Let’s begin with the most important nutritional subject of all – WATER !
I am not going to extol the virtues of water as I think that anyone reading this will not need to be told that the body is largely made up of water. There is controversy, however, over the quantity of water we need to drink as – just water. Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject.

My Dad commented recently that a Doctor on the radio had reassured the non-water drinking public that it is not necessary to drink water at all. According to this learned gentleman we are able to extract all our water needs from the foods that we eat and the beverages we imbibe.

I think he is probably right ! If you know me you will be raising an eyebrow at this point or you will be waiting for the big BUT that is sure to follow.

And yes - there is an important but…

If our body has to extract water from the foods that we eat there is a considerable amount of work to do. This takes energy and unless we have lots to spare on a daily basis this is something we may wish to avoid. A lot of the foods we eat do not contain much water so if you don’t have the recommended heaps of vegetables and fruits in a day you will find yourself lacking in fluid.

The extraction of water from the digestive system and the processing of the kidneys has been likened to the process by which our community waste systems recycle the water to make it available again for drinking (obviously here the analogy ends as cleansing (!!) chemicals must also be added to make it safe to drink the resulting tap water).

I, for one, would much rather that my body may find its’ water without effort and from a pure source so I will continue to drink around two litres a day. I never suffer from dehydration headaches and my skin and joints show the benefits.

Pure water. As I don’t live in the mountains with a fresh spring nearby I am careful to drink only filtered water. Look into the different systems available and I would strongly recommend that you go further in your search than the usual jug type filters. I use the Nikken water purifying system and my family would not do without the wonderful water we have enjoyed daily for years.

The diuretic effect. If we are drinking tea and coffee regularly we need to remember that though we are taking on fluid these drinks have a diuretic affect. This means that , as a result, we have an even greater need to replace the water that is taken out of the system. So have your coffee and a large glass of water too, that way you might break even. Obviously drinking the coffee in the first place is not the best course of action if you know that you are dehydrated.

A really good read on the subject is ‘Your body’s many cries for water’ by Dr Batmanghelidj. He explains from a medical perspective and in layman’s terms how water is implicated clearly in every body system and organ. He suggest treatment for all kinds of health problems with water – fascinating and inspiring.

The thirst reflex. Something I have learned from my own work is that many really dehydrated people do not feel thirsty. It seems that the thirst reflex is somehow switched off. (Dr B explains that the thirsty mouth is not an early warning system but a very late sign of an already dehydrated body). In my experience, once such an individual begins to drink more water on a regular basis, the thirst reflex is reactivated. They may find themselves feeling thirsty all the time until their feedback system settles into the new healthier state.

Water temperature.

Many of my clients have agreed to drink more water when their ‘body’ has indicated the need. In the early days of my practice some would come back to me, after a couple of weeks, saying that they felt ‘awash’ with water so had given up. I was confused for a while as in Health Kinesiology we work on the assumption that when such requirements are discovered by muscle testing the persons’ body only gives directions that s/he will be able to act upon. Some commitment may be required but usually no practical difficulty is encountered. I discovered, after more testing, that for some people the water must be heated. Even room temperature water may have to be heated up in the stomach until it is an acceptable temperature for absorption. This takes time and energy*and results in an uncomfortable sensation of water glugging about in the stomach as we move. If the water is drunk warm, at our personal optimum temperature ( I have found that it is good to start with half boiling and half cold), it disappears even as we drink and no uncomfortable feeling is experienced.

*This energy requirement will be touched upon in a future Good Health Tip when I will explore the challenges of long term conditions such as chronic fatigue.