Do Drink More Water
Water – the one thing your body needs to function properly and the one thing most people are deficient in.
Are you drinking plenty of water every day?
Now that you have taken steps to rid your body of stored toxins and to eat healthier; it’s important to keep your body hydrated.
A recent study found that adults who increased their consumption of water by 1% ate fewer calories, and less sugar, salt, fat, and cholesterol.
Here’s a quick way to calculate how much water to drink each day:
Current Weight / 2 = Ounces of Water to Drink Every Day
Example: 140 pounds / 2 = 70 Ounces of Water to Drink Every Day
Your body uses the water you drink to flush toxins from your cells, tissues and digestive system. Drink enough water so that your urine is a very pale yellow – not clear. You can monitor how much water you needed to drink to get your urine to this color.
Let’s look at the benefits of drinking plenty of water every day….
How Water Intake Helps You Regulate What And How Much You Eat
Weight loss can be a hard task for anyone. There’re so many different elements that go into losing weight it can be like learning a whole new set of information. There is one simple thing that you can do to help regulate how much and what you eat. Drinking water is not a magical cure-all, but it may seem like it after you learn what it can do to help you regulate your eating.
Water Aids Digestion Through Saliva
Digestion starts with saliva. Saliva is made mostly of water and contains enzymes that are the beginning of the digestive tract. These enzymes help break down food so that they can be properly digested in the stomach.
Water also helps break down the fiber you eat. Water-soluble fiber is one of the biggest factors of filling full after you eat. When you have not drank enough water during the day or you are dehydrated, your digestive system has a hard time digesting water-soluble fiber.
Water Soluble Vitamins
One of the reasons that we eat food is to get access to vitamins. Vitamins and minerals are vital to various body functions. Deficits in these minerals and vitamins can cause cravings in the body. Your body cannot digest certain water-soluble vitamins without enough water in the body.
Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that can only be absorbed with the aid of water. These vitamins break down with the water in the digestive tract and then are absorbed into the body. Absorption of these essential vitamins stops when dehydration occurs, or when there is not enough water in the body.
When even slight deficiencies are present, you may begin craving additional foods even though you’re not hungry. These cravings are due to vitamin deficiencies and not hunger, so make sure that you have enough water in order to digest all of your water-soluble vitamins.
Eat Fewer Calories
Water can help you eat fewer calories than you would if you didn’t drink water before meals.
Would you prefer to eat less calories at mealtime?
Drink at least 16 ounces of water before your meal. When eating out, ask your server for a glass of water with lemon, then drink the water prior to your meal arriving.
You’ll consume less calories, which will help you lose weight over time. You could possibly save 75 to 90 calories per meal, which adds up to a possible weight loss of 28 pounds.
Adding water before eating a healthy meal has its perks.
Imagine drinking 16 ounces of water before each meal and saving 90 calories per meal. Doing this three times a day calculates to 270 calories per day that you have not eaten. Do this for a week and you’ve cut 1890 calories from your diet. Do this before every meal for a year and you’ve cut 98,280 calories from your diet; which means you’ve possible cut 28 pounds from your weight.
Hunger and Thirst Cues Are the Same
You may be reaching for a snack when what you should be reaching for is a tall glass of water.
Did you know that your body sends the same signal to your brain whether it is hungry or thirsty?
Many people don’t know how to tell the difference between hunger and thirst, and because we so rarely think about dehydration, we assume that we are hungry. Next time you’re getting hungry signals from your brain try reaching for a glass of water instead. You may find out that you were just thirsty.
Use these guidelines to add more water to your diet:
- Carry a bottle. Buy a stainless steel or glass 17- or 24-ounce water bottle to keep with you throughout the day. This will make it easier to drink water throughout the day.
- Add flavor. Plain water can taste great, but maybe you want a little more excitement. Add cucumber slices, ginger, or limes. You could also brew a cup of green tea or drink sparkling water.
- Buy a filter. Today we’re not sure what’s in our water. Invest in a filter, there are many types, and filter your water before pouring into your drinking bottle. .
- Eat your water. Many foods have a high-water volume. Good choices include celery, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, watermelon, oranges, and strawberries.
- Limit alcohol. Alcohol is dehydrating. Drink a glass of water prior to drinking a glass of wine. This will help your digestive system to process the alcohol.
- Measure your intake. If you have a hard time keeping track of how many glasses you’ve had, you can use the latest technology or old fashioned methods. Browse online for free apps that will measure your total or use a water bottle with markings on the side indicating the number of ounces.
Smart lifestyle choices will help keep your mind and body strong and fit. Drinking more water is one easy habit to work into your plan for healthy living.
Perk up your water with seasonal fruits.
Here’s a Fall Water Infusion Recipe Book to get you started.
