I’m a water drinker. In fact, I drink my cup of coffee in the morning, drink water all day, and occasionally enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon or glass of wine or a beer in the evenings. That’s it. No soda, no juice, no fancy energy drinks for me. However, there are still days where I don’t drink that much water. So, I was excited to be able to review the AquaTally cup. The cup is a double-walled, hard plastic, sealed cup with a straw that has a moveable band that allows you to keep track of the number of cups of water consumed during the day. I wondered if AquaTally would help me to drink more water…

First, the basics of water and hyrdation:

Water is an essential nutrient, which means that we must drink water or enjoy other foods/drinks that provide our body with fluids. As I tell my clients, drinking enough water is important for many reasons. For more information, click here.

Interestingly, while researching how much water a healthy person should drink for optimal health, I learned that there is wide discrepancy on the amount. The eight 8-ounce glasses of water rule is a “rule of thumb,” an easy way to estimate and ensure people are getting enough to stay hydrated. The real goal is to drink enough water to replace what your body uses up every day. Your personal needs will vary based on activity level, temperature and humidity, altitude, health conditions, medications, and the water content of the foods you eat.

The two extremes with water are dehydration and intoxication. Dehydration happens when there is not enough fluid in the body. By the time you are thirsty, you have already lost approximately 2 cups of fluids! People who are chronically dehydrated may have a higher risk for heart problems, bladder or colon cancer, gallstones or kidney stones, and urinary tract infections. Water intoxication is when there is too much water in the body. This is very rare; but it is very dangerous.

Now back to the AquaTally cup.

I’m a fan of water cups with a straw since they are easy to drink from, there’s no reverse suction that you get with some squeeze bottles, and I tend not to dribble water all over myself using them like I do with wide-mouthed bottles. When AquaTally approached me to review their cup, of course I was interested since it’s the type of cup I prefer… and I’d recently dropped my current cup a few times and it was looking pretty scratched up and sad.

As soon as I got it, I took a good look at it and here’s what I found:

• First thing I checked was the bottom of the cup and yes, it is BPA free!
• It is exactly 2 measured cups when filled up
• The ring used for tracking cups of water slides very easily; but doesn’t move around on its own
• The cup seals easily– many of these type of design get off track and are difficult to twist on
• The cup seals well – I filled it and tilted it and there was no leaking from the lid, of course, if tilted enough so the water hits the opening for the straw, it will leak from that hole
• It keeps my water cold when I fill it with a few ice cubes and cold water
• It accidentally got dropped on pavement and it didn’t break and barely got scratched at all – an important consideration for others like me who tend to be a bit clumsy
• It’s a bit smaller than other cups of this design that I’ve had which means I can carry it more easily in my small hands and it fits in all the cup-holder-pockets on my bags without having to force it

I think this cup would be helpful for those trying to increase how much water they drink. My personal experience is that I did drink more water using this cup on some days. I found that if I was close to getting in 8 cups, the AquaTally cup helped me get to the goal because it brought my awareness to the fact that I was so close. I also think this cup would be useful for those who, for medical reasons, may be trying to limit the amount of fluids they drink or have others/caretakers monitoring their fluid intake. The cup comes in blue, green, or red and it currently sells for $11.95. For more information, check out their Web site at http://myaquatally.com

Overall, I give it a resoundingly positive review. The only negative thing I found about the cup was my disappointment that more people didn’t ask me about it!

Disclosure:

In exchange for reviewing an AquaTally cup, I received a cup from the company at no cost.

Sources:

• Krause’s Food and Nutrition Therapy, 12th edition. L. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump.
• Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies 11th edition. Frances Sizer and Ellie Whitney. 2008
• http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
• http://myaquatally.com