The Importance of Hydration and Alkaline Water

Hey everyone!

This week Gareth Edwards, our Alkaline Diet Expert and highly qualified nutritionist, is explaining the importance of keeping our bodies well hydrated with alkaline water in order to stay fit and healthy!

The Importance of Hydration and Alkaline Water
Article by Gareth Edwards

When I drink more water, it just seems to make me pee more. So is there really any point in consuming the large amounts of liquid that alkalising gurus such as Dr. Young say is so central to the programme? Surely the water is just washing through me?

Well, I guess not surprisingly, the answer is yes “super hydration” can be the absolute cornerstone of building, maintaining and re-gaining health. There are however several do’s and don’ts and a small weekly dose of science that need to be “in the mix”.

For those of you that are familiar with Dr. Young’s work you may be aware of his use of the fish bowl metaphor.

If you have a little pet fish in a large bowl of water and he/she becomes unwell, do you medicate the fish or perform surgery or do you change / refresh the water in the bowl? Well hopefully you can see that the best thing you can do for the fish’s health is to improve its “environment”. The same is true for us.

Vital Statistics

Approximately 60% of adult bodies are made up of water, and that figure tends to decrease with age and (ironically) with weight gain. So if we want to become healthy starting with:

a) making sure we have enough water and
b) that the water we have in our bodies is “clean” would seem logical.

Of the 60% of our body make up, 40% is inside our cells and 20% outside. All the time that we are existing (alive!) processes are going on inside our cells that create …… you guessed it …… acids! These have to be eliminated from our bodies. So one of the primary reasons for drinking large quantities of alkaline fluids is in order to allow or bodies to “wash out” the potentially harmful acid from our bodies, largely through urination.

So if we hydrate with acidic liquids such as tea, coffee, orange (or other fruit) juice, fizzy drinks or sugar and caffeine added sports drinks, you can see that we are potentially setting ourselves up for health challenges. The root to health lies in regularly changing our body fluids to a more alkaline state.

Raw water(!):

I recently read an article by a guy expounding on the virtues of wild water. It was punctuated with pictures of him jumping into and drinking from mountain streams and his own collecting pools. Generally, mountain water, running over rocks, will be alkalising and mineralised.
We can of course go to the shop and buy some raw or wild water. It’s probably going to better for you than the municipal supply, but its “packaging” (thin plastic) can compromise purity and be a hazard for the environment.
Luckily Energise have some great solutions. Filtering your tap water in a jug, will get rid of some of the unwanted chemicals (such as the Energise Alkaline Water Jug).

You can (and should) then add alkalising mineral salts to your water to raise its pH and to make sure that replace any minerals that may be “washed out” as you increase your hydration. You can do this with pHour salts or pure baking soda. That is quite strong, so start gently and monitor the effects. Adding pH drops (such as Dr Young’s Puriphy pH water drops) to all fluids will be more gentle, but should also be built up slowly to the recommended concentration.

The Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Bentley (whatever!) system is an ioniser. This filters your water and then alkalises it. I really think that they are worth the investment.

Structured Water:

Just drinking plain water all the time can get a little dull. By adding powdered greens (such as Dr Young’s Doc Broc Power Plants) and alkalising drops you not only help your body to wash out acids but also provide yourself with the building blocks required to build and healthy blood. Remember that your blood cells ultimately become your body …

Alternatives:

Adding lemon or lime juice to water will break the monotony of endless still water, and still be alkalising. Diluted or straight green vegetable juices should also help to. Don’t forget that fresh vegetables and raw and cooked soups also have a high fluid content.

Action Plan:

The approximate amount of water in a 70 kg person is 40 litres. In this context drinking two to three litres a day (or more) may not seem so overwhelming.

• Aim to drink 2-3 litres a day (more if you are big) of alkaline water with green powder and pH drops in, per day
• Use this to “refresh” or energise you in preference to tea, coffee or sugary drinks
• If you are thirsty ……..drink(!) alkaline water
• Eat more fresh (water rich and low sugar) vegetables
• Remember to keep your (unrefined) salt intake up to prevent sodium loss through increased urination

If you experience any adverse effects from increased hydration you should consult with a nutritionally and pH balance aware physician.

Tagged as: Alkaline Water, hydration

Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes. Refer to our full disclaimer for more information.