WATER WISDOM
Our lovely 70 year old Birch tree is battling a persistent Birch Borer pest. To help combat this, we are doing some extra fall watering in order to reduce the winter stress of dehydration- a phenomenon experienced by many living things in the winter - including us humans!
As Nutritional Therapists, we take a holistic approach to health. Hydration is one of the five foundations that guide us in our quest to support a client's health.
DEHYDRATION IS CHRONIC IN OUR SOCIETY
Where's the water?
In North America, Dehydration is the most common nutritional deficiency!
Well, we think we are drinking enough liquids but some of these are simply adding to our water loss. It is a misconception that beverages like tea, coffee, fruit juice, alcohol, some sports drinks and sodas are hydrating for our bodies. The opposite is true. These liquids (some of which are tasty) are dehydrating and can be classified as diuretics. Diuretics by definition are substances that stimulate the kidneys to release more urine. Typically, this is not the desired outcome, especially when we exercise and as we age!
HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD YOU DRINK EVERYDAY?
We can help you to determine your Bio-individual requirements for water. We start by doing a simple calculation:
Body Weight (lbs) + Daily Diuretic Intake (oz) x 1.5 = ____________ (oz)
2 Total water needs
We use an example of a person who weighs 140 lbs. 140 divided by 2 means 70 oz of water is needed per day. However, if this person has a 12 oz coffee (12 x 1.5 = 18 oz), they need to drink another 18 oz of water. The end tally is 88 oz which converts to 2.5 L of water as a daily requirement. By the way, we happen to use the Imperial System to do this calculation because it keeps the math simple!
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION? After educating our kids about this, they are quite aware. One day my son came home from school with with a massive headache and all I said to him was: "Is that a dehydration headache?" After sipping water that he had forgotten in his backpack, the headache slowly went away. Other common signs of dehydration include: thirst, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, constipation and more.
Some people already know about the BENEFITS OF HYDRATION. The number one bonus is that it makes us feel better! The underlying science behind drinking water is that it affects the body's physiology in these positive ways: delivers oxygen & nutrients to cells, moistens airways, cushions bones & joints, regulates body temperature, and helps eliminate wastes and toxins.
"HOW CAN I POSSIBLY DRINK ALL THAT WATER?" is a question some of our Nutritional Therapy clients ask us. Our response is always, "Carry water with you wherever you go!" In addition, you can eat more fruits and vegetables that contain water and reduce your diuretic beverages.
There are many other aspects of hydration that we have not covered. We often do an assessment - hydration test with clients to determine if they are hydrated or not. Other topics of interest include water quality, safe supplies of water, water filters, when to add salt to your water, and more but we always like to leave our clients with a little homework and stir the curiosity!
