With summer approaching and me living in AZ, I must stay hydrated. I can tell when I’m not drinking enough water. My digestion is off, I experience a slight brain fog, and my energy is low. Many people believe drinking any liquid will contribute to their water intake. The truth is that coffee, tea, fruit juices, and alcohol can have a diuretic effect, deplete the body of water, and interfere with calcium absorption. There’s a severe epidemic of osteoporosis in our society right now, and plain old water would help immensely.
Why is water so important? It’s the most essential nutrient in the body. We can go days, weeks, and even months without food, but only a few days without water. Water makes up 55-60% of our body mass. That’s about 10-13 gallons of water in an average adult!
Water has many roles in the body, such as transporting nutrients, regulating body temperature, removing waste, flushing toxins, and helping with the body’s natural healing process.
I’m often asked how much water we should drink. A good rule of thumb is the following:
Your Current Weight in pounds divided by 2 equals the minimum ounces you should drink daily.
Example: A person weighing 150 should drink at least 75 ounces of water daily, only about 4.6 16-ounce glasses.
As I mentioned above, if you drink an 8-ounce diuretic beverage, add 12-16 ounces of water to your daily intake for every 8 ounces of a diuretic beverage. If you’re in a hot climate or exercise heavily and lose water from sweat, drink even more water.
Here are tips for getting more water into our bodies during the day.
- -Make “spa” water in a large glass container with mint, cucumbers, and lemon slices.
- Always have water with you when you leave home.
- Pack few-liter bottles of water if you’re headed to work.
- Treat yourself with mineral water like Pellegrino.
- Drink water instead when looking for a snack, since thirst can mimic hunger.
- Add a pinch of Celtic sea salt or electrolytes to your water. The sodium helps draw water into the cells.
On the other side of hydration is dehydration. If the body’s water content drops by as little as 2%, it will cause fatigue. I know my energy drops like a brick when I’m not well-hydrated. A decline of 10% will cause significant health problems, and greater than 10% dehydration can cause death. If you find yourself thirsty, find some water right away. Thirst is a sign of dehydration.
When summer is over, and it cools off, don’t neglect your water intake!
Finally, get a copy of Your Body’s Many Cries for Water. It’s short, easy to read, and loaded with easy-to-understand information about why you need more water. (Ignore the strikeout)
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Pat Garner is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP)
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