Dionne Greening, Balanced Energy naturopathic consultant
Second only to the air we breath, adequate hydration is essential for sustaining optimal physiological and psychological peformance and maintaining homeostasis within the body. Despite this, dehydration is common in the general population and people fail to drink sufficient fluids.
The body's initial responses to dehydration are thirst to increase water intake, and decreased urine output to try to conserve water loss. The urine will become concentrated and more yellow in color. Signs you are dehydrated: you feel tired, your eyes look sunken in, your skin is dry, you are constipated, you have a headache or feel foggy/dizzy. As the level of water loss increases, more symptoms can become apparent eventually leading to death if extreme dehydration occurs. Humans can survive without water, depending on the temperature, for anywhere between 2 and 10 days (bearing in mind that this is to the point of expiration).
Seventy per cent of the body is comprised of water. It is essential for rehydration and the transportation of nutrients, it keeps blood in solution and dilutes concentrations of nutrients and toxins in the body. Waste products are transferred out and excreted via water and it is involved in just about every function of the body, including regulation of body temperature. It is also necessary for the formation of joint cartilage and lubrication.
It is normally recommended to drink one to two litres of pure water every day. Filtered water, while it is pure, unfortunately doesn't rehydrate the body fully because it has had all the minerals taken out. Reticulated water, while it is clean and does not carry diseases, is treated with chemicals and sometimes polluted with heavy metals and other toxic substances . Spring water is purpotedly the best type of water to drink as it is infused with essential minerals, oxygenated and is "live", however we do not all have the priveledge of having pure spring water coming out of our taps!
At Balanced Energy we use our Zazen water filter to turn ordinary tap water into pure, filtered, remineralised and ionised water. It is delicious to drink, inexpensive, wonderful for rehydrating the body and the closest thing you can get to actual spring water without creating the extra waste of plastic bottles. We also use pure, New Zealand spring water to make our flower, gem and crystal essences
Tips on how to make water consumption fun:
- Adding fresh juices, such as lemon or orange, offers a healthy option to flavour water for children and adults alike.
- Increase consumption of herbal teas including green tea and rooibos tea.
- Lemon juice added to warm water is a healthy way to start the day.
- Increase intake of fresh fruit and vegetables with naturally high water content.
Urine colour can provide a "general estimate" of hydration status, with darker urine indicating you may need to drink up.
Contact Dionne for advice or to book a consultation
Ask us about Zazen water filters
