by Fern Shaw | Jan 30, 2013 | Health and Hydration
Even if you’re making an attempt to stay better hydrated, you may be ingesting dehydrating substances without even realizing it.
Sodium is a big culprit
When you eat salty foods, your cells tell your brain that you’re thirsty. Examples of foods high in salt are fast foods, potato crisps, tinned foods, deli meats and condiments like tomato sauce (ketchup), mustard and salad dressing.
Sugary drinks also contribute
Much like salty foods, sugary drinks also tell your brain that you’re thirsty. Try to avoid these – fizzy, energy and sports drinks as well as over sugared coffees and cocktail drinks.
Instead of eating and drinking these dehydration-inducing foods and beverages, drink more water, and add these top superfoods to your diet for optimal health and antioxidant levels.
Blueberries
Yielding antioxidants, vitamin C and anti-inflammatory properties, a handful of these berries daily in season can do wonders.
Fatty fish
Fatty fish with omega-3s include salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel. Make sure that you only buy fish off the endangered list.
Soy
This does not mean using enough soy sauce to turn your sushi rice another colour. Soy sauce has an high sodium content. Clean and simple soy is recommended. Soy in this category includes tofu, soy milk, and edamame. Edamame, for the curious, are green soybeans boiled or steamed in their pods and it’s very trendy to be seen eating edamame.
Fibre
Some great options for getting more fibre in your body are:
- Beans. Think three-bean salad, bean burritos, chili, soup.
- Whole grains. That means whole-wheat bread, pasta.
- Brown rice. White rice doesn’t offer much fibre.
- Popcorn. It’s a great source of fibre.
- Nuts. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fibre than other nuts.
- Baked potato with skin. It’s the skin that’s important here.
- Berries. All those seeds, plus the skin, give great fibre to any berry.
- Bran cereal. Actually, any cereal that has 5 grams of fibre or more in a serving counts as high fibre.
- Oatmeal. Whether its microwaved or stove-cooked, oatmeal is good fibre.
- Vegetables. The crunchier, the better.
Tea
The antioxidant powers of tea are present in both black and green tea. Try these tips on switching from fizzy drinks to water for the added effect of consuming more tea while you’re drinking less fizz.
Calcium-rich foods
Many health-conscious men and women tend to stay away from dairy products for fear that they contain fat, but calcium is necessary for the body. If you’re scared of the cheese and milk, take a calcium supplement.
by Fern Shaw | Dec 13, 2012 | Health and Hydration
Encourage your children to eat water-rich foods
At home and in the lunchbox, encourage your child to eat water-rich foods like grapes, watermelon, cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes.
Float slices of fruit (such as lemons or limes) in a jug of water
Or be creative with strawberries, clementine segments and any other colourful fruit.
Let your children drink what they want – within reason
Water is always going to be the healthiest drink for both children and adults, but if plain water makes them turn their noses up, give your children a little more freedom. Milk, natural juice, and flavoured water all work. However, to help them avoid a caffeine or sugar addiction early in life; never let them try fizzy drinks (or worse, take one to school). Hydrated children are happy children.
Give your child a straw.
It may sound strange, but we actually drink more when we’re drinking through a straw. With a straw, kids will be encouraged to drink more fluids, and they may enjoy the fun factor of having a straw in their favourite colour.
Use ice cube trays that make fun shapes and use those ice cubes in your child’s water
Nothing quite like the fascination of watching an ice cube shape melt while drinking your water and should the ice cube drop or fall, no mess apart from a little puddle!
Take your child to pick out a new, special cup
Young children are big on ‘ownership’, especially when there are siblings, so once they have their own individual drinking cup, this will encourage them to use their cup for drinking from.
by Fern Shaw | Dec 7, 2012 | Health and Hydration
For this, the 2nd collection of the Super, Simple, we’re stepping up the effort factor a notch. Still simple, still practical, requires only a tad more thought and self-conditioning.
- Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.
- Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 3 700 litres a month.
- Don’t use running water to thaw food. Defrost food in the refrigerator for water efficiency and food safety.
- If your shower fills a 5 litre bucket in less than 30 seconds, replace the shower head with a water-efficient model.
- Put food colouring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing it can save up to 3 700 litres a month.
- When cleaning out fish tanks, give the nutrient-rich water to your plants.
- Plant in the autumn when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.
- Use a broom instead of a hosepipe to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.
- We’re more likely to notice leaks indoors, but don’t forget to check outdoor taps, sprinklers and hoses for leaks.
- Group plants with the same watering needs together to avoid over watering some while under-watering others.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 29, 2012 | Health and Hydration
For now, forget the guilt inducing and super conservative heavy tomes about water conservation which can seem a little laborious and difficult to put into practise.
Here is the 1st collection of Super Simple, Practical Ways to Save Water that really will make a difference and you’ll have the knowledge that every little bit done, truly does count:
- Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
- Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables, then re-use it to water houseplants.
- Choose shrubs and ground covers instead of lawn for hard-to-water areas such as steep slopes and isolated strips.
- For cold drinks, keep a jug of water in the fridge or invest in a water cooler instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain.
- Designate one glass for your drinking water each day. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.
- Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 560 litres per month.
- When running a bath, plug the tub before turning the water on and then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and save 90 litres a month.
- Grab a wrench and fix that leaky faucet. It’s simple, inexpensive, and you can save 530 litres a week.
- Teach your children to turn off taps tightly after each use.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 28, 2012 | Health and Hydration
Water helps keep you hydrated, which is important because every single cell in your body needs it in order to absorb nutrients and expel waste products. But what are some of the less well known benefits of drinking water?
1. Drinking Water Is Good For Your Skin
Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance. If you don’t drink enough water, you’ll suffer from dry skin, and you’ll be likely to use more creams and lotions to moisturize which will only relieve the dryness temporarily.
2. Drinking Water Helps You Lose Weight
One of the benefits of drinking water is that it helps you lose weight as water suppresses your appetite, so you don’t eat as much. Drinking plenty of water also prevents fluid retention, because your body won’t try to retain water if it’s getting enough. Drinking water also helps your body burn stored fat. If you’re not drinking enough water, your liver will be forced to help your kidneys detoxify your body. When you drink plenty of water, your kidneys don’t need any extra help, so your liver will be able to metabolize stored fat more efficiently.
3. Drinking Water Helps You Build Muscle
Another benefit of drinking water is that it makes your muscles stronger. That’s because water carries oxygen to the cells of your body, including those of your muscles. Drinking plenty of water enables your muscles to work harder and longer before they feel tired thereby allowing for better muscle building.
4. Drinking Water Makes You Smarter
Drinking water can increase your cognitive function. Your brain needs a lot of oxygen in order to function at optimum levels. Drinking plenty of water ensures that your brain gets all the oxygen it needs. Drinking eight to ten cups of water per day can improve your levels of cognitive performance by as much as 30%! Do be careful though, to not drink too much water, as this can be damaging.
5. Drinking Water Can Prevent and Alleviate Headaches
A little known fact is that one of the main causes of the ‘tension’ headache is due to not drinking enough water. If you are prone to headaches – especially due to stress or being in a hot environment – make sure that you are drinking sufficient water. A good indicator is usually the colour of your urine. Urine darker than a pale yellow means that you are dehydrated.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 16, 2012 | Health and Hydration
The importance of drinking water cannot be underestimated. Water helps the body to perform many of the functions it needs to thrive. Without water a person’s body will literally begin to shut down. Thus, it is very important for people to obtain the proper amount of water each day to ensure healthy body function. An inadequate amount of water intake will lead to your body becoming dehydrated and this is very well known, but have you ever stop to consider the effects that this has on your body?
Dehydration can be broken down into three different levels depending on the severity of the situation and the effects of your body will vary accordingly as well.
Mild dehydration
- Your urine will become concentrated and turn an amber colour due to your kidneys conserving water.
- Constipation and/or bloating may be noticed.
- Dry skin, mucous membranes, and lips.
Moderate dehydration
- Fatigue.
- Dizziness / vertigo / lightheaded.
- Problems concentrating.
- Major reduction in urine production.
- Headache.
- Cold hands and fee
Severe dehydration
- Weak irregular heart beat (often racing) and low blood pressure
- Rapid breathing
- Failure of body’s heat regulation systems (sweating, for example)
- Confusion
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Seizures
- Coma and death
