Water: You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty
It’s a little known fact that 75% of the population is chronically dehydrated and that this is an underlying issue in a lot of our health problems.
Why do we get dehydrated?
- We don’t drink enough water.
- We drink too many soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee, tea and other beverages. These are diuretics that cause the body to excrete water and we should use them sparingly, if at all.
Which illnesses are associated with chronic dehydration?
Dehydration causes kidney stones, gallstones, heartburn and indigestion. Urinary tract infections, seasonal allergies and blood sugar imbalance are also related to dehydration.
What is the best type of water to drink?
- Avoid tap water. It contains fluoride and chlorine, both of which are unhealthy. What most people don’t know is that tap water also contains residues from prescription drugs, that are excreted through human waste but cannot be removed from municipal water systems, so you end up drinking other people’s drugs.
- Filtering is better than doing nothing but is not completely clean because most filters don’t remove all the chlorine or fluoride
- Distilled and reverse osmosis water have no minerals so they pull minerals out of your body and the net effect is dehydration.
- Good quality spring water is best, ideally bottled at the source.
How much water should we drink?
It varies depending on your body size and level of activity but a good rule of thumb is 1 quart of water daily for every 50 pounds of weight.
Drinking only water and eliminating other beverages trains your body to tell you when you’re thirsty. However about 37% of Americans mistake thirst for hunger, and instead of drinking liquid, they eat.
When should we drink?
It’s not a good idea to drink with food because the liquid dilutes the hydrochloric acid in the stomach and prevents protein digestion. A sip of liquid with a meal is fine, but drink most of your water between meals.
Your body is 70% water. Without proper hydration, the chemical processes necessary for good health cannot work well. Drinking the right kind of water in the right amounts at the right times will help you feel better and stay well.
For a more detailed discussion of the points mentioned above, click here to listen to our podcast.
Dr. Brown
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