{"id":644225,"date":"2026-08-18T20:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/644225\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:35:13","slug":"are-refreshers-actually-hydrating-dietitians-weigh-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/644225\/","title":{"rendered":"Are ‘Refreshers’ Actually Hydrating? Dietitians Weigh In"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated2 min read<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been seeking your morning hit of caffeine<\/a> from any major coffee chain, you\u2019ve likely either seen or succumbed to the refresher<\/a>. What is a refresher, you ask? Well, that depends on the type you get and where you get it. Typically, though, a refresher<\/a> is a fruity, iced beverage that may also contain caffeine. They\u2019re easily customizable: You can nix the caffeine altogether, add more, or mix in lemonade, milk and other add-ins like fruit pieces or boba.<\/p>\n

While places like Starbucks<\/a> and Dunkin\u2019 position these drinks as the ultimate refreshment, the question remains\u2014are refreshers actually refreshing?<\/p>\n

What Makes A Drink \u201cRefreshing\u201d?<\/p>\n

According to nutritionist Jessica Clancy-Strawn, M.A., R.D.N.<\/a>, \u201cWhen we talk about a drink being refreshing, we\u2019re referring to more than just flavor. A refreshing beverage should reduce thirst, support hydration<\/a> status, and help maintain fluid balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren Manaker, M.S., R.D.N.<\/a>, adds that \u201cThe ‘refreshing’ feeling is often more about the cold temperature, the fruity flavor, and the sensory experience than any real physiological refreshment.\u201d<\/p>\n

That may be part of why these drinks become especially appealing during the hot summer months. \u201cA sweet, chilled drink genuinely feels good, but that’s not the same as your body being better hydrated or energized in a meaningful way,\u201d Manaker continues.<\/p>\n

\"Refreshing<\/p>\n

Volodymyr Rozumii\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Are Refreshers Actually Hydrating?<\/p>\n

Refreshers still contribute fluid to your overall intake, but if the goal is hydration, Manaker says plain water<\/a> remains the gold standard.<\/p>\n

\"Google\"<\/p>\n

Add Delish as a preferred source in your Google search results.<\/p>\n

Use your Google account to add this to your settings.<\/p>\n

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Add to Google settings<\/p>\n

Clancy-Strawn similarly cautions against relying on refreshers specifically for hydration, pointing to the added sugar and fruit-juice concentrates found in many of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cRefreshers taste cool and fruity, but they don\u2019t reliably reduce thirst. Because they contain added sugar and fruit\u2011juice concentrates, they can actually stimulate thirst rather than relieve it,\u201d Clancy-Strawn explains.<\/p>\n

As a result, drinking a refresher can leave you feeling thirsty shortly afterward.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean drinking a refresher provides no hydration. Rather, experts say it\u2019s better to think of these drinks as sweet beverages first instead of relying on them as your primary source of hydration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough a dietitian\u2019s hydration lens, refreshers are best understood as sweet, flavored beverages rather than hydration tools, and should be enjoyed the same way you\u2019d enjoy any other sugary drink: Occasionally, and not as a replacement for water,\u201d Clancy-Strawn says.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re specifically looking to rehydrate, Manaker recommends water, fruit-infused water, or unsweetened tea<\/a> as alternatives without the added sugar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2 min read If you\u2019ve been seeking your morning hit of caffeine from any major coffee chain, you\u2019ve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":644226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[277],"tags":[3579,272589,343,18,135,19,17,201411,590,508,163801,272588,240005],"class_list":["post-644225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-content-type-news-explainer","tag-contentid-d415e2c1-3e4e-4536-b274-65a8245772b2","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-eire","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-us","tag-nutrition","tag-read_time-2","tag-shorttitle-refreshers-arent-as-hydrating-as-you-think","tag-sponsored-false"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/644226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}