Easy Ways To Boost Your Water Intake
When we talk about diet, the focus is often on food but water is actually more essential than other nutrients we find in food. Why you ask, it makes up about 60% of your body.
Why is water so important?
Without water, your body wouldn’t be able to function. Water plays a role in nearly every function of the body, either directly or indirectly. You will find water in your intracellular and extracellular fluids, plasma, organs, spine and digestive tract and it’s even more important when pregnant or trying to conceive (lets reduce down the toxic load and stress on the body please).
Water is needed for actions including:
Maintaining body temperature
Forming a barrier in the skin to protect against foreign bodies
Brain function
Digestion of food
Excreting waste through urine, sweat and faeces
Supporting a healthy metabolic rate
Increasing satiety levels
Without enough water in the body, we become dehydrated which research has shown that 1-3% dehydration can impact on processes such as brain function, memory, energy and mood. This research doesn’t take into count that we need more water when pregnant and/or breastfeeding, working in harsh and hot climates (ie) FIFO workers. It’s also really common for people to drink tap or bottle water and still not feeling hydrated which is why I like drinking filtered water from my zazen bench top water filter.
How to boost your water intake
Now that you know how important hydration is for your mood let alone your body to function well, how can you get enough? Here are some simple tips to get more water into your day.
Eat your water
You don’t have to rely on your water bottle for all of your hydration needs. There are plenty of high-water foods around, especially as the warmer months bring tropical produce back!
Stock up on:
Melons like rockmelon and watermelon
Berries (not dried berries)
Peaches
Cucumber
Celery
Apples and Pears
Green leafy vegetables or Broccoli
Soups and smoothies are a good and easy way to up your nutrients and hydration or even using coconut water as the base for icepoles in summer.
Make drinking more fun
Many people find plain water a bit boring. But if that’s the case, you can make it more interesting and still reap the benefits. As the weather warms up, you can add fresh or frozen fruit and herbs to your water. Berries, citrus, mint and rosemary are some refreshing options to start with. You could even add flavours to ice and add to water, replace milk in smoothies with water and porridge but it is always best to have hydration from food and liquids. When the temperature drops, find some herbal teas you enjoy to replace plain water or even bone broth with water such as nutra-organics bone broth.
If you’re out at a social event and want an alternative for soft drinks, grab some sparkling water. Many supermarkets now have flavoured options – just make sure there’s no added sugars. You also could have soda water and lime which is often what I have if we go out.
Create a habit
The easiest way to incorporate a new habit is to tie it to a current one. This goes for drinking water as well. You could try drinking a glass of water after brushing your teeth or when you go to make a cup of coffee. If you check your emails regularly, have a few mouthfuls every time your inbox loads up.
Figure out what you do at least 4-5 times each day and make those the times that you drink a glass of water (or water bottle, which I prefer to drink from than a cup).
Remind yourself
Sometimes, we need someone to push us until we get into a habit. In that case, it’s time to set up some reminders. You can simply set alarms on your phone throughout the day. There are plenty of apps out there that track water, from general diet trackers to specific water trackers.
If you aren’t into tech, you can get water bottles with measures on the side to remind you visually, if you have kids, have some water when they have water and be mindful to not put your needs to the side.
How much water should you drink?
Different people have different needs for water, depending on their body composition , exercise, medication use and other lifestyle factors. Even the weather can influence how much you should be drinking.
Government recommendations are around 2.1-2.6L of fluid per day. But if you’re not drinking water much, it’s best to start slowly and work your way up. I also recommend filtered water instead of tap water because of the chemicals found in the water, I am aware it’s to make the drinking water drinkable but I do feel parched after drinking non filtered water and it often smells like chlorine.
If you’re exercising, you’ll want to add 1-2 cups of water for every 30 min of exercise you do. If the temperature is over 30 degrees C, add an extra 2 cups per day.
Approximate adequate daily intakes of fluids (including plain water, milk and other drinks) in litres per day include:
Infants 0–6 months – 0.7 l (from breast milk or formula)
Infants 7–12 months – 0.9 l (from breast milk, formula and other foods and drinks)
Children 1–3 years – 1.0 l (about 4 cups)
Children 4–8 years – 1.2 l (about 5 cups)
Girls 9–13 years – 1.4 l (about 5-6 cups)
Boys 9–13 years – 1.6 l (about 6 cups)
Girls 14–18 years – 1.6 l (about 6 cups)
Boys 14–18 years – 1.9 l (about 7-8 cups)
Women – 2.1 l (about 8 cups)
Men – 2.6 l (about 10 cups).
Drinking enough water is just one piece of the puzzle. If you’re feeling tired, have bags under your eyes or skin issues, book in for a naturopath consultation here or arrange bio-compatibility testing here.
Thanks for reading,
Shonelle Siegmann
Naturopath and Herbalist
Ps. found this helpful? Let me know below by commenting.
References
Metheny, N., & Metheny, N. M. (2011). Fluid and electrolyte balance. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22190027
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736786
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/