Kiwis not drinking enough water

A new survey* released by SodaStream New Zealand has revealed that over 60% of New Zealanders don’t think they drink enough water, despite the vast majority admitting that they feel healthier when they do.

​The independent results of this survey show that over a quarter of Kiwis drink less than two glasses of water per day – and less than 5% of the total respondents drink more than the recommended eight.

Interestingly, Kiwis’ top preference for a non-alcoholic drink is coffee or tea,followed by water, then juice a sliver ahead of soft drinks, followed by energy drinks and traditional cordial.

However, despite the relative popularity of soft drinks in terms of taste, 65%restrict their intake of soft drinks due to high sugar levels or it being ‘bad’ for them.

SodaStream’s water survey indicates that men drink less water than women,with more almost 80% of males drinking less than four glasses of water per day.

Perhaps women are up in the water drinking stakes due to the fact that twice as many women take a bottle of water to work, and because more women think that drinking a lot of water makes them feel healthier. It could also be that men are more likely to think ‘water tastes boring’ – although women are more likely than men to say they’re ‘too busy’ to drink more water, and are almost twice as likely to simply forget to drink it.

Kiwis over 40 years of age show a strong preference for coffee and tea compared with under 40s, though under 40s are twice as likely to favour softdrinks and energy drinks when compared with their 40+ counterparts.

People over 40 are also more likely to wait until they are thirsty to get a drink,and to consciously restrict intake of sugary drinks.Chris Bremner, of SodaStream New Zealand, says that getting an adequate water intake is essential for optimal health.

“I myself struggle to drink a lot of plain water, so I wasn’t surprised that many Kiwis identified that it’s hard to get in the recommended amount every day –especially when so many people see water as being a ‘boring’ choice. A SodaStream machine means you can turn plain tap water into exciting sparkling water with just a push of a button. It’s certainly one way of making it easier to increase your water intake, in a way that’s readily available.”

In fact, many survey respondents agreed that they would prefer to drink sparkling water if it was available.

For those Kiwis that can’t resist the occasional soft drink, SodaStream syrups mean you can create soft drinks that are up to two thirds lower in sugar than the store-bought alternatives – plus, they can be diluted further according to individual preference.

“Sparkling water is as good a choice as plain tap water, but if you’re looking for something extra, SodaStream syrups are a great alternative to environmentally damaging store-bought drinks,” adds Bremner.For more information on SodaStream, visit www.sodastream.co.nz.

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*The SodaStream survey was conducted by an independent party in January 2013, with 400New Zealand based respondents.