Why Should I Drink More Water? May 28, 2018

Don’t Underestimate- Hydrate!

We’re all a little guilty of passing up the daily recommended amount of water. Coffee drinks, sodas, alcohol, sweetened beverages and food often take the place of this vital element in its purest form. While water can indeed be found in many beverages and some of the nutrients we eat (like fruit and vegetables), plain drinking water offers the most direct, zero calorie way to enhance your health, feel more full and consume less sugar and sodium.

Some perspective of just how vital water is to your body: A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

So what can water do for you? Often, we associate headaches and fatigue with lack of sleep or illness. But dehydration is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to light headedness and feeling tired. Caffeinated beverages may give you a temporary boost, but can further dehydrate the body and ultimately perpetuate fatigue.

Water carries nutrients to the cells in your body, flushes out toxins, regulates our body temperature, and cushions our joints. Your brain is 75% water alone – so keep the good times flowing and pick up a glass of the clear stuff more often.

Tips for Increasing Water Consumption:

1. Carry it with you! Invest in a water bottle and fill up throughout the day.
2. Add a squirt of lemon or lime if you want to add more bite to the taste of water – you’re more likely to finish the glass (and lemon is packed with nutritional zest!)
3. Addicted to soda? No-sodium, zero calorie flavored seltzer might be a worthy crutch – and offers the same health benefits as plain water.
4. Drink a glass before every meal to get to your fill and prevent overeating. Often, we assume we are hungry – and in reality, its thirst we need to quench.

Cheers!

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic provides medical care to eligible patients, just like any family practitioner or internist – but it is free. We serve uninsured adults living at or below 200 % of the Federal poverty level who live or work on Johns, Wadmalaw or James Islands. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.