Why You Should Drink It Even When You’re Not Constipated

Why is it so easy to down several cups of juice, coffee, and soda, but not water? Because they’re all addictive beverages scientifically crafted to keep you fiending for more. In addition to all of the health benefits of drinking enough water, you’ll have less time and energy to worry about drinking much else.

Water is involved in almost every bodily function. It plays a role in temperature regulation, metabolism, brain function, detoxification, and sooo much more!

How Much Water Should You Drink?

Depending on age, your body consists of roughly 55% to 75% water. Federal regulations suggest that 8 cups – 64oz. – is the average amount of water you should drink. You should be drinking half of your body’s weight in ounces every day. For example, if you weigh 175lbs, you should be drinking 87.5oz. of water every day.

Here’s the catch. For optimal hydration, you should add at least one more cup of water for certain consumables and habits throughout your day. If you have a soda or sugary food, that is another cup of water. Also, if you exercise and sweat a lot, you may want to drink more. Energy drinks with sugar, dyes, and flavorings work against you and become addictive. Infusing your water with antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies is a smarter move instead.

Some of the best whole foods to add to your water for flavoring, energy, and other health benefits are:

Lemons
Berries
Pineapple
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Mint
Cucumbers
Ginger

What Happens When You Drink Enough Water?

1. Improve Your Mind, Mood and Energy

If you experience poor concentration, fatigue, headaches, weakness, low blood pressure, and dizziness, you might be experiencing dehydration. Sufficient water is the primary solution to those issues.

Research suggests that water improves the plasticity of your brain, resulting in better memory and mood. This has significant benefits in almost every area of your life, including work, parenthood, and your social life.

If you are taking medications that cause fluid loss like headache medicine, anti-depressants, or blood thinners, for example, you need to drink even more water. It helps if you consume other electrolytes such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium in addition to water through quality supplements and a nutritious diet. Doing your own research and working with a functional medicine doctor or coach can be an outstanding game-changer that allows you to ditch your pharmaceutical medications and their annoying and harmful side effects for good.

2. Digestion and Detoxification of the Body

Detoxification helps your body eliminate toxins, increase energy levels, and lose fat or inflammation by prohibiting toxins from sightseeing. The goal is to keep them flowing seamlessly through your digestive system. For prime digestive health, your kidneys and liver require water to cleanse your blood and assist your body in getting rid of waste.

Increased water consumption can also aid in the prevention of kidney stones. Watching someone experience the pain of kidney stones is probably a good amount of motivation to increase your water intake. No one likes excreting Thomas the Train through their rear end, and it’s completely avoidable.

When you’re sick, you need to stay hydrated since your body needs water to create snot and phlegm, which are useful because they remove white blood cells and bacteria from your diet. Like energy drinks, low-quality teas do nothing to advance your wellness but infusing organic spices and herbs in hot water can quicken your recovery.

To help your immune system fight a cold, try infusing hot water with:

Honey, Lemon, and Cinnamon
Turmeric
Ginger
Wheatgrass
Pineapple
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Grapefruit
Garlic

It’s less likely for constipation and diarrhea to occur when you accompany your water with insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber soaks up water and expands. While they are important and have plenty of benefits, if you’re trying to soften The Great Wall of China forming in your gut and intestines, insoluble fibers are your friend.

Some insoluble fibrous foods:

Wheat Bran
Nuts
Beans
Cauliflower
Potatoes
Apples

Some soluble fibrous foods:

Brussels Sprouts
Oatmeal
Avocado
Sweet Potato
Broccoli
Prunes
Peaches
Grapes

It doesn’t have to be crazy expensive to regulate your body temperature, digestion, electrolyte balance, blood pressure, heart health, and muscular function, among other things. Healthy habits, eating style, and supplements are awesome, but if you’re just getting into the swing of your wellness journey, water is the perfect baby step! If you are already taking great supplements and achieving optimal health through your lifestyle habits without drinking enough water, you are working against your own labor. Digestion, detoxification, circulation, attention, vitality, and hunger management are all attainable with proper water intake.

Bringing the family back to table,