Parents often fret about the effect of heat on obese children. News stories about teenage athletes collapsing or dying from hot weather workouts prompt many to cite dehydration as the culprit. Many times this is not the case. Sometimes too much water kills as it dilutes the concentration of salt in the blood which can compromise the heart.

Nutritionist and Diet Coach Mattie Mola says, “Water is vital to our survival as it aids in circulation, helps keep skin healthy,  promotes digestion, elimination and absorption, helps remove toxins from the body, lubricates and cushions the joints, and helps the body maintain a steady temperature.”

How can you know if you and your children are drinking enough water, or if you are drinking too much? Let urine be your guide.

If you or your children are not popping a multivitamin with vitamin B2, which colors urine flourescent yellow, then urine will be very pale yellow or almost colorless. If you aren’t drinking enough water, or the  more dehydrated you are, the urine will be deep yellow and can appear syrupy.

Consider the water needs of an over weight or obese child. Some parents and children believe that water will add unhealthy pounds to an already overburdened frame. Not true. Urine color continues as an indicator for dehydration in the overweight or obese child.