In the first article of this series, I
mentioned that drinking more water can help you shed fat. How? There
are several ways, but the main way that drinking more water can help you
lose weight is by taking up space in the stomach, where you would
otherwise pack higher calorie liquids and food. Of course, water is
naturally calorie-free (no need to purchase “Diet Water”), so you
consume fewer calories, and losing fat is mainly about taking in fewer
calories than you burn in a day.
One man was in the news after he lost more than 100 pounds by drinking 3
large glasses of water with every meal: one before eating, one during
the meal, and one after the meal.
Another way that water helps with weight loss is by increasing your
metabolism. A German study from Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical
Research Center, showed that healthy men and women saw a 30% increase in
metabolism after drinking 17 ounces of water. The increases started 10
minutes after drinking the water and topped off after about 30 to 40
minutes, before fading. While this is only a minor difference, more
studies are needed to determine whether being constantly well hydrated
would result in a consistently faster metabolism than being in a
constant state of minor dehydration, though it seems logical. Either
way, if you’re drinking a lot of water, you’ll be burning more calories
just running to the bathroom more. ;)
Yet another way that more water can help you lose weight is by helping
your body to eliminate waste and toxins that keep you feeling sluggish.
Being well hydrated softens your stool and helps to move waste out of
the intestines, allowing your digestive system to function more
efficiently.
This reminds me of another reason to drink more water: Research also
shows that keeping well hydrated can your reduce risk of colon cancer by
45 percent (probably by not leaving a lot of waste behind to rot and
fester), bladder cancer by 50 percent, and possibly reduce breast cancer
risk as well. Then there’s the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology finding that people who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the 6-year study period than those who drank less than two glasses.
Can it get any better? Yes! In one study, migraine sufferers who drank
1.5 liters of water (about six cups) in addition to their usual daily
intake, experienced 21 fewer hours of pain, in a two week period than
those in the placebo group, as well as a decrease in pain intensity.
But wait! There’s more! Research shows that a dehydration level of
just 1% of your body weight reduces thinking functions and just a 2%
dehydration level can trigger short-term memory problems and difficulty
focusing on a computer screen or printed page. On the other hand,
drinking 8 to 10 cups of water per day can improve your levels of
cognitive performance by as much as 30%. So you could say that it would be smart to drink more water!
Nutritional experts agree that the average person needs to drink, at
least, 2 liters (8 cups) of water per day. But what about all those
plastic bottles going into landfills and making their way into the
ocean? For starters, most bottled water comes from the same sources
that municipal water systems use, but they don’t have the added chlorine
and fluoride. Here in South Florida, we’re blessed with some of the
best tasting, highest rated tap water in the country. In fact, Miami
means “sweet water” in the language of the Native Americans who used to
live around here. Coming from Dallas, I can testify that Miami water
has a far less chemical taste. If, however, you don’t like the taste of
tap water, I recommend getting a Britta filter water pitcher or a Pur
filter on your sink. Neither costs much and you’ll save a bundle over
bottled water or any less healthy beverage options. Then get yourself a
few BPA-Free, large, plastic or steel water bottles to carry with you
wherever you go, so you can keep drinking throughout the day.
Some people have actually told me, “I hate water!” How can you hate
water?! It’s not like it tastes bad; it has no flavor! To which they
reply “That’s why I can’t stand it! It’s so boring!” Okay, so which
tastes better: water, or bitter pills, chemo, and surgery? Again,
Health Care always comes down to this simple choice: either you take
Care of your own Health, or you leave it up to the doctors to provide
you with Sick Care later. I’m not judging which is right or wrong for
you, but I know which one I’m choosing!
- Michael Raphael, LMT, CPT
