If a person can live without food for several weeks, then without water – only a few days. To lead a fulfilling healthy life, a person needs at least 1,5-2 liters of free fluid without protein, carbohydrates and calories. Free, that is, clean. Soups, coffee and milk don’t count.
July 12 2018
Water is contained in every cell of the human body and even in the intercellular space. It plays an important role in thermoregulation, protecting against overheating and hypothermia, performs a transport function – it carries nutrients throughout the body. Detoxification of the body is impossible without water. In the process of digestion, metabolic products are formed, which are not removed in a timely manner if there is not enough free liquid in the diet. As a result, oxidative processes intensify, oxidative stress develops, which can lead to serious diseases.
The amount of water that you need to drink per day is individual for everyone, calculated based on body weight – about 30-40 ml for each kilogram of weight. Watch your figure – drink even more. The areas of the brain that control thirst and hunger are very close, so a person often confuses these sensations and overeats. Before you freeze the worm, try to drink half a glass of water first, you may not need a meal. And try to reduce your salt intake, it retains fluid in the body. You may not add salt to homemade dishes, but get an excess of salt hidden in foods. Sausages, cheeses, sauces contain a lot of salt.
Can’t drink plain water – add a little lemon or lime. In the heat, a cocktail with fresh cucumber, cut along thin slices, is a good refreshment. To train yourself to drink regularly, set an alarm for every hour on your phone or download a special application.
Ksenia Selezneva, nutritionist of the Wedding Size project: “Drink 30 minutes before or one hour after a meal. Several sips can be taken during the meal. We eat more when we drink. “
It does not replace water, but it can be included in the bulk of the liquid that we must drink per day, if we do not add milk, sugar and honey to it. If you add it to your diet, you can cut the amount of regular water by a third. This rule does not apply to other types of tea: even if you drink 2 liters of black tea daily, you will also have to drink at least 1,5 liters of water. It is better to refuse a strongly brewed drink. It is better to give preference to warm tea without brewing, but with the addition of ginger, mint, sea buckthorn.
By the way, quite often food intolerance develops on the ingredients of tea (as well as coffee, juices, dairy products). Unlike a true allergy, it may not manifest itself vividly in any way, but it leads to systemic inflammation, which underlies obesity, diabetes mellitus, and joint problems. Food intolerances often occur to the foods we eat most, so it’s important to eat as varied as possible.
Coffee is healthy in moderation. There are no general recommendations on how many cups to drink. The daily rate is determined by the individual characteristics of the organism. There is a gene responsible for the metabolism of caffeine, it depends on it how quickly the substance is absorbed and the tonic effect disappears. Also, much depends on the activity of cytochromes – proteins through which caffeine is metabolized in the liver. A person with a fast metabolism can drink four to five cups of natural coffee without health consequences (if there are no problems with blood pressure), with a slow one – no more than one, otherwise drowsiness occurs, cognitive functions and mood deteriorate. You can find out which category you belong to with the help of a genetic test – you need to donate saliva.
Coffee has a diuretic effect, that is, it removes fluid. Therefore, avid coffee lovers should drink too much water. Each cup is an extra glass of water.
Both pasteurized and freshly squeezed contain a lot of sugar. Whenever you have a choice to drink juice or eat a whole fruit, always choose the latter. The pulp with healthy fiber remains in the juicer, in a glass – sugar in large quantities. After drinking one glass of fruit juice, the level of glucose in the blood rises significantly, the pancreas begins to produce more insulin. The higher it is, the more active is the formation of adipose tissue. Whole fruits contain coarse dietary fiber that can help prevent spikes in blood sugar.
Ksenia Selezneva: “It is better to eat fruits and berries in the first half of the day and as an independent dish, and not as a dessert after dinner”
Only green vegetable cocktails are allowed daily, adding a little kiwi or apple for flavor. They are rich in folates, magnesium, zinc, dietary fiber, and they have an antioxidant effect. Fruit smoothies are more of a treat, with little benefit.
Contrary to popular belief, smoothies are ineffective as a means of detoxification: it is impossible to start the necessary processes in two or three days of a juice diet. The detox program should be comprehensive and last for several weeks.
The gases irritate the lining of the esophagus and stomach. Therefore, even mineral water should not be drunk every day instead of ordinary water. Sugary sodas are one of the few foods that should be completely eliminated from the diet. This is a real sugar bomb that puts stress on the pancreas, heart and blood vessels. It contains neither vitamins nor protein, in addition, soda does not quench thirst, but, on the contrary, enhances it.
Kefir, fermented baked milk, milk do not belong to liquids, like soup and similar dishes. They contain water, but they also contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates, they require digestion, therefore, you cannot replace water with milk. Even if you are on a diet, give preference to foods with at least 5% fat content – there is no calcium and phosphorus in fat-free foods. In addition, you cannot do without fats – fat-soluble vitamins will not be absorbed without them.