How To Be Happy #15: The ads have it wrong
Water. You’re looking at water.
If vegetables are the super-heroes of the food world, water is Superman, Batman, Captain America and Thor all rolled into one, ready to do justice to any other drink if it even dares drop a drip in the wrong place.
Of course, the ads for soft drinks and cordial and juice that we see on TV don’t agree. They try and make us think that the only way you can smile while sipping is if you’re putting something sweet in your mouth.
When I was a kid, I could guarantee that if I asked what there was to drink, my dad would answer: “The best drink ever – Nature’s champagne.” The first couple of times I got excited, until he handed me a glass of water.
Bor-ing.
But I’m grateful now. Water is the best. And most of us probably don’t drink enough of it. About eight glasses a day (or two litres) will hydrate our bodies and keep us running smoothly. Plus it makes your skin look better, and as I’ve said before, that’s something that makes me happier.
You don’t need me to tell you that soda isn’t good stuff. The sugar in the regular kind gives you a sugar rush which makes you crazy-happy for about ten minutes, and then grumpy for the next few hours. True: go look it up. High levels of sugar in drinks are not good for your moods. Also, it adds weight you don’t need and plays havoc with your insulin levels which sets you up for type 2 diabetes and all sorts of other nasties later in life.
Which will not add happiness to your life.
And don’t get me started on the diet drinks. The chemicals in those don’t do anyone any good at all. (They might be good for cleaning your toilet though.)
I hear your next question: “Juice is healthy, right?” Well, not so much. Just like soda, juice is full of sugar and the long term effects of too much sugar in your body are not going to make you happy. At all.
Yes, have treats every now and then. But drink water ninety per cent of the time. You’ll feel the happiness pouring into your body with every mouthful.
What’s your favourite drink?
If it’s not water, how would you feel about replacing most of it with water?
How much water do you drink every day?
If you have a litre drink bottle, each day at school take it full. In the afternoon when you take it home it should be empty. Is drinking making you more positive at school?
Want more on how to be happy? Check out the rest of Cecily Paterson's How To Be Happy blog series for more tips and advice. Want more of Cecily's writing? You can grab a free copy of her novel, Invisible here.