Your Guide To Hydration

I predict that of all the people that come to see me in the clinic, particularly those experiencing digestive problems, fatigue and depression, I could solve 50% of those peoples’ problems by simply hydrating them at a cellular level.

Most of us are guilty of not drinking enough water. The standard byline is 2L per day, and most of us struggle to get to that. But is 2L actually enough? Well, one water bottle size, does not fit all. How much water you need depends on how hot it is, how much fluid you’re losing through the breath, and how much you’re sweating.  

How much you need also depends on what other fluids you’re drinking. For instance, coffee and caffeinated teas are diuretics, meaning they are beverages that stimulate your body to urinate. So for every cup of coffee you drink you need to have at least one glass of water. This is over and above your 2L daily total.  

If you’re finding it hard to keep track of your intake, the colour of your urine is probably the best indicator for whether your water intake is appropriate for your body. A very pale yellow, with not much smell, indicates that there is enough water circulating through the bloodstream. 

Hydration at a cellular level:

Unfortunately, the colour of your urine doesn’t indicate whether that water is actually reaching your cells. It’s possible to be drinking 3L of water in a day, and still be dehydrated at the cellular level. Huh? See when functioning optimally, the water we drink is absorbed through the cells of the intestinal lining and goes straight into the bloodstream. There is a very delicate balance of minerals (also known as electrolytes) in your blood, which allow water to be distributed into the cells. Often if people are low in minerals or electrolytes and they drink lots of water, it creates a very dilute concentration of electrolytes in the blood. This instantly stimulates the kidneys to create urine to rebalance the situation. This is the case for many women who drink copious amounts of water, pee all the time, and remain chronically dehydrated because the fluid that they drink is never able to be transported to the cells.  

That got a bit sciencey. Here are the most common signs and symptoms of cellular dehydration: dry skin and lips, constipation, fatigue and frequent urination.

Solution:

Sound like you? Never fear, the easiest way to solve this problem is to add electrolytes to your water (particularly if your diet is low in processed foods and you’re not so fond of salt). This means that the water will stay in the blood stream, and then have an opportunity be to transported into the cells. This will also allow water to cycle through the liver, kidneys and lymphatic system, giving the body the opportunity to move toxins out of the cells and then out of the body, either through the skin, the kidneys and bladder or the digestive system. 

My favourite brand of electrolytes are Biotrace Elite electrolyte drops, which have 72 trace minerals as well as the most important minerals for our fluid metabolism.  Make sure you choose a brand that has no flavourings in it, the taste will be somewhat salty. Add electrolytes to your water when it’s easy to do so, but definitely to your water bottle in the morning.  The dosage will be found on the back of the bottle. If you find the taste too strong, simply reduce the dose of electrolytes until it pleases your palette. Your palette is a good indicator of how many minerals you actually need. 

What is water:

Got it. Now, what qualifies as water? Nope, not that can of diet coke, the afternoon cup of black tea or that occasional cheeky juice. When I say water, I mean the plain stuff that comes out of the tap. Snooze? Try adding freshly squeezed citrus (a dash of lemon, lime or grapefruit) to spice up your water. You can also brew herbal teas, and drink them hot or cold, which also qualifies as part of your daily water intake. And if you’re very dehydrated and in need of electrolytes, consider drinking coconut water, which contains naturally occurring electrolytes, and is a fantastic way to cool the body and help hold water in the system.

What to avoid:

Juice and soft drinks are high in sugar -  feeding the bad microbes in your gut and imbalancing your blood sugar levels. Very often we crave sweet, fizzy drinks because we are badly dehydrated and in need of fluid, and our gut microbes are out of balance, making us crave sugar. Drinking enough plain water and hydrating properly is a very effective way to reduce our cravings for sugary drinks, and also as a way to normalise our appetite. Very often nowadays when we are so disconnected from our bodies, we eat when in actual fact we are thirsty.

Anything containing caffeine stimulates the adrenals to fire, increasing adrenaline and cortisol levels. Remember, for every cup of coffee you drink you need to have at least one glass of water to rebalance. 

Carbonated water contains water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. While harmless in moderation, the carbon dioxide often upsets digestion causing gas and bloating, and so is not ideal as our primary source of hydration. 

Filter it: 

Should you filter your drinking water if you live in the city? My answer to that question is an emphatic yes. Given that at least 70% of our makeup is water, the quality of our water and our cellular hydration are everything to the healthy function of our body. The water that we are delivered via the tap is a long way from what the body would ultimately use as a source of hydration. The best water for our bodies is spring water that has flowed underground where it has been filtered and mineralised by the rocks it has passed through. This water is by nature very alkaline, which aids cellular detoxification and hydration. In contrast, the water we receive via the tap is often collected in large reservoirs, where it doesn’t flow in natural patterns. It has chemicals added, including chlorine as an antimicrobial agent, and fluoride, all of which disrupt the natural composition of water, adversely affecting our bodies’ function.

Warm it up: 

Another concept around hydration that I think is really important to highlight is the temperature of the water we drink. In Chinese medicine and Ayurveda a lot of the concepts around digestion centre around supporting the digestive fire. One of the easiest ways to do this is to drink room temperature or warmer water. 

Well, there it is. A definitive guide to hydration. Now go get yourselves a big glass of room-temp, filtered water!