by Fern Shaw | Aug 8, 2023 | water cooler, Water Coolers
Did you know the peels of some fruits hold some of the most powerful nutrients in the world? There are many uses, both medicinal and practical, for orange and banana peels. So, next time you think about throwing away one of these peels, you may want to remember this information.
*Orange Peel – Medicinal Properties of Orange Peels
As per Ayurveda, orange peel is tikta (bitter) and it improves digestion and can speed up your metabolism. It helps to naturally beat gas, heartburn, vomiting and acidic eructation. It’s also great to perk up your appetite and relieve nausea.
Due to its pacifying properties, orange peel powder helps dissolve phlegm in respiratory systems, alleviate coughs, and asthma.
Most of the beneficiary aspects of orange peels come from their essential oils, which have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Essential oil “d-limonene” has the ability to defuse stomach acids and maintain normal intestinal movements. It also promotes normal liver function.
Studies have shown that orange peel can dissolve cholesterol and triglyceride. That means consumption of an orange peel can benefit obese people who have high cholesterol levels. It has a flavonoid known as hesperidin, which is said to be effective against colon cancer and osteoporosis.
Essential oils from orange peels are sedative in nature so it makes them great for calming nerves and inducing sleep. Use orange peels in baths or simmer in a pot to uplift your mood or to beat insomnia naturally.
You can also slice orange slices into water with ice and let that infuse for 2 hours or so in the fridge or use water from your water cooler – but that’s a story for another blog in the all things veggies and fruit series.
Happy orange peeling!
*excerpts from an article at Natural Cures Not Medicine
by Fern Shaw | Jul 27, 2023 | Water, water cooler, water cooler
Every person has a different thought process – which is wonderful – and even though we may think our brains are the same – they’re not. As an example, if you have two people in front of you and you pose the same question not requiring a factual answer, you are guaranteed that the answers will be different. They may be similar, but there will be differences.
That said though, there is one irrefutable fact. Irrespective of your brain capabilities, thought processes, problem-solving skills: in order to function properly, the brain requires us to drink water. Often. Throughout the day. From waking up to prior to going to sleep. Drink water we must. And should.
While we may all think differently, the fact remains that drinking water aids us in incalculable ways, not excluding:
The brain is one of the most important organs in your body to keep fuelled. It is approximately 85 percent water and brain function depends on having abundant access to water.
Water gives the brain the electrical energy for all brain functions, including thought and memory processes.
Studies have proven that your brain cells need double the energy compared to other cells in the body. Water provides this energy more effectively than any other substance.
Water is also needed for the brain’s production of hormones and neurotransmitters. Nerve transmission requires one-half of all the brain’s energy.
When your brain is functioning on a full reserve of water, you will be able to think faster, focus more and experience greater clarity and creativity.
Daily hydration not only helps with better thinking, it can help prevent attention deficit disorder in children and adults.
The reason why it is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day for optimal brain function is that your brain does not have any way to store water.
If you too, would like to keep your brain at optimum function and health, all that’s needed is the original energy drink – water.
by Fern Shaw | May 24, 2023 | aquaid, water cooler, water cooler, Water Coolers
This month of Mental Health Awareness, we have looked at how drinking enough water can aid our ability to reduce anxiety and boost our mental wellbeing. In this blog, we focus our attention to the effects dehydration can have on the brain and possible solutions.
*Almost every bodily function relies on water. Because 75% of brain tissue is water, dehydration reduces energy production in the brain and can change brain structure, causing the brain to slow down and not function properly.
At the molecular level, if water levels are too low, our brain cells cannot function properly, with the brain showing signs of working harder to complete tasks.
Our cells recognise a state of dehydration as a threat to survival, leading to a state of anxiety. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger between brain cells) that stabilises our mood and regulates emotions. During dehydration, we struggle to get the chemicals required to produce serotonin into our brain.
Being just half a litre dehydrated may also increase the stress hormone cortisol, which has been associated with a range of mental disorders, including anxiety.
Drinking water, maintaining good hydration habits is proven one of the simplest methods to counteract low mood, anxiety and other stresses associated with insufficient water intake.
If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your staff at your establishment or organisation, speak to us at AquAid. From the smallest office space and staff contingent to multinational companies that employ hundreds of staff, AquAid have a drinking water solution tailor-made to suit your requirements.
source* Nikolaij Travica – article at The Conversation
by Fern Shaw | May 17, 2023 | water cooler, Water Coolers
It may seem simplistic that water consumption can reduce or increase one’s anxiety however, considering water constitutes 60–80% of the human body, this isn’t such a far stretch.
In fact, the evidence shows water and hydration can play a role in preventing and managing the symptoms of anxiety.
A review by researchers focused on the various ways hydration impacts health. **
One trial induced mild dehydration and found increased reports of tension or anxiety and fatigue in participants.
When researchers increased the participants’ water intake, people in the study felt more happiness, no matter how much water they normally drank.
Another large study found people who drink five cups or more of water per day were at lower risk of depression and anxiety. In comparison, drinking less than two cups per day doubles the risk. This link was less noticeable for anxiety alone (although feelings of depression and anxiety often influence each other).
Whichever way we look at the research results, it shows that drinking water regularly can only contribute to one’s mental health and overall a better feeling of wellbeing.
source* Joe Pindar – report at Champion Health
source** Nikolaij Travica – article at
by Fern Shaw | May 10, 2023 | Water, water cooler
I’m sure you all have a fair inkling about some elements of what your carbon footprint is and have implemented, in your own way, certain strategies on how to lessen that footprint.
But are you at all aware of what the water footprint is for each bit of food you consume?
Here are the water footprints for a few foods that may surprise you – making it high time perhaps to get the most out of your allotment or even your windowsill gardens for that matter.
- Tomato: On average, one tomato (250 gram) costs 50 litres of water.Tomato sauce / ketchup costs 530 litres of water per kilogram of tomato ketchup.
Tomato puree costs 710 litres of water per kilogram of tomato puree.
- A pound of lettuce = 114 litres
In general, vegetables take much less water to produce than animal products: That’s where the Meatless Monday suggestion comes in. There’s no need to go vegan but every bit helps. Lettuces’ water footprint for the UK can be a lot higher as the produce can need to be brought in for consumption from other countries in the winter months.
- A kilogram of chocolate = 17 000 litres
On average, cocoa beans have a water footprint of 20 000 litres/kg. Cocoa beans are first made into cocoa paste, with cocoa shells as rest product. About 97% of the total water footprint of cocoa beans is allocated to the cocoa paste that is derived from the beans; the rest is attributed to the by-products. One kilogram of cocoa beans gives about 800 gram of paste, so that the water footprint of cocoa paste is about 24 000 litres/kg. From this we can calculate that chocolate has a water footprint of about 17 000 litres/kg.
- A slice of pizza = 159 litres of water
That would be 68 litres for the flour, 79 litres for the cheese, and nearly 11 for the sauce. Mozzarella, it turns out, is a real water sucker, as is any animal product. Of course, this is the global average, and water use per slice varies from country to country. French pizza has less than half this footprint, the US just about hits the average mark, and Chinese pizza is slightly more waterlogged.
Obviously, you can’t live on water alone (although it’s super important to ensure that you drink sufficient water), but perhaps spare a thought in future about where your food comes from.
*excerpts from Waterfootprint.org
by Fern Shaw | Mar 1, 2023 | mains fed water cooler, water cooler, Water Coolers
Are we getting a little ahead of ourselves? Of course we are. Why? Because we can.
If you’re wondering what we’re referring to, we’re talking about March 1st being the first day of spring. March first isn’t actually the first day of spring, that’s on 20 March. However, most meteorologists recognize March 1 as the first day of meteorological spring. With a nod of approval from such auspicious quarters, we’re going with it.
The icy grip of winter seemed so recent when lo and behold, the crocuses peeked their beautiful heads out of the soil and officially announced it’s spring.
Whatever way we approach this change of season, keeping fit and perhaps shedding some of our bear type hibernation weight becomes somewhat of a priority. This means (hopefully), that one’s water intake will increase too. To make your water intake more fab and fun, try a different approach to ensure good hydration habits
If drinking water all day is what bores you, try treating it as a meal or, better yet, three meals. Drink water to a comfortable fullness 3 times a day. On colder days, it might be less, on warmer days, more. Comfortable fullness should be enough to stay hydrated. This will lower the amount of calories you eat for roughly an hour afterward.
Simply change the way you drink water – out of a glass instead of a bottle, for example. Alternatively, drink it at a different temperature. If you change the temperature, you can change the experience and that can be enough to alter your water intake. Remember, cold water takes longer to drink. If you want to down it faster – to get your water intake over with – drink it at room temperature instead of icy cold.
Whether commuting, exercising, being sedentary, working, relaxing or socialising – in fact, pretty much every -ing, keep hydrated this spring – it can only be good for you.
Remember also to speak to us at AquAid for all your water requirements (we have something for all seasons). We offer a range of water dispensers: high volume watercoolers for children and staff at schools as well as a range of low, medium and high volume mainsfed or bottlefed watercoolers for use on building sites, at events and in warehouses, workspaces and offices nationwide.
