access to fresh water and being able to replenish your water throughout the day will ensure that you are never thirsty, and that you are always able to perform at your best.
There is a reduced environmental impact. Our water bottles are collected, thoroughly cleaned, sanitised and re-used multiple times. Once spent, they are granulated and re-cycled in an ecologically friendly manner.
As we have branches throughout the United Kingdom, our bottled water delivery is quick and efficient. We also offer an urgent water replenishment service.
Installing a Bottled Water Dispenser from AquAid not only means a healthier and hydrated you, but also the opportunity of the delivery of life-changing safe water for those in need. For each bottle of water supplied, a donation is made to the charities that AquAid have supported for more than 20 years. These donations are at no additional cost to our customers.
No matter what sort of water cooler you are looking for, at AquAid we have the perfect solution for you. Have a look at our easy-to-navigate website for the full range of water coolers that we offer for your convenience and continued health and hydration.
by Fern Shaw | May 29, 2020 | Water Coolers
At present, it’s understandable that we may crave comfort food and drinks. The quick fix from salt and sugar loaded food and drink is undeniable, so even while you’re attempting to stay better hydrated, you may be ingesting dehydrating substances without even realising it.
Sodium is a big culprit
When you eat salty foods, your cells tell your brain that you’re thirsty. Examples of foods high in salt are fast foods, potato crisps, tinned foods, deli meats and condiments like tomato ketchup, brown sauce and sweet chilli sauce.
Sugary drinks also contribute
Much like salty foods, sugary drinks also tell your brain that you’re thirsty. Try to avoid these – fizzy, energy and sports drinks as well as over sugared coffees and cocktails.
Instead of eating and drinking these dehydration-inducing foods and beverages, drink more water and add these top superfoods to your diet for optimal health and antioxidant levels.
Blueberries
Yielding antioxidants, vitamin C and anti-inflammatory properties, a handful of these berries daily can do wonders.
Fatty fish
Fatty fish with omega-3s include salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel. Make sure that you only buy fish off the endangered list. A good guide to which are sustainable and safe fish to buy can be found here.
Soy
This does not mean using enough soy sauce to turn your sushi rice another colour. Soy sauce has a high sodium content. Clean and simple soy is recommended. Soy in this category includes tofu, soymilk and edamame. For the curious, edamame are green soybeans boiled or steamed in their pods.
Fibre
There are a variety of great options for getting more fibre in your body:
- Beans. Think three-bean salad, bean burritos, chilli, and soup.
- Whole grains. That means whole-wheat bread, pasta.
- Brown rice. White rice doesn’t offer much fibre.
- Popcorn. It’s a great source of fibre.
- Nuts. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fibre than other nuts.
- Baked potato with skin. The skin’s important here.
- Berries. All those seeds, plus the skin, give great fibre to any berry.
- Bran cereal. Actually, any cereal that has 5 grams of fibre or more in a serving counts as high fibre.
- Oatmeal. Whether its microwaved or stove-cooked, oatmeal is good fibre.
- Vegetables. The crunchier, the better.
With all this talk about salt, it’s quite likely you’re now thirsty, so to help, here are a few thirst-quenching alternatives that are not only good for you, but will tamp down on your dehydration quickly:
Tea
The antioxidant powers of tea are present in both black and green tea. Moreover, you’re drinking water when you drink tea, minus all the sugar you would be when consuming fizzy drinks.
Calcium-rich
The health-conscious tend to stay away from dairy products for fear that they contain fat, but calcium is necessary for the body. If you’d rather not consume cheese and milk, take a calcium supplement.
Water
As always, the simplest and quickest route to maintain good hydration is to drink water more. To gauge how much water you should drink, refer to AquAid’s handy guide to start you off.
*updated from a blog post Jan 2013
by Fern Shaw | Apr 22, 2020 | aquaid, bottle fed water coolers, water cooler
Social media has played a huge part in communicating with and connecting people over the last few months.
Posts, videos, memes, all exhorting individuals as to what they could do while practising self-isolation. Everything from downing raw eggs (can you say salmonella) to playing tennis across rooftops (which we quite liked, truth be told). We are being bombarded with so much information it can be overwhelming, so, whereas here at AquAid we’ve decided to add to the pile, we like to think you may find our to do (or not do) list easy to digest:
- If you’re lucky enough to have a pet, pet your pet. Often. There’s nothing quite as recuperative as communing with a furry creature who adores you. (Or scaly, or feathered if that’s the way you roll, pet wise).
- Drink water more. Make sure there’s always fresh water for above-mentioned pet.
- Remember the oxygen mask deployment rules when flying (slight paraphrase here): take care of yourself first so that you are better able to help others.
- A prime example of taking care of you is to remember to drink water. Properly hydrated equates to you being better equipped to perform – no matter the task.
- Bend your knees. Whether you’ve decided to completely re-landscape your garden; spring clean your entire dwelling; re-arrange your furniture or stoop to blow that dust bunny back under the sofa – bend your knees.
- You guessed it. Irrespective of your level of lockdown activity, hydrate. Then hydrate some more.
If you require a water dispenser, your Bottle-Fed water cooler topped up or bottled water delivery wherever you are, remember that here at AquAid, we continue to operate responsibly, including maintaining social distancing and our customers not having to sign for bottled water deliveries.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 10, 2020 | water boiler, water cooler
Now that March has arrived, it would be nice to believe that spring isn’t too far off (and it isn’t that far as the new season arrives officially on the 20th of March).
As we Britons are used to radical weather patterns whatever the season, it’s no surprise that the topic remains at the forefront of our communication. Whether (ha) we’re topping up our water at the water cooler station at work i.e. chatting to colleagues (not the water cooler, although should you wish to, please, feel free – even a water cooler can benefit from some attention) or chatting with family or friends or indeed, speaking to strangers.
Irrespective of our opinion about the topic of the weather, there is no denying it has a huge impact on our behavioural patterns; moods; what we eat; our travel patterns; what we wear and what we drink.
Although we may not think about how different our drinking water patterns are depending on our environment, they very much are. When it’s warmer we tend to exert ourselves more and are always on the lookout for the perfectly chilled water, while come the colder months there’s nothing better than a piping hot drink to stave off the chill. This usually means you are more likely to be on the lookout for a hot water boiler that can dispense a constant supply of hot water throughout the day.
If you’re prone to drink more water when it’s warm and less when it’s cold – a gentle reminder that you’re just as likely to become dehydrated in winter as you are in summer, so remember, whatever the weather, make sure to have AquAid address all your hot & cold water cooler requirements. We are always happy to help.
