Hydration

We’ve all heard that drinking 8 cups of water a day is the right amount for us, but is that really true? Let’s check how much water do you need daily! How much you does one need?

Your Body Knows Best

Water is essential to life. It makes up a huge proportion of the human body, 75% in infants, up to 55% in the elderly (source).

When it comes to drinking water, listen to your body. It will tell you, “Hey pal, how about some hydration? I’m getting a bit parched over here!”

Your mouth will get a bit dry, and you’ll find that your head feels full of wool – thats when you need to drink water as soon as possible.. When it reaches this level, it means that you’re in serious need of hydration. In fact, if you notice that your mouth is very dry, your body is probably already suffering from a lack of water.

Your thirst is only noticeable when the concentration of your blood increases by about 2%, and dehydration only starts at about 5%

Very few of us notice that our mouths are leathery and dry throughout the day, as we are fairly busy people. When we do notice, we usually take steps to drink more water, and we feel great that we’re solving our thirst problem. However, drinking more water than we’re accustomed to can actually be good for our health!

Beyond dehydration, even scientists don’t truly know how hydration affects our overall health. Although, currently there is lots of research being conducted most prominently into the effect proper water intake may have on the prevention of chronic diseases (source).

The US Dietary Recommendations for water are pretty lax, considering they are based on a one time collection of blood samples that doesn’t take into consideration different age groups, activity level etc and many feel they should be further looked at and adjusted (source)

Just as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently revised their existing recommendation due to the realization of how essential water is for life and health (source)

The Importance of Water for Focus and Memory

Mild dehydration produces alterations in a number of important aspects of cognitive function such as concentration, alertness and short-term memory in children aged between 10 and 12 years (source), young adults aged between 18 and 25 years (source) and in the oldest adults aged between 50 and 82 years (source).

In recent studies, participants were dehydrated to approximately 2.8% either through heat exposure or treadmill exercise. The results showed that “performance was impaired on tasks examining visual perception, short-term memory, and psychomotor ability” (source)

Water and Weight Loss

You’ve probably heard that drinking water can help to make weight loss easier, and studies in 2003, 2007, and 2008 proved that increasing water intake can help your body burn more calories, reduce the amount of food you eat, and speed up your metabolism (source).

Water can help you to lose weight, but the primary way that it does so is by filling your stomach and stopping you from eating and drinking things that will increase your body’s calorie count.

So How Much is Enough?

The Institute of Medicine has determined how much water the average man or woman needs to drink to be healthy (source):

AS A BASIC GUIDELINEMEN – The average man should drink 3.7 litres or 15 cups of water per day.WOMEN – The average woman should drink 2.7 litres or 11 cups of water per day.

That’s a lot more than the 8 cups that you’re used to drinking! The good news is that you don’t need to get all of your water just by drinking! The recommendations above is for total water intake, which means liquid in all of its forms. The water can come from fruits, vegetables, coffee (keep this down to a bare minimum, if at all and if you MUST drink coffee make sure it is made from organically grown and freshly ground beans), and of course delicious herbal teas,

In the United States it is estimated that about 22% of water comes from our food intake while it would be much higher in European countries, particularly a country like Greece with its higher intake of fruits and vegetables (source)

TIPMake drinking water every hour on the hour, a habit. if you drink one cup every hour, you will get more than your 8 glasses per day. Once you get used to drinking one glass every hour, it will be easier to drink 2 or 3 glasses per hour. You will have to use the toilet a lot more, but it will help to regulate your body!

Drinking more water is just the smart thing to do, but many people opt to drink other liquids in order to increase their total water intake throughout the day. While drinking soda, coffee, tea, beer, and other drinks will help you to get more liquids in your body, you’re doing two things wrong:

Adding Calories – All of the drinks above have calories, which means that you’re adding extra calories to your diet and giving yourself more energy to burn to avoid gaining weight.
Adding the Wrong Nutrients – Coffee and tea both contain healthy nutrients, but they usually are accompanied by sugar and milk. Beer and soda both have lots of sugar and calories, so they’ll just go straight to your gut.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells us that by opting for water instead of a calorie filled soda, you save 240 calories (source). This is a serious amount for anyone watching their weight.

Studies have shown recently Water’s importance for prevention of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases. This has become more prevalent in recent year due to shift towards large portions of fluids coming from caloric beverages (source).

The truth is that water is the best thing for you to drink if you want to get more liquid and hydrate yourself properly! It’s a calorie-free beverage, so you won’t have to worry about increasing the amount of food you eat every day. There’s nothing harmful in clean drinking water, so toxins and chemicals aren’t a concern with water.

If you think you aren’t getting enough water daily, try some of these tips supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (source):

Carry a water bottle for easy access when you are at work of running errands.
Freeze some freezer safe water bottles. Take one with you for ice-cold water all day long.
Choose water when eating out. Generally, you will save money and reduce calories.
Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water. This can help improve the taste and help you drink more water than you usually do.

How Much Water is Needed to Survive in an Emergency?

It is important to note that as possibly the most essential nutrient out there, without which, we could not sustain life, being prepared when it comes to a possible emergency situation is critical. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to survive in an emergency, we need 2.5 to 3 liters of water per day that is safe to drink (source).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also tells us that in an emergency situation you should have one gallon of water per person for 3 days for drinking, cooking and cleaning yourself (source).

Conclusion

Add more water to your diet, and don’t be content with just the 11 to 15 cup minimum. It will do your body a whole lot of good to get more water, so bottom’s up!

Adapted from Article Source: healthambition.com

Water Tips

Start the day with 1 or 2 glasses of water to flush the system and bring new life to your
Drink 6 to 10 glasses a day – more if you are stressed.
If drinking a minimum of 6 glasses a day, add a pinch of salt to balance the water.
Sip slowly to detox and clean
Hold the water in your mouth for a few seconds to encourage absorp
Dechlorinate tap water by letting it stand in a jug – the chlorine evaporates to a degree, or boil it and allow to cool before using.
Energize water by stirring

These recipes play a large part in our health programs

Hydration Recipe #1

Vegetable Broth

This vegetable broth is an excellent source of minerals and contains something sweet, something spicy or and something salty.

Sweet Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 beets, coarsely chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium sized tomatoes, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 apples (without core), peeled and coarsely chopped – MUST be organic or leave out
4 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 butternut
4L filtered, OR spring water

Spicy Ingredients

2 onions, coarsely chopped
4 medium sized leeks, coarsely chopped
1 piece of ginger, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, whole
2 scallions, coarsely chopped (spring onions)
1-‐2 spicy peppers (use sparingly or to taste) OR chilies (optional)
3 bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh rosemary

Salty Ingredients

2-‐5 pieces Kombu, OR wakame seaweed
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 punnet shitake mushrooms
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch kale

Special Equipment

Stockpot or Crockpot

Instructions

Roughly chop the vegetables and put them in a large stockpot filled with the filtered or spring water.
Add a few sprigs of herbs, a few bay leaves, and at least
2-‐5 good-‐sized pieces of seaweed. Kombu and Wakame work best, but any seaweed will do.
Let the pot come to a boil and then simmer on low for at least 3 hours.
You can then strain the broth and add a sprinkle of salt if desired.
For a really clear broth you can use a sprout bag to strain it after it has cooled.
Sip the warm broth like tea or use it as a base to make cooked vegetable soups and grain dishes.
You can also freeze the broth to defrost for later.

Hydration Recipe #2

Vegetable Electrolyte Water

This vegetable broth is an excellent source of electrolytes and is best when made from organically grown vegetables.

Ingredients

1 small onion
1-‐2 carrots
3-‐4 celery stalks
3-‐4 unpeeled potatoes
½ bunch spinach
3L filtered, OR spring water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
Fresh parsley, OR oregano, OR thyme (optional) Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Sweet potato (optional)

Special Equipment

Stockpot or Crockpot

Instructions

Dice 3-‐4 unpeeled potatoes and one small onion. Thinly slice 3 – ‐4 stalks of celery and 1 or 2 carrots and chop a large handful of spinach.
Place all the ingredients into a pot with 3L filtered or spring water.
Simmer for 20 minutes, strain the liquid, and discard the veggies and drink.

Don’t be afraid to experiment! Finely diced sweet potatoes gives wonderful flavour, or try other veggies for different tastes. Fresh or dried herbs such as parsley, oregano, thyme, or salt-‐free herbal seasoning can also be used to extra flavour. Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and some cayenne pepper to spice up the taste of this broth.

Hydration Recipe #3

Ultimate Hydration

This can be stored in a glass bottle / container in the ‘fridge and sipped at any time during the day or night.

Ingredients

½ teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch pink Himalayan salt
1L filtered, OR spring water
½ freshly squeezed lemon (optional)
Ginger slice (optional)
4 mint leaves (optional)

Instructions

Make a litre of water that contains ½ teaspoon honey (dissolve in a bit of lukewarm water) + ½ teaspoon cinnamon + a pinch of Himalayan salt and drink over the course of the day.
Adding half to a full freshly squeezed lemon is also recommended as a good addition per occasion.
Ginger or mint leaves for change of flavour per occasion also recommended.

Hydration Recipe #4

Lemon Tea or Lemon Water

Morning Hydrating / Cleanse tea – to be taken first thing on an empty stomach, daily during any cleanse, maintenance program and going forward. Do NOT use iced water if you choose to drink the lemon water over the lemon tea – it must be room temperature. This forms part of the DBM Health Program.

Ingredients

½ lemon, juiced or two thick slices of lemon (make sure washed well with hydrogen peroxide)
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root – optional
1 tablespoon raw honey – optional
2 cups filtered water

Instructions

Bring filtered water, to the boil.
Place lemon juice or sliced lemon
Pour into your favourite cup or glass. Allow to steep for ten min before straining the parsley and allow elixir to coo
Pour approximately 250ml parsley tea into a glass; squeeze in some lemon to
Drink 1 glass per day

Hydration Tea #5

Ginger, Honey. Cayenne, Mint, Cinnamon Tea

To make a good ginger tea, all you need is fresh ginger and filtered water. Chamomile flowers/tea, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, or an Echinacea tea can also be added to the tea but are optional. Be sure not to add everything at the same time but to rather try different combinations.

Ingredients

½ lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
1 tablespoon raw honey
2 cups filtered water
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)
Chamomile tea/flowers

Instructions

Bring filtered water, to the boil.
Pour water into your favourite cup or glass.
Add Lemon, Honey and one other ingredient of your choice.
Allow to steep for ten min parsley and allow elixir to coo Strain or drink as is.

Hydration Recipe #6

Apple Cider Energy Water

This can be mixed in bulk and stored in a glass bottle / container in the ‘fridge and sipped at any time during the day or night. Especially beneficial is a small amount before meals and right before bedtime.

Ingredients

6 – 8 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (preferably Braggs)
4 – 6 teaspoons raw honey
250ml Water

Instructions

Add 6-8tbs to a litre of water, stir in honey to taste (4-6tsp)
Because the honey does not readily dissolve in cold water, it is beneficial to put it all into a blender and whisk it for a refreshing beverage.

Hydration Recipe #7

Morning Detox Flush

If you want to cleanse, lose body fat, boost energy and help reverse disease, then adding natural detox drinks to your morning routine can really help you improve your quality of life … fast!

Ingredients

Pinch, OR ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon raw honey
½ freshly squeezed lemon
1 Himalayan salt crystal
250ml filtered, OR spring water, boiled
2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar (optional)

Instructions

Dissolve all ingredients into a glass of hot filtered or spring water, stir
Enjoy first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
Adding ginger slices for change of flavour on occasion is also recommended.

Hydration Recipe #8

Coconut Water Electrolyte

Coconut water helps maintain the body’s fluid levels and its potassium content helps maintain water pressure within cells and blood. In developing countries where clean water is scarce, coconut water can be life saving and save people suffering from diarrhoea, dysentery, or cholera. Makes 1¼L

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon raw organic honey
¼ cup freshly pressed apple, OR freshly squeezed lemon, OR freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups coconut water
2 cups filtered or spring water
¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

Special Equipment

Blender or shaker

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a blender or shaker and mix well.
Cool and store in fridge until ready to serve.
It is always best is to drink it from the fresh young coconut, but packaged coconut water is fine, too (be sure to choose one without added sugar or preservatives).

Borax Water Recipe #1

General Health

Ideal for general health in this dilution.

Ingredients

1/8^th of a teaspoon Sodium Borate (Borax)
1 Litre of clean spring / borehole water

Instructions

Dissolve Sodium Borate (Borax) in the water. Drink this water throughout the day. Repeat for 14 days. (Water can be flavoured with lemon or mint leaves)

Borax Water Recipe #2

Parasite Cleanse

In this dilution – used as part of the parasite cleanse protocol.

Ingredients

1 pinch of Sodium Borate (Borax)
250ml clean spring / borehole water

Instructions

Dissolve Sodium Borate (Borax) in the water.
Drink as part of the Parasite Cleanse Protocol.

MSM Water Recipe #1

MSM Water – Oral Use – Use Only Under the Guidance of Your DBM Physician

Methylsulphonylmethane (Dimethylsulphone or, or commonly, MSM) is a small sulphur containing molecule related to DMSO which is used for its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. It holds potential for joint health (not significantly different than glucosamine sulphate). MSM is a potent detoxifier. It dissolves many compounds, reacts with certain toxins and greatly facilitates elimination of toxic wastes from the cells. Detoxing too fast can produce a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, (Herxheimer Reaction) such as nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, insomnia, depression or anxiety, skin eruptions, itching, the worsening of allergy symptoms and even palpitations. Reactions, if there are any, tend to be quite individual. If you’re prone to getting headaches, MSM may cause headache; if you tend to experience insomnia – MSM may lead to insomnia; and the same with other potential reactions.

Ingredients