Hydration Is Key

In assessing our diets, most of us come up with foods we’d like to cut or change, ways to improve our nutritional intake and additions, like exercise, play or rewards, to keep us motivated and/or busy throughout the process. One things we often forget, though, is how hard water works in terms of a diet-friendly implement. How does this work, you might ask?First of all, we Americans tend to be more thirsty than we are hungry. As babysnark.com testifies, and thousands of nutritionists, dietitians and other diet experts across the country tell their clients regularly, “Water is probably the most important substance for the body. Chronic dehydration has become a commonplace and undiagnosed condition. One becomes dehydrated long before thirst sets in. In fact, dry mouth is the last sign of dehydration.” Generally, we need six to eight 8-oz glasses of water daily to be properly hydrated, and most of us fall considerably short of that. In an age where diet drinks, fruit juices and powdered forms of everything from coffee to multi-vitamins exist, plan old water can be hard to come by, and even harder to drink regularly. Our bodies and brains are used to being excited by liquid content, and if they know they aren’t going to get anything out of it, they cease to be excited. Water—in its plain-old flavor—is simply too boring for many Americans.

We should, however, be getting our daily six-to-eight glasses. Water can help us feel fuller and understand the difference between real hunger, or a craving for nutrition, and dehydration, which mimics real hunger symptomatically. Other liquids can be a source of water, but nothing can replace water, or our need for it, perfectly, except water itself. It helps regulate body temperature, digest food, assist in elimination processes, ensure proper circulation, and these are just a few among hundreds of processes water affects. Water makes up 2/3 of our bodies and is widely regarded as the most essential element—or molecule—of life.

Water can also help your diet. The next time you feel hungry, pause and think about the last time you had anything to drink. If it’s been over an hour, try four ounces—half a cup—of water. If that sates your hunger, drink the other 4 ounces to maximize your understanding of your needs for food and drink, and ensure your body is fully hydrated. If not, have a snack. Now that’s some smart dieting!

Filed Under Diet Tips, Eat Strong, What's New 

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