Foods for Better Health & Wellness

Kalee Carson

Water, The Liquid of Life...

It has been here since the beginning of time and has been associated throughout history with miracles and the process of rebirth. It moves all over the earth and yet there is no more or no less of it today than there was the day the earth began. It has the ability to change it’s form from liquid to solid to gas, this vital element we call WATER!!

The Earth is covered by 70% water; 97% of that is salt water, 2% of that is water that is frozen in glaciers, and the other 1% is water that is useable for drinking, industry, transportation, heating and cooling and other purposes. That is why there are so many projects going on to make more sources of water useable to people around the world.

The human body is made up of 50-65% water, depending on gender. Men being slightly higher than women, since fat molecules contain less water than lean muscle tissue, and most men have more lean muscle tissue. This varies from person to person, and is just a baseline generalization. According to what survivalists call ‘The Rule of Threes’; you can live for 3 minutes without air, for 3 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water! It is vital to our existence.

Dehydration

At this time of year when it is so extremely hot, it is so much easier to get dehydrated than at other times when temperatures are more moderate or cooler. By the time we feel thirst we are already dehydrated, and our bodies are drawing fluid from areas like our colons, to keep more vital areas such as blood consistent. This is why we sometimes have problems with unexplained constipation, because our bodies will pull the fluid from wherever it can.

We lose fluid from our bodies in other ways than through urination, sweat, and when we are ill, through vomiting and diarrhea. We also lose fluid every day with every breath we take, with every tear we cry, or again, when we have a cold with a runny nose or watery eyes. These can all be ways that we lose large amounts of fluids every day.

The water in our bodies serves so many functions; it carries all the things that make up our blood, it cleanses our system of toxins and carries those toxins out through the urinary system. It helps with digestion, it lubricates joints, and one of its most important functions is regulating your body temperature.
Water and Other Fluids

So then the question becomes, how do I replace the fluid that I lose? About 20% of the water that we need comes from the foods that we eat. The other 80% comes from water and other beverages that we drink. So for something that does such important work in our bodies it seems to me that we should be giving our bodies the best thing possible to work with, right? That would be straight up, good clean water! But unfortunately, that’s not what most of us give our bodies is it? Let’s face it, we drink Venti Mocha Frappuccinos, and Super-Size Diet Cokes, and any number of other really unhealthy fluids. So what do those things do to our bodies?

Aside from all the hundreds of calories (670 cal. for the above mentioned coffee concoction) in some of the super-sized, highly sugared, coffee drinks we consume, there is the issue of caffeine. When we consume caffeine, the body needs the water in the drink to help process and rid itself of the caffeine. So, the fluid that held the caffeine is basically used to eliminate it from the body only, and so the body gets no benefit from the fluid other than that. Chalk that one up to a loss. Therefore, if you are drinking only caffeinated beverages throughout the day, your body is working to process all that caffeine and it doesn’t get any extra fluid for all the other processes it needs water for, so it then becomes dehydrated!

Soda and Diet Soda

Now, let’s talk about soda. I know, you’re probably saying ‘I drink Diet Soda, so that must be ok!’ Guess again!!! Diet soda has been proven to cause at least seven negative side effects. First, in an 11 year Harvard study, it was found that they cause a decline in kidney function. Interestingly, this is not seen in people who drink regular soda, only diet. Next is a disturbance in metabolism. Those who drink even one a day are at a 34% higher risk for metabolic syndrome. This includes symptoms of belly fat and high cholesterol that put you at risk for heart disease. Not looking too good for diet soda!

The next thing, which will probably surprise most, is obesity. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda make it difficult for the body to regulate the amount of calories it takes in based on the sweetness of food. The sweetness of the diet sodas are making the body actually crave more. Additionally, diet sodas contain a mold inhibitor called sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate, which can severely damage DNA, causing future allergy problems. Both diet and regular soda causes tooth decay due to the level of acidity. In a University of Michigan analysis of dental checkup data, soda drinkers had far greater decay, more missing teeth, and more fillings.

For those of you trying to start a family, even one soda a day, diet or not, could have a detrimental effect on your chances of conceiving. Cans (not only soda, but fruit and vegetable and many others) are coated on the inside with a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA), which is an endocrine disruptor and has been linked to heart disease and many other problems of late. Working with human eggs, scientists from Boston have discovered that bisphenol A affected the egg's ability to mature and disrupted the organization and alignment of chromosomes. It is speculated that this may be the cause of some of the recent decline in fertility in both men and women.

So you see how hard our bodies have to work when we stray away from water? Now let me guess, water is boring you say? It has no taste? Just how much water should you drink a day? These are all good things to think about and the answers to these things will vary from one person to another.

How Much Water Does a Body Need?

There is no hard and fast rule about how much water we need each day. First, you need to learn to look at the color of your urine. Yes, I said you have to look at your urine!! Now, if you are taking vitamin supplements it will be a little more yellow than normal, but, generally your urine should be light in color and clear, not cloudy. The first time you go in the morning it may be slightly darker from sitting in your bladder all night, that’s ok. You should aim to drink enough water to keep it very pale throughout the day. If you see it is darker, drink more water.

If you have a hard time with the taste of water, add a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange juice to give it some flavor. If the lemon or lime is too sour, add a little stevia or nuctresse sweetener (made from the monk fruit) you can find these in your grocery or health food store. They are natural and healthier than the ‘other’ non-sugar sweeteners. Lemon (Lime) water can actually help burn fat if it is used on a regular basis, and is a good natural detoxifier. It helps to cleanse the kidneys and the liver as well.

Learning to increase your water intake can be a seemingly daunting task at first, but, I suggest you do it in small steps, especially if you are a hardcore soda drinker. Try replacing one non-water drink a day with a bottle of water, and increasing that every 3-4 days until you have replaced the majority of your fluids with water. Your health and your body will thank you for it and before you know it, you won’t be able to do without it!!!

I truly hope you have enjoyed learning about water’s benefits for your health.

Until Next Time, Stay Cool!!

Love,
Kalee

Click Here to read more of Kalee's articles...