WATER: The Importance of Hydration - CLEAN Nutrition & Weight Loss

Finally summer is here!  The kids are playing soccer, the neighbours are taking their dogs on longer walks and the runners are everywhere.  With the heat finally here (and I do love the heat!) be sure to protect yourself, and I'm not just talking about sunscreen, I'm referring to hydration - making sure you are drinking enough water.  Funny how so many apply sunscreen yet forget about water.  

As the weather gets warmer and we become more active, our body loses more fluids. In fact, our body loses as much as 4 litres of fluid every single day. Water is a necessity. In addition to enhancing the absorption of nutrients from your foods and eliminating waste and toxins from the body; water also helps prevent weight gain and supports weight loss by increasing your metabolism.  As well, dehydration can be mistaken for hunger pangs, so many reach for food instead of water. TIP: If you feel hungry, stop and think whether you should be. If you had lunch 30 minutes ago, chances are you are thirsty and not hungry. So reach for that glass of water instead of that bag of chips.   

Signs That You May Be Dehydrated:

• Thirst – if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated
• Dry skin and lips
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Poor concentration
• Irritability

How Much Water Do You Need?

We've all heard the rule of thumb "8 glasses of water a day". This number depends on several factors such as weight, how active you are, weather temperature... To keep it simple, aim for at least 8 glasses a day and increase if you are working out. In case you’re curious of the recommended quantity based on you body weight, here is the calculation: 

Take your weight in pounds and divide by 2. That number is amount of ounces of water you need every day.  To see how many glasses that is, divide by 8.

For example: 150/2 = 75 ounces or 75/8 = about 9 glasses

Or you can check out this website for the calculator based on daily level of activity and climate: http://www.csgnetwork.com/humanh2owater.html 

When you’re working out, have 1 cup of water 30 minutes before your workout, 1 cup every 30 minutes and another cup within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.

Beverages that Hydrate and Dehydrate

Water: This is the most natural and easiest way to hydrate.  If you have trouble keeping up your water intake because you find the taste bland, add lemon, lime, mint, cucumber slices or a dash of unsweetened juice.

Vitaminwater: Don’t be fouled by the name (I’ve worked in Advertising so I know what goes on behind the scenes). In the UK ad regulators told Coca-Cola they could no longer advertise their product Vitaminwater as nutritious, while in the US a district court judge wrote that vitaminwater’s use of the word “healthy” violated Food and Drug Administration labelling rules.  Coca-Cola attempted to defend itself by stating that, "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage". Yes, even Coca-Cola fully admits it’s not healthy. The product is basically sugar-water, to which about a penny's worth of synthetic vitamins have been added. And the amount of sugar is not trivial. A bottle of Vitaminwater contains 33 grams of sugar (Coke has 42 grams). Do the body good and stick to water.

Sports Drinks: They are full of sugar and chemicals such as color and flavor additives. Unless you are a marathon runner, I don’t suggest sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade…)  Instead coconut water, which is starting to appear in many major grocery chains, can provide you with similar benefits of sports drinks without the additives. Read my blog on coconut water for the many benefits of this all-natural wonder drink.

Coffee and Tea: Caffeine is a diuretic which makes you lose fluid, so make sure you are adding 2 glasses of water for every cup of java or black tea. And try to keep your caffeine consumption to one cup a day.

Soft Drinks: Its caffeine, sugar and artificial sweeteners cause dehydration on top of the other negative health attributes including weight gain. I encourage you to skip the pop and diet pop altogether.

Juice: They are packed with sugar which reduces water absorption. Trade in your juices for unsweetened juices and I suggest adding water, especially when serving to kids. Less sugar means your kids won’t be jumping off the walls!

Alcohol: Alcohol dehydrates you, so if you are enjoying a glass of wine, make sure you are having water afterwards.

If you’re still dehydrated despite drinking 8 glasses of water daily and you’re keeping the items that dehydrate to a minimum, you may have an imbalance (such as a hormone imbalance).  If you think this may be the case, shoot me an email and I’d love to give you some tips.

CLEANnutrition.ca Toronto Weight Loss and Nutrition

I’m Nuts for Coconut Water

My latest kick… Coconut water!  My boyfriend and I were at Toronto's waterfront the other day were we had coconut water straight from a coconut with a straw. On our walk home with our coconut in hand, we were continuously stopped on the street and asked where got our coconuts.  These coconuts were a hit. Now, let me just clarify that coconut water and coconut milk are two different things. Coconut water is the liquid from unripe (young) coconuts – the green ones. If a coconut is ripe the liquid hardens and becomes a part of the white flesh of the coconut, which is used to make coconut milk. Coconut water is the purest liquid second only to water itself. It is full of pure nutritious deliciousness such as electrolytes, calcium, potassium, magnesium and chloride.

I love coconut water maybe because I spend the last two months walking into health stores and grocery stores looking for the coconut water to no avail. My inability to get my hands on it further fueled my obsession for the drink. But it looks like I'm not the only one loving this drink. Celebs including Courtney Cox, Jessica Simpson and Madonna have all been photographed sipping on coconut water. In fact, the inventory backorder was sparked when Madonna invested in Coconut water, (Vita Coco company). But the good news is that it seems to be back in stock!

Why I Heart Coconut Water
How can you not love something that has so much to offer and actually tastes good? Here are just some of the many benefits of this wonderful natural health drink.

• Coconut water hydrates the body. It is a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. With coconut water, you can replace all the minerals and fluids that are lost all through the day. It’s especially effective in warding off post workout fatigue due to its natural sugars, salts, vitamins and minerals content.
• Coconut water is alkalizing and helps individuals who are suffering from acidity, heartburn and other digestive issues.  
• Coconut water contains micronutrients that help boost one’s immunity and help detoxify the body. I would definitely add it to my detox routine.
• Coconut water is great for individuals who suffer from urinary problems. It helps in relieving urinary tract infections and other urinary ailments such as polyutra and strangury.
• Coconut water is effective in treating kidney stones. The coconut water breaks up the stones and makes them easier to push out.  
• Coconut water, when combined with olive oil for three days, kills intestinal worms and improves the digestive system as well – I haven’t tried this one. If anyone has, please let me know if it worked!
• Coconut water is a universal donor. It’s almost identical to human blood plasma. In cases of emergency coconut water has been used as an intravenous hydration fluid instead of the standard IV fluid.  (Ok, how cool is that!)

Coconut Water for Weight Loss?!?
Now don't expect coconut water by itself to make you magically lose weight. But it does have some great health benefits that will help support one’s weight loss efforts. Here are a few:

• Water itself is an important key to good health in general and in maintaining or attaining your ideal body weight. You’ve all heard it, 8 cups of water a day!!
• Coconut water has a wealth of natural ingredients that help to control blood sugar levels and help to not only lose but manage your weight. 
• Coconut water helps to increase the body’s metabolism since it is a natural electrolyte and isotonic beverage.
• Coconut water contains dietary fibre and amino acids that help to moderate sugar absorption and improve insulin sensitivity thus supporting weight loss efforts.
• Coconut water is high in potassium and magnesium, both minerals are known to help reduce high blood pressure and increasing circulation. Circulation improvement is especially crucial for diabetics since it helps dilate blood vessels, improves blood flow and reduces plaque formation. 
• Potassium is especially beneficial for individuals with weight concerns as they tend to suffer from water retention, which happens because sodium in the body stores water. Potassium flushes out excess water.

Replace your Post-Workout Sports Drink with Coconut Water
Whether you are looking for something to quench your thirst or to fight off post-workout fatigue, coconut water is a much option better than the average sports drink i.e. Gatorade, Powerade…  Sports drinks are loaded with sugar and other additives. In fact, these sports drinks may be hindering your weight loss efforts due to their high sugar content. Here are just a few other reasons to trade in your sports drink for coconut water:

• Coconut water has 15 times more potassium than most sports drinks.
• Coconut water has 40% less sodium than most sports drinks.
• Coconut water has 50% less sugar than most sports drinks.  And remember, coconut water contains natural sugar whereas sports drinks contain altered sugars.  Our body does process natural and altered sugars differently. As you can image, you want to steer clear of the altered stuff or at least as much as possible.
• Coconut water has 3 times more Chloride than most sports drinks.

Ok, so with all the great health benefits, I think you can see just why I have been mildly obsessed with coconut water lately.  Unless you're lucky enough to get the water directly from a coconut (the young green ones, and not the brown ones), coconut water can be purchased in the fridge section of any health food store or some grocery stores but remember to look for a brand that does not contain extra sweeteners.  There should only be one ingredient, you guessed it, coconut water!