Few things have as profound an impact on your health as proper hydration. Prioritizing it will help your digestion, energy levels, blood volume, performance, skin, and emotional well-being. Without water, you starve every cell in your body, preventing them from working at their best.  However, hydration involves more than just drinking water.

Since the fluids in your body aren't made up of straight H2O, the water you drink must have minerals in it. Water filtering systems typically strip away most minerals. If you are drinking plain water (especially if you have a lot of it), you can dilute the complex mineral-rich fluids in your body.  

There are a few signs you can look for that may indicate your level of hydration. You are likely drinking way too much plain water if the color of your urine is super light (almost clear). When you are hydrated, you often actually need to use the bathroom much less. Four to five trips to the bathroom each day without waking up at night is pretty standard.

Let's explore why hydration is important and how you can get a handle on your's. 

 

Dehydration's Impact   

Dr. Hyman explains, “Water is so essential for our brains that a loss of just 1-2% can significantly impact our cognitive function, making it harder to focus, concentrate, make decisions, or even connect with others.”

Proper hydration impacts the following areas...

• Immune system - hydration boosts your immune system and can help prevent infections.
• Nutrients to cells - water helps deliver vitamins and minerals throughout your body.
• Kidney & liver function - staying hydrated is vital in eliminating waste from your cells. This is crucial for the health of your kidneys and liver. 
• Weight regulation - water boosts metabolism, increases satiation, and raises sympathetic nervous system activity.  
• Brain function - adequate hydration increases sleep quality, improves mood, and sharpens attention, memory, cognition, and ability to concentrate.
• Joints & skin - having enough water in your system keeps joints lubricated and skin supple.
• Prevention - Staying hydrated can help prevent headaches, irregular periods, and constipation. It helps regulate acid levels in the bloodstream and lowers your risk of anemia and heart attacks.

 

Recent Discovery

Gina Bria was an anthropologist studying how desert cultures survived with very little water when she found out that her mother was suffering from chronic dehydration. Bria knew the Tarahumara people of Mexico used chia seeds to aid in hydration, so she instructed her mother's caregiver to add ground chia seeds to her mother’s morning orange juice. It did the trick, and her mother stopped struggling with dehydration. 

In their book Quench, authors Cohen and Bria describe a “newly identified phase of water that’s not quite liquid, vapor, or ice. (It is) identified by an extra hydrogen and oxygen atom, so the molecular structure is H3O2.” They call this substance gel water, and since it is found in nature, there are no special products to buy.

Gel water is found in fruits, vegetables, & seeds (like chia seeds). Dr. Stacy Sims, a nutrition scientist at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and author of Roar, explains that plain water has a lower concentration of particles like glucose and sodium. As a result, it does not stay in our bodies as long as gel water, so it is not as effective for hydration. While ancient cultures didn’t know the chemistry behind this type of hydration, they used gel water to sustain themselves when water was scarce.  

 

Hydration Tips

Small habits can make a huge difference in your hydration. Pick one to try today, then build on it over time. 

• Start your day with gel water by adding citrus fruit to your water (lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc.).
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are full of gel water, contain electrolytes, and are high in fiber, which helps the body absorb gel water.
• Drink and cook with bone broth. It is full of both collagen and gel water.
• Mix a teaspoon of crushed chia seeds into smoothies and other drinks. 
• Cook with coconut and ghee. Both are full of gel water and electrolytes.
• Add 1/16 teaspoon of table salt to every eight ounces of regular water. This slows its absorption, allowing it to stay in your body longer.
• Try some of these Adrenal Cocktail recipes.
  

  

Get a handle on your body's hydration with these simple tips, and let me know if it gives you more energy and focus.

Dr. Jamie

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