Opinions abound on how much water you should drink as well as what are acceptable sources of hydration. Elizabeth Quinn, M.S., an exercise physiologist, fitness consultant, and health information content producer and editor, states: “It is a myth that you need eight glasses of water a day. According to a report from researchers at the Institute of Medicine, as Canadian scientists we should be more concerned about our sodium and potassium intake. Their findings indicate that most people get adequate fluids by drinking when they’re thirsty.” Paul Chek and F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. myself, and a host of other holistic (which means addressing the emotional, physical and environmental impacts on our health) wellness practitioners respectfully disagree. We are, however, consuming far too much sodium, sugar and artificial sweeteners in the foods we eat and the beverages we drink.
Human evolution has not progressed one cell in the last 100,000 years. Humans evolved drinking water and mother’s milk. We learned to tolerate full fat cow, goat, sheep and mare’s milk depending on what part of the world we were in. Certain beverages were fermented. We discovered tea and coffee. Some peoples were vibrant, happy and vital; many were not. Back then, these liquids may have aided in hydration when good water was scarce. The refined sugar and caffeine laced sodas, beer and alcohol and artificially sweetened “health” drinks of today most certainly do not.
Many advocate using thirst as the best indicator of when you should drink. Dr. Batmanghelidj, Paul Chek, scores of others and I disagree. Our bodies cry for pure water in many ways we have lost the ability to hear. Joint pain, high blood pressure, GERD, migraines, foggy thinking and weight gain are also indicators that your body wants water. Colorful beverages packed with additives, sodium, caffeine and sugar may give you a tasty rush but the toll on just your kidneys, for starters, is enormous. Being dehydrated by only 1 percent affects brain function; most people come in at 4 percent or higher. Your brain is the biggest water consumer in your body.
The most common complaint about increased water consumption is that bathroom trips are more frequent. Your body is busy getting the cells hydrated, which can take a while. What happens when you put a dry sponge in water? Water runs right off the surface at first, and then begins to literally suck it up. That’s what happens in your cells.
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