steady diet of toxic drugs and alcohol over the years can wreak havoc on your mind, body and spirit. The good news is that your body is forgiving and given the right nourishment and support, you can fully recover and finally get your health and life back.
Whatever phase of recovery you are in, staying well hydrated (along with optimal nutrition) gives your body what it needs to do this important healing work.
WHY IS WATER SO IMPORTANT?
Water has a natural, gentle diuretic effect. Drinking six to eight glasses of pure water daily helps your kidneys and liver do their job of filtering out toxins, and it decreases the many debilitating symptoms associated with dehydration including:
- Fatigue and/or dizziness
- Bad breath
- Thirst
- Foggy thinking and poor concentration
- Headache/migraines
- Sugar cravings
- Hunger
- Back and joint pain
- Infrequent urination
- Dark concentrated urine
- Dull, dry skin
- Chills
- Muscle cramps
“It’s time to love yourself and make your own health and happiness a priority. You deserve nothing less.”
The best thing you can do for your health (and the environment – plastic bottles are a contaminant to the environment) is to invest in a quality water filter, like a reverse osmosis system, and a reusable glass water bottle.
Get into the habit of filling your glass bottle up and sipping throughout the day. (See the recipe ideas below to help add more taste and nutritional benefits to your water) and enjoy.
You can also increase hydration by drinking more herbal teas, sipping on soups and broth and eating more fruits and vegetables with higher water content, including berries, watermelon, cucumbers, celery, leafy greens, zucchini and cauliflower.
As an important aside, in addition to attending to your hydration needs, it is important to eat fewer processed foods. Enjoying primarily whole, real foods, especially fruits and vegetables, will go along way in supporting your detoxification and wellness needs.
It is extremely important to listen to your body and not ignore the important messages it gives you. The more you ignore and suppress the emotional and physical symptoms, the louder and more uncomfortable they will become. These symptoms are actually a blessing alerting you that there is an imbalance that needs attention.
It’s time to love yourself and make your own health and happiness a priority. You deserve nothing less.
How will you take better care of yourself today?
You can start with a big glass of pure, refreshing water.
SO HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED?
Most health experts suggest we all need to drink about six to eight 8-ounce glasses of pure, filtered water a day. The truth is, your water needs can vary from day to day depending on your diet, health, weather conditions and activity level.
One of the best indicators of hydration is the color of your urine. Ideally, if you are well hydrated, your urine should be pale yellow and you will need to urinate seven or eight times a day. If your urine appears concentrated and dark-colored and you haven’t urinated in several hours, you are most likely dehydrated and not drinking enough water. Soda, juice, sport drinks, caffeinated beverages including energy drinks, coffee and tea are all poor substitutes for pure, filtered water in supporting your hydration and nutritional needs.
The best thing you can do for your health and recovery is to drink toxin-free, filtered water.
Federal scientists have reported finding harmful contaminants in municipal water samples in the U.S., including disinfection byproducts, heavy metals and pharmaceutical drugs.
Bottled water can also pose many health risks because chemicals like BPA, BPS and phthalates leach from the plastic bottles into your water. You are basically drinking “plastic” water. Most bottled water is unfiltered tap water, so it often isn’t worth the money.
MAKE IT APPEALING
If you are not much of a plain water drinker or if you need your water to be more appealing to your senses, here are five delicious (and beautiful looking) fruit combos to add to your large glass of water:
- Slices of lemon and ginger
- Slices of strawberries and orange
- Slices of apple and a cinnamon stick
- Chopped pineapple and mango
- Blueberries and raspberries
TIP: Buy a bag (or several bags) of frozen chopped fruit and throw some of that fruit into your cup, Thermos, or your glass water bottle in the morning. The fruit is already washed and cut and it will help keep your water colder longer.