Are you dying thirst?
Your body is composed of roughly 80% water. You need on average, 3 pints of plain water every day to replace lost body fluids and maintain a healthy system. That is 3 pints of water on top of whatever tea, coffee, fruit juice or other drinks you consume.
It may sound a lot, but if you aim to drink a glass of water every hour or so, it is easy to drink the minimum recommended amount. You need to bear in mind that if you are very active or you exercise a lot you will need to drink more water.
Caffeine acts as a diuretic, that is, it makes you pass more urine. So the net result is that your body has not had the fluid which it needs. It is recommended by many health advisors that you should drink one glass of water for every cup of tea or coffee that you drink.
Another problem with caffeine intake is that it stimulates the adrenal system causing the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream ~ the “ buzz” However, this also has the effect of diverting blood away from the digestive system into the muscles of your arms and legs, making your heart beat faster and putting your blood pressure up!
The stress response was designed to help you when you were under threat. You could either run away or fight to defend yourself. It is simply not appropriate for you to have stress hormones whizzing round your systems and it does cause long term health problems.
(If you’re stressed you may wish to visit the Stress Free Forever programme, at www.stressfree4ever.com which is an invaluable source of help.) Carbonated drinks such as colas contain chemicals which leach calcium from the bones. So we now have a generation of young people who are at risk of developing osteoporosis in their twenties!
If you do not drink enough water you will gradually become dehydrated. Your body will divert water away from non essential areas to those which are essential. If you skin is very dry, or your joints are getting creaky this may be a sign that you are dehydrated!
The most important single change you can make to improve your diet and health is to drink at least 3 pints of fresh water every day.
It’s become almost a fashion statement to carry round a plastic bottle of water everywhere you go. Do be aware that plastics leach chemicals into the water which are not good for you. Ideally use a water filter at home and carry your water in a glass bottle.
