Are You Drinking Enough Water this Winter?

Drinking adequate water is always important, and while most tend to ramp up their intake in the hot summer months of the year, the winter months are just as crucial. 

Our bodies are made up of about 70 percent water, which doesn’t fluctuate with the season. Feeling hot or sweaty is not the only indicator that we need to hydrate. Our bodies need water to function properly; water helps regulate body temperature and is essential to proper functioning of cells, tissues and organs. When the body is dehydrated, it inhibits the immune system and makes us less able to ward off colds and the flu. 

Signs of winter dehydration:
-Chapped lips
-Dry skin
-Nosebleeds
-Acne
-Headaches
-Dry cough

Water intake guidelines:
Guidelines for water intake vary on weight and physical activity level. The Institute of Medicine recommends, in general, about 13 to 15 cups a day for men and 9 to 11 cups a day for women.

How can I increase my water intake?
-Carry a reusable water bottle with you.
-Eat foods high with water content such as celery, broccoli, grapefruit and apples.
-Enjoy a warm beverage such as decaffeinated tea with lemon.
-Add natural flavors to your water such as mint or citrus fruits.

The Bottom Line: Proper hydration is key to whole body health. Adequate water intake leads to clearer skin, better hydration and higher energy. Do you need more reasons than that? Now go fill yourself a glass!

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Alkaline Waters: Are They Worth the Hype?

Summer and its warm weather are upon us and with the increase in temperature it’s important to stay hydrated. If you’ve gone down a drink aisle recently, you might have noticed some pricier alkaline waters on store shelves. What is it exactly that makes these waters more “elite” than other bottled varieties?

Simply put, alkaline water has a higher pH compared to tap or pure water, which falls around a pH of 7. Manufacturers claim that drinking water at a higher pH (8-10) can correct the acidity of our blood, resulting in an abundance of health benefits ranging from improved nutrition metabolization to decreased risk of cancer. They claim that the standard American diet—high in meat, refined grains and dairy—is acid-forming and when the body is in an acidic state, it is more susceptible to chronic disease.

While this claim may have some truth to it, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support the grandiose health claims of alkaline water just yet. In fact, there has been only one major study that explores its health benefits and the results demonstrated that it may be therapeutic for those suffering from acid reflux disease due to its naturally higher levels of bicarbonate--much like Alka-Seltzer. In other words, drinking water with a higher pH isn’t going to directly increase the pH of your blood.

Bottom Line: Before spending your hard-earned dollars on pricy alkaline waters, look at your diet to determine if there’s anything you can do to naturally improve its acid-base balance, such as eating more whole vegetables and fruits, decreasing meat consumption or increasing physical activity. Our bodies already do a great job at regulating our pH levels, so let them do their job while you focus on meeting your other wellness goals. 

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Hydrate for a Healthy Weight

You’ve probably heard the recommendation to “drink more water” before -- whether you are trying to lift your mood, manage your weight, improve your productivity, boost your athletic performance or just feel better overall, experts agree that staying well hydrated is key. Numerous studies have documented the effect of dehydration on physical, emotional and mental health, however, the research on hydration status and weight control has been mixed, in part, researchers say, due to the way hydration is being measured. In a recent study, researchers looked beyond water intake to assess the relationship between inadequate hydration and obesity, and their findings may have you running to the water cooler.

In the past, researchers examining this topic have used water consumption as the means to measure the level of hydration. The trouble with this method is that many factors impact the amount of water each individual needs to stay hydrated, including climate, activity level and body size. Therefore, water intake alone is not the best predictor of hydration status.

The limitations of this method led researchers to look at this topic in a new way, using concentration of water in urine, known as urine osmolality, to measure hydration. Urine osmolality more effectively measures hydration as it accounts for water acquired in food and other beverages and is not subject to recall bias by participants. The researchers used a sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009 to 2012 that included data from nearly 10,000 adults. The findings revealed that inadequate hydration was associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and obesity among adults. Overweight and obese individuals needed more water to stay hydrated than those who were not overweight.

Bottom Line: More research is needed on the relationship between weight status and hydration, but we do know staying well hydrated has benefits that reach far beyond weight management. Not sure if you are getting enough fluids? One straightforward way to tell is if you feel thirsty. While this may seem like an obvious tip, people often confuse thirst symptoms with hunger or general fatigue. Having a dry mouth or feeling run down and less alert are symptoms of thirst. Urine color is another way to tell hydration status; dark yellow urine indicates it is time to drink up.

While water is best for hydration, don’t forget about water-laden foods such as cucumbers, celery, watermelon, raw broccoli and carrots, plums, apples and peaches. Not only are fruits and vegetables packed with water, they also pack in the nutrients for very few calories, an all around win!

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