Hello, I’m Dr. Sandip Mathur, a gastroenterologist in Abilene, Texas.

In this hot weather, don’t dehydrate! Yes, you need to drink plenty of water so that you can still pass urine at least every four hours. In hot weather you will lose a lot of water through sweating. So you need more water and salt. 

If you drink more water alone, you will probably get your salt from your diet. Or you could drink fluids with salt and electrolytes.

Commercial drinks like Gatorade tend to have a lot of sugar. You can make your own drink by taking a gallon of water and adding six TABLEspoons of sugar and half a TEA spoon of table salt and a quarter TEA spoon of LITE SALT (potassium chloride) which is available from the grocery stores, right next to regular table salt, and optionally two TABLEspoons of lemon or lime juice for flavor.

Ice tea is a good option but does not have any salts or electrolytes. Sodas and juices have the same limitations.

So whether you drink water or rehydration solution or tea or anything else, make sure you are feeling well and peeing the same amounts at the same frequency.

What are the warning signs of dehydration? That’s very important, and that’s my next blog. Stay tuned!

Remember, these are general medical guidelines, you must always check with your own PCP.