Hello best life seekers!
Are you wondering what’s so great about water and why all the health gurus harp on it? Do you hate the flavor of water and not want to drink one mouthful, let alone however many liters the nutritionists recommend each day? Here’s the weight-loss secret about water (among its other shocking secrets) that might make you reconsider your drinking choices, along with key ways to spritz up or work around the unappetizing stuff.
Top 5 Shocking Benefits of Water
We’ve all heard that we’re mostly made of water – to the tune of 60% for adults and 78% for newborns. That’s cool and all so it makes sense that we need to consume water to maintain some sort of homeostasis. But what does water really do that any of us really care about?
#1 – Prevents skin disorders and premature wrinkling and boosts skin health and beauty. Don’t want to be a wrinkly old prune, develop wrinkles at an early age, or have acne and skin issues? Up your water intake because dehydration will make you vulnerable to all these drawbacks.
#2 – Aids with weight loss – Drinking water before meals or when you start to feel hungry can help prevent overeating by creating a sense of fullness. Replace your sugary sodas and juices with water to really cut the empty calories and help with weight loss. Additionally, water is needed in the chemical processes that unlock your fat stores. No water means they stay locked away longer.
#3 – Prevents kidney damage – As the kidneys regulate fluids in the body and help with waste removal, insufficient water can lead to kidney stones and other kidney problems.
#4 – Prevents digestion problems – Low water intake can lead to digestive problems, constipation, an overly acidic stomach, heartburn and stomach ulcers. Drink water to make sure your bowels are working properly, as well as your digestive system.
#5 – Helps maintain good blood pressure – Blood is 90% water. A lack of water can cause your blood to become thicker, increasing your blood pressure.
These are the five most surprising facts about how water can benefit us in our search for health and how a lack of it can be detrimental or problematic. Some of our health issues may actually be our bodies crying out for more water. Maybe we don’t need more pills but more glasses of H2O.
10 More Benefits of Water
As if the top 5 benefits weren’t enough to make use more inclined to chug water, here are some more facts you may or may not have known.
- Lubricates the joints
- Forms mucus and saliva
- Delivers oxygen throughout the body
- Cushions the brain, spinal cord and other sensitive tissues
- Regulates body temperature
- Flushes body waste
- Improves airways that dehydration can restrict (making allergies and asthma worse)
- Makes minerals and nutrients accessible to the body
- Boosts performance during exercise
- Reduces the chance of a hangover
I don’t know about you but water seems like a miracle drug the more I learn about it. So how do we make this clear, sometimes tasteless or unappetizing liquid, more palatable and appealing?
How to Make Water Sexy
Ok, so unless you’re dousing a model slow-mo with water, it’s probably going to difficult to actually make water sexy. That said, here are some ways to up your intake with flair.
Tonic Please – buy sparkling water and add flavor. I like to add the juice of lemon or lime to make something pretty close to Sprite or Sierra Mist but without the sugar. You can add juice like cranberry, mango, strawberry, etc. Play around. You’ll find flavors you love.
Pass on Water, Serve Up Fruit – for those who can’t stomach water straight or spritzed and flavored, why not skip water and eat fruits? Most fruits are high in water content and loaded with nutrients. Pick any fruit and you’ll likely get a load of water, plus needed fiber, vitamins, live enzymes, and more. Some veggies also have high water content but fruits are where it’s at.
The Real Secret to Up Your Water Intake
There is no universally agreed amount of water we must consume daily. Currently the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for us to drink anywhere from 11 to 15.5 cups of water a day. Um… I’m pretty healthy but that sounds like a tall order! I’m pretty sure no one in the world, even the remarkably healthy and long-lived Blue Zone populations, drink that much a day. I mean, ever notice that people who live on beer or soda alone don’t seem to be wasting away overnight from dehydration? If our bodies need water so much, how come we seem to get by without those liters upon liters the gurus recommend?
The truth is that we get most of what we need from our drinks and our food. Beverages like milk, juice, coffee, tea, beer, wine and soft drinks, for example, give us plenty of water. Unfortunately, the quality of that fluid intake can be pretty poor when loaded with sugar and other harmful chemicals that negatively impact our health. Researchers used to think caffeinated beverages had diuretic properties (causing the body to release water) but studies actually show that water loss because of caffeinated beverages is minimal as drinkers develop a tolerance to the diuretic effects.
The takeaway? It may be hard to down cup after cup of water. Up your liquid intake via drinks, fruit, soups, and other water-loaded consumables. Just be smart about it. If you’re guzzling sodas, be prepared for negative health impacts. Same with beer or the crazy energy cocktail beverages out on the shelves. These days, packaged coffees and teas also come loaded with extra sugar and chemicals so read labels for ingredients.
Want to be healthy? Stick with water or other healthy drinks that will improve your health, not take from it. Consume lots of fruit and vegetables in a whole foods diets. This way you’ll hydrate and give your body the nutrition it needs to function well. Healthy cultures like the Japanese don’t stand around at water coolers all day. They drink loads of tea (calorie free) and eat a mostly whole foods-based diet. Those are habits worth mimicking and they come with tons of health perks.
Water is Life
We are what we eat and also what we drink. Water is essential to the proper functioning of our bodies and well-being. Water helps dissolve minerals and nutrients, making them more accessible to the body. It also helps remove waste products. This simple molecule – H20 – provides so many benefits and services to our system that we take it for granted. It’s time we rectify this.
If we want good health, we should recognize that what we drink is as important as what we eat. Drink for life by consuming foods and drinks with high water content but low loads of sugar, salt, and other chemicals that are detrimental to our bodies. Water itself is a great source but healthful fruits, vegetables and soups are good sources too. Still struggling? Add in tea or coffee but keep them unsweetened. Being mindful like this will ensure you’re on the right track. Given water’s beauty secrets, you might even discover the missing fountain of youth. Okay, maybe not, but you might develop fewer wrinkles and fewer health problems. That’s nutritional gold.
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