Hydration
Water gets so little press when we talk about improving our health. Water does so much for us, though. On this Earth Day, I’d like to take a moment to just feel grateful to have enough clean, fresh, health-promoting water. Here are but a few of the many, many things water does for our bodies:
1. Improved Cognition
Even minor dehydration has been shown to reduce cognitive performance. Being dehydrated by just 2% impairs performance on tasks requiring psychomotor skills, attention, and immediate memory recall. In turn, even a small amount of water can improve cognitive output. In a study on the influence of hydration on elementary age school performance, children who were given a single cup of water before a test did significantly better than children who were not offered water. Hydration also improves alertness and reduces the sensation of sleepiness. If you want to do well during a big presentation, attend to what you are learning, or even stay alert when driving, have a glass of water first.
2. Elevated Mood
Dehydration increases feelings of poor self-esteem, anxiety, melancholy, and assessment of task difficulty. It doesn't take much for mood to be impacted, either. Even very mild levels of dehydration can worsen outlook and lessen energy levels. When you have that feeling that everything is too hard and you aren't up to the task, perhaps you are just dehydrated? Luckily, poor mood due to dehydration is typically relieved within 20 minutes of drinking.
3. Weight Loss
Hydration impacts weight status in numerous ways. It is a natural appetite suppressant, it increases the burning of calories, and it is necessary to burn fat. You heard that right, being well-hydrated helps us to burn fat and lose weight. Plus, often what we perceive as feelings of hunger are actually our body's request for increased hydration. If you are having a craving, try drinking a big glass of water or two, wait a bit, and then reassess your hunger level.
4. Improved Microbiome and Gut Health
You knew I wouldn't forget about our beloved microbiome. As you might expect, good hydration is critical for complete and rapid transit of waste through the GI tract. If you are constipated, eat a ton of plant fiber, get a little exercise, and drink a lot of water. In addition, to maintain a normal protective intestinal barrier requires adequate hydration. Our gut is one of our main immune system defenses. Without keeping our gut mucosal layer well-hydrated, we risk increased gut permeability and greater susceptibility to illness. If you want to keep your defenses up against viruses and other invaders, stay well-hydrated. Finally, our degree of water consumption also impacts which species of microbes thrive in our microbiome. High and low water drinkers have a different composition of gut microbe species. For instance, high water drinkers have been shown to a have a lower percentage of Campylobacter bacteria, which has been linked to gastrointestinal infection. For optimal health, we must water our gut rainforest, as well as feeding it a broad array of whole plant foods.
These are but a few of the many reasons we should all be striving to stay well-hydrated.
Happy drinking!
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