HYDRATION
So many people believe having a glass here and there is sufficient. Some may even think having coffee/tea/soda is enough hydration. And some of us may know exactly the amount we need to function fully but are just not making it a priority.
Drinking water is as basic as it gets, yet….we are not doing it.
"The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommend drinking 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men and 11.5 daily cups (2.7 liters) for women. However, they do mention that these fluid amounts can come from a variety of liquids and not just water/water.” They go on to say that 20% of this hydration is generally coming from foods and other liquid beverages. But I think we all know that plain old water is what our bodies need to work optimally.
I know you think you are drinking enough water, but are you really?
Some tricks I use to get in my daily 3 Liters +
I track my drinking. I have both this and this, and they help me to keep a record of how much I have consumed or not consumed that day. Easy breezy.
Use a little flavoring. The comment my patients most commonly say to me when I tell them to drink more water is "but I hate the taste." Try using a flavor for your water but make sure it has good nutrients in it and not just a sugar substance. A nutritionist I spoke with recently suggested this. And to my surprise, I am loving it, and it has helped me reach my daily water intake goals with greater enjoyment rather than just guzzling for the sake of guzzling.
Before bed, prep a glass (preferably 32oz) of room temp water. Put in a nutrient pack or lemon, or even ACV. Before having that beautiful morning coffee, drink the liter! I share this tip with you because I am also working on creating this habit myself. I am someone who loves to have coffee first. But when I can get in that liter pre-coffee, I move through my day with greater ease. My thinking is clearer, and I feel more awake and less jittery. Go figure :)
Another way I add both hydration and nutrients into my day is by taking a scoop of this and mixing it into a smaller mason jar with water and lemon.
Mason jars are also excellent and inexpensive ways to track your water. I have tons of them in a variety of sizes. You can pick them up online, at bed-bath and beyond, or even hardware-type stores. Please note they tend to be the most expensive on amazon! Another tip for mason jars - you can use them for anything and everything. We have them around the home holding various items - vitamins, receipts, toothbrushes, rubber straws, etc.
Want to be fancy? Try an APP or gadget - Waterminder, Ulla, Waterdrop, or the Lucy Cap.
Create a water drinking challenge in your home. My husband and I will mark on our fridge how many glasses we have had that day (he always wins). It's a great motivator.
Quality and quantity matter. We invested in a Berkey. The initial cost is pricey, but the filters that come with the Berkey last 4 years (6000 gallons). Considering we were spending a lot on various plastic containers (that would get moldy) with filters that lasted 3 months, this was a better option for us and the environment.
Test your tap water with this.
Pro-tip: Want a way to get more rich sun loving greens into your day? Switch out this $39 2oz product and this $20 2oz product with this 16oz product - what's the difference? Nothing other than marketing, branding, and overpricing the exact same ingredient. I put this in my water on the daily, and it lasts a helluva lot longer than the more expensive branded ones.
A NUTRIENT LIFE
An actual switch happens when we start looking at our food and supplements as a way to flood our bodies with nutrients instead of mindlessly filling up hunger pangs.
*Disclaimer - I am not a nutritionist, and I can't tell you or anyone what or how much one should eat or supplement. This is only for education and to resource you to find what is a good fit for your own life. Nor will I spend time on why our bodies need supplementation and the downfall that is our land and food system. You already know all this.
To start, I never had an issue with food, even though many people thought I did because I was scrawny for most of my youth and into young adulthood. I grew up with a single mom who worked various jobs to provide for me. There wasn't much support for her other than the food stamp program we qualified for, and there were times when we didn't even have that. Food insecurity does something to the psyche. I don't care who you are; when you grow up poor, not knowing where your next meal will come from, this hurts on multiple levels. Our food was always cheap, packaged, and null and void of any nutrients. Think government cheese and Little Debbies. As a teenager, I pretty much lived on potatoes that I would slice up, throw in a deep fryer, and cover in a ton of ketchup. This is how I grew up. And unfortunately, this is how many people grow up in America.
I share this because I know food insecurity can be glazed over by anyone talking about nutrition, supplements, and, let's face it, anything health and wellness. If someone doesn't have a pot to piss in and is eating whatever they can afford, telling them to make sure they are getting all their essential nutrients and that they should buy expensive supplements will fall on deaf ears. And to ignore this is disrespectful and dehumanizing and risks humiliating that person.
An excellent resource for learning more about food insecurity in America.
A must-watch documentary: They're Trying to Kill Us
A must follow: @Sophia_roe