Staying Juicy: Healthy through Hydration
If we want to reach new levels of health, more hydration through our daily meals can be a powerful step. When our body is sufficiently hydrated, it can for example more easily remove toxins and other harmful substances from organs like the liver or kidneys. And as we’ve learned in a previous post about detoxification, with less obstructions we can naturally increase our vitality.
Unfortunately, many eating habits in today’s society rather dehydrate our body. They can thicken our blood and in the long run lead to numerous health condition. Among them are hypertension, stroke, liver issues or even a higher risk for cancer due to impaired detoxification processes. Some more immediate conditions can be constipation or lower energy levels as well as a lack of mental clarity.
What are those habits that keep your body away from proper hydration?
Dehydration through daily habits
Well, among them we find the morning coffee, high-fat meals, refined salt which is added to the majority of processed foods as well as the evening glass of wine. Cooked foods also play a part in this – they require additional water from our cells to be properly digested, so that such meals decrease our level of hydration. Raw fruits and veggies on the other hand contain high amounts of living water and therefore naturally hydrate our body.
If you like to learn more about the impact of dehydration on our system with all the juicy details, check out the post “Chronic Dehydration” by Anthony William.
So what can we do on a daily basis to nourish our body with the living water it needs?
Nourishing our Body with proper hydration
First and foremost, avoid dehydrating foods like those mentioned above as good as possible. What if you are following the cooked-food lifestyle right now and are not planning on going raw any time soon? Well, you can still include some more raw, juicy veggies and greens alongside your baked pumpkin or potato bowl. Any cooked dish can be accompanied by a big salad that not only adds more hydration but also a big bunch of powerful nutrients.
If your morning coffee seems necessary to get your sleepy body started, try some filtered water with lemon juice instead. On top, include some apples into your breakfast, which both give you a proper wake-up kick. Yes, it might at first be a bit of a transition, but soon you enjoy the new freshness and don’t want to go back to your dark morning drink.
When it comes to refined salt, try to reduce your intake of processed foods and include more fresh fruits and veggies into your day. This way, you naturally take in less salt. And when preparing your meals, just try to put in a little less salt and add more sodium-rich veggies instead like spinach or celery.
Did you know that we can also pretty much instantly improve our mood by getting in some living water? A study reviewed by Dr. Greger showed that dehydrated subjects reporting sleepiness, lack of alertness and confusion after drinking some water almost immediately experienced to reverse their symptoms.
So, do you also have to drink water all day long for proper hydration?
Hydrating beyond the glass of water
As much as you can dehydrate your body with certain food choices, you can also add so much living water to your system with juicy fruits and veggies. Some especially great choices can be melons, oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, cucumber and more. And for your choice of drinks, what about some filtered water with lemon juice, freshly-pressed cucumber or celery juice, herbal teas or infused water with raspberries?
I personally like to start my day with 1 liter of fresh thyme tea and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Afterwards I like to treat my body with 1/2 liter freshly-pressed celery juice. For breakfast, I have some simple fruit meal like oranges and papaya, followed by a lunch smoothie, some more fruit in the afternoon, another liter of filtered water and for dinner a huge green salad topped with cucumber, carrots and a low-fat avocado sauce. Check out my „What I Eat in a Day“ posts on instagram for some more inspiration.
And if you are curious about including more raw foods into your life, take a look into my new ebook “Raw Vegan Abundance” with 55 delicious raw vegan recipes along with powerful information and practical tips to get started.
Stay juicy, everyone!
Anais
Kuranda, Australia
