THE BODY CRIES FOR WATER

As soon as you wake up, drink one to four eight-ounce glasses of room-temperature or slightly heated water through a straw. If you drink water from a glass or a bottle, you consume mostly air and feel bloated from all the air in your stomach. When you drink through a straw, you consume 95 percent water. You can drink four times as much before you feel full.

Add two teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice to your water three times a day: upon rising, mid-afternoon, and in your final water intake in the evening. The juice will help alkalize your body and neutralize acids created from digesting certain foods or normal cellular metabolism.

One-half hour before each of your three meals drink one to two, eight-ounce glasses of water through a straw. If you do not have enough water in your stomach, digestion is impaired. Also, if the blood becomes too thick after eating because of lack of water, the blood will try to draw water from the cells. Water intake should precede food intake by half an hour. (Unfortunately, coffee, soft drinks, beer and regular tea do not count as daily water needs. Fruit and veggie juices do!)

If you exercise or work hard and sweat in hot weather, add four eight-ounce glasses of water per hour of strenuous exercise or work.

Never drink while you are eating. The liquid flushes through the stomach quickly into the small intestine. It will dilute and drain some of the digestive juices out of the stomach. This spells stress, as the body must secrete more digestive enzymes. If you continue to consume liquid while you eat, your body’s signals get confused. The stomach says, “Quick, there are no enzymes. Secrete more,” The body says, “What’s wrong? Just sent some!”

We all know in economics what happens with a big demand and a small supply—economic upheaval. The body experiences a similar upheaval—of the digestive kind.

Wait at least two hours after any meal, especially supper, to consume your last water of the evening. Fresh fruit juices or vegetable juices count as a glass of water, as do unsweetened herbal teas.

Wherever you go, carry a full water container with a secure lid and a straw. Get into the habit of continually drinking from your container throughout the day to stay pre-hydrated. If you consume lots of water-rich fresh fruits and vegetables, they will easily provide you with two or three eight-ounce glasses.

Increase your water intake gradually, by adding only one eight-ounce glass of water on each successive or second day. Increasing water intake too quickly can overwork your kidneys and digestive system. Increase by gradual increments to reach full hydration.

If you have kidney disease, congestive heart disease or use a diuretic, consult a health-care professional before increasing your water intake.

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