Water is so much healthier than soda - you'll look and feel better if you drink lots of it. Water keeps your body hydrated - this helps prevent headaches, is important in helping your organs to function properly and it also keeps your skin (another organ, believe it or not!) looking clean, clear and good. If you drink all the water your body needs (64 oz. each day -- about a half-gallon) you probably won't even want soda!

Some tips:

Those water fountains around the school are convenient but be careful during cold and flu season when they can be not always so clean-and-healthy. A better way is to fill a water bottle (be sure it's free of BPA, which is a plastic linked with certain types of cancer) in the morning and bring it to school, making a point of drinking it all by the end of the day.

Drink water with your meals. One 8 oz. glass of water ... which really isn't that much ... three times a day gets you almost halfway there!

If water tastes good, you're more likely to drink plenty of it! Add a splash of lemon or lime to improve the flavor of your drink without any added sugar. Slices of cucumber or green apple also add refreshing flavor.

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