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All you need to know about water!
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All you need to know about water!

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We spend a lot of time thinking about what we eat, trying to eat the ‘right’ things and worrying about eating the ‘wrong’ things, but is how much water we drink, actually more important? In this blog, we are looking at why we need it for health. 

Why water is essential?

Our bodies need fluids to function correctly, and staying hydrated is crucial for all of our biological processes. Flushing out waste, controlling body temperature, and enhancing brain and muscle function are a few water’s health advantages. Your level of hydration will affect your endurance, strength, and power if you exercise frequently. So, how can we determine if we are drinking enough water if we acknowledge that it has numerous health benefits?

Let’s look at all the ways water impacts our lives…

  • Helps by creating saliva

Water is the main component of saliva. It’s critical for breaking down solid food and keeping your mouth healthy. If you find your mouth is drier than usual, increase your water intake. If that doesn’t work, see your doctor

  • It regulates body temperature

Staying hydrated is critical to maintaining a normal body temperature. Our bodies lose water when we sweat, and in hot environments. Sweat keeps our bodies cool, but our body temperatures will go up if we don’t replenish the water we lose. That lack of water causes dehydration, which in turn causes levels of electrolytes and plasma to drop

  • Aids cognitive functions

Proper hydration is crucial to staying in good cognitive shape. Research has shown that inadequate water intake can negatively impact our focus, alertness, and short-term memory

  • Protects the tissues, spinal cord, and joints

Water  helps lubricate and cushion our joints, spinal cord, and tissues. This helps us to be more physically active, and reduces the discomfort caused by conditions such as arthritis

  • It helps excrete the waste in our bodies through perspiration, urination, and defecation

Our bodies use water to sweat, urinate, and pass healthy bowel movements. We all need water to replenish fluids lost from sweating. We also need water in our systems to have healthy stools and avoid constipation. Drinking enough water helps our kidneys to work more efficiently  thus preventing kidney stones

  • Maximizes our physical performance

Drinking plenty of water while working out, taking part in sports or just being on the move, is essential.  Keeping ourselves hydrated also affects our strength, power, and endurance

  • It helps to boost our energy levels

Drinking water helps to boost our metabolic rate. This boost has a positive impact on our energy levels. Drinking 500 milliliters of water can boost the metabolic rate by 30 percent in both men and women, one study has found. Negative effects of exercising in the heat, without staying hydrated, can result in serious medical incidents. In fact, extreme dehydration can cause seizures, and sometimes, even death.

How do I know if I’m not drinking enough?

Not drinking enough causes dehydration and the signs of this may be our first indication that we are not drinking enough. Symptoms of dehydration include:

  • feeling thirsty
  • dark yellow and strong-smelling pee
  • feeling dizzy or lightheaded
  • feeling tired
  • a dry mouth, lips and eyes
  • peeing little, and fewer than 4 times a day
  • Headaches
  • Dry Skin and cracking lips
  • Mood Changes and slow responses

Whilst the UK Government recommends that 6-8 glasses of water a day (approx. 1.2 liters) should keep you well hydrated, if the weather is hot or if you are exercising, this may not be enough

Common conditions that can be improves by water intake…

100’s of patients a week go to the doctors for conditions that can often be caused or exacerbated by their poor water intake. It is shocking the amount of conditions that are worsened by dehydration, so here are some of the main conditions and how you can improve them by a glass water!

1. Headaches/Migraines –

One of the first things you might notice when you’re dehydrated is a throbbing headache. The good news? If dehydration is the cause, it should go away shortly after you drink a large glass of water.

2. Acne –

Dry skin can trigger excess oil production, which could contribute to acne. This is why water intake is always the first question a dermatologist would ask! It also helps to flush all of the toxins out of the body so they aren’t absorbed into the skin and create the bacteria pockets under the skin which form acne.

3. Eczema/Rosacea –

Drier air outside, as well as heating systems inside, can dehydrate the skin. For people prone to eczema, skin that’s too dry can easily become irritated, itchy, and break out in itchy, red patches

4. Muscle Pains, Cramps and Aches –

Without enough fluid, our muscles can become extremely sensitive and spasm or contract involuntarily. We need water to flush our bodies of cellular waste. A buildup of toxins can lead to inflammation, which often results in pain

5. Sore/Dry Eyes –

When the eyes stop producing tears, they are no longer properly lubricated, which can lead to dry eye, eye strain and vision problems. This also then in turn causes headaches as your eyes are straining harder to work.

6. Abdominal Pain –

Kidney stones affect 1 in 10 people aged between 30-60 and are one of the most common causes of abdominal pain. The main cause of kidney stones is dehydration, this causes a build up of waste and acid in the body this results in the kidneys becoming clogged, this is when the kidney stones are formed. These if not treated quickly and correctly can be very serious and result to needing to be surgically removed.

7. Sluggish Bowel Function –

There are water receptors in the colon, and they pull water from the body to make the stools softer, If you don’t get enough water, hard stools and constipation could be common side effects, along with abdominal pain and cramps.

8. Fatigue –

As dehydration progresses, the body redirects blood to the working muscles and away from the skin, impairing your body’s ability to diffuse heat. The increase in internal heat then results in muscle cramps, light-headedness, and fatigue.

9. Weight Gain –

Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount taken in and is one of the main causes of weight gain. Dehydration affects the ability of your body to burn fat, encourages excessive calorie consumption and slows down your metabolism.

How to optimize Water Retention

In order to get the most benefits from Water you must ensure your body is retaining as much as possible. There are many changes you can  implement into your diet to ensure you get the most out of your water intake…

  1. Follow a low salt diet where you can
  2. Eat foods rich in potassium and magnesium ( Try our Routine Magnesium Capsules) – these help to balance out your sodium levels.
  3.  Take a vitamin B6 Supplement
  4. Eat as much protein as you can
  5. Elevate your feet when possible
  6. Wear compression socks under clothing again where possible
  7. Take a water retention supplement – try our H20 Balance for water retention.

 

What are the benefits of Fruit and Veg?
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What are the benefits of Fruit and Veg?

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We are all told from a young age we must ensure we get our 5 a day. But why?

In this blog we will discuss the benefits of fruit and vegetables, what they are good for and the best ways to integrate them into your diet.

Fruit and Vegetables

There are many benefits to introducing more fruit and Veg into your diet and the results are often a lot more drastic then you realize. Here are 4 of the most significant reasons for introducing them to your diet:

  1. Fruits and Vegetables contain key Vitamins and Minerals – Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Vitamins A, C and K are just a few of the key nutrients you will benefit from when eating fresh fruit and veg.
  2. Fruit and Vegetables are rich in Fiber –  Fiber has many important effect for the body. It keeps the digestive system working correctly, creates the feeling of fullness and prevents numerous heart and vascular health conditions arising.
  3. Fruits and vegetables are also rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals  – These types of nutrients reduce inflammation which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The antioxidants found in fruit and veg also help to slow down the aging process. They also ensure the digestive system works correctly and by absorbing the nutrients from the fruit the toxins are pushed through to the intestines to be released.
  4. Fruits and Vegetables help with weight loss – due to their natural lack in calories regardless of them being rich in fiber and nutrients, you are able to consume enough to be full, but not enough to gain excessive weight.

How do I get the most out of my Fruit and Veg?

There are certain conditions that would impact the nutritional benefits you gain when eating fruit and veg, but these are easily avoidable. In order to get the most out of your daily intact insure the following things:

  1. Always aim to eat fresh fruit and veg, they are the most nutritional when they are fresh. The next best thing would be frozen. If you are trying to loose weight avoid canned fruit at all costs!
  2. Remember dried fruits sugar contents is significantly higher then fresh fruit. This means its calorie contents is higher. so if you are choosing dried fruit, make sure our portion servings are at least half the size.
  3. when selecting fruit juices, avoid added sugar, 100% natural fruit juice is our goal. We want to stay away from juice made from concentrate all together as this is purely sugar and has a huge calorie contents.
  4. For those who suffer from carbohydrate metabolism conditions such as Diabetes or PCOS you have to remember that fruit especially is high in sugar. You can still incorporate fruit into your diet but you must ensure that it is in small portions and this doesn’t cause any sugar imbalance for you.

What are the hidden benefits in Fruit and Veg?

You would be surprised to see all the hidden nutritional benefits you could gain from the most commonly eaten fruit and veg. Below are the most commonly eaten types of fruit and veg eaten in the UK and their nutritional benefits:

Fruits –

  1. Strawberries (85%) – Excellent source for Vitamin C, Magnesium, Folate and Potassium. They are also rich in antioxidants which benefit heart health and blood sugar control
  2. Red Grapes (83%) – Contain antioxidants that help with the cardiovascular system, they are also excellent for reducing inflammation. Did you know they also reduce the clotting factors of platelets as much as an aspirin!
  3. Green Grapes (81%) – Green grapes help to lower blood pressure, and like red grapes help regulate a healthy cardiovascular system.
  4. Bananas (80%) – Bananas are high in Potassium, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. Potassium can help lower blood pressure and this in turn helps boost heart health.
  5. Pineapples (77%) – These are high in Vitamin B6, Copper, Thiamin, Folate, Potassium, Magnesium, Niacin and Iron.
  6. Tangerines (77%) – These have an abundance of Vitamin C, they also contain levels of Vitamin A.
  7. Clementine’s (74%) – Surprisingly these contain the highest levels of Vitamin C. 1 clementine provides 40% of your daily Vitamin C needs. they also contain Folate and Thiamine.
  8. Black Grapes (73%) – Rich in Vitamin C, K and A these along with levels of flavoids and minerals help boost immunity and relieve constipation and liver problems.
  9. Peaches (72%) – These contain 6% of your daily Vitamin A needs and 15% of your daily Vitamin C needs. these also contain high levels of Vitamin E and K.
  10. Pears (70&) – Pears are extremely high in fiber, they are also packed full of fat free, cholesterol free nutrients which are great for weight loss.

Vegetables –

  1. Potatoes (72%) – High in Fiber, Potassium, Vitamin C and vitamin B6, these all support heart health.
  2. Carrots (66%) – The high fiber contents of a carrot helps keep blood sugar levels under control, they are loaded with Vitamin A, they help strengthen bones, contain Vitamin K and calcium.
  3. Tomatoes (65%) – Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, they reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. they are also a great source of Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate and Vitamin K.
  4. Onions (65%) – Helps to reduce Cholesterol levels and help to break down blood clots, they lower risks of heart disease and strokes.
  5. Peas (62%) – A good source of Vitamins A, B, C, E, Zinc and other antioxidants that help to boost the immune system. Help reduce inflammation and the risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
  6. Broccoli (52%) – High source of Fiber, Vitamin C, reduce the risks of cancer and can help to reduce inflammation.
  7. Peppers (47%) – High in Vitamin C, K1, E, A, Folate and Potassium.
  8. Sweetcorn (47%) -High Fiber contents this aids digestion. decreases the risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.
  9. Green Beans (30%) – Contain Vitamins such as A, C, K, B6, B9. High in Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper.
  10. Cabbage (29%) – Contains high levels of Vitamin C, Fiber, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin A and K.

If you struggle to get all of these fruits and veg into your diet but still want all the added benefits, we have lots of products you can take to help improve your vitamin and mineral levels.

We have many recipes on our website which can help you to integrate these nutritional foods into your daily diet, these can be used for weight loss, weight gain and just for generally improving your overall health.