5 More Great Reasons To Drink Water

For some, allergies are a bigger challenge than for others and there's a huge selection of antihistamines out there that many rely on. If you suffer from allergies and an antihistamine is your best option then you should bear in mind that antihistamines are one of the most common causes of dehydration. A tell tale indication of insufficient moisture in the body is pain. If you take antihistamines, drink larger amounts of water than normal.

2. Our brain works nonstop and requires more water than any other part of the body. Under normal conditions it contains about 20% of the total blood that circulates through the body, and it is estimated that brain cells contain approximately 85% water. Antihistamines, diuretics, alcohol, blood pressure medications and some psychiatric drugs cause dehydration. As a response to the water shortage, the brain activates and stores the important neurotransmitter histamine, which immediately redirects water to the areas where it is needed for basic metabolic activity and survival. When histamines and the regulators for water intake come across pain sensing nerves in the body it causes strong and continual pain. These are the pain signals that warn you that you have become dehydrated and is the reason why when you have a headache you should drink more water.

3. When your joints go through their usual movements it is normal for a small amount of cartilage cells to be destroyed by friction which are replaced without any issue. It happens in each of us everyday. When the body is dehydrated cartilage loses the ability to move smoothly causing additional friction and ultimately an increased number of cartilage cells are destroyed than would not have been under hydrated conditions. Cartilage cells typically receive water and nutrients from the blood that flows through the end of the underlying bone. However, damaged cartilage must depend on increased blood flow to the joint capsule. This causes inflammation and pain. Dehydration not only causes the damage but will also interfere in the healing of cartilage. So here we have yet another reason to always stay well hydrated.

4. The spine supports the upper body and about 75% of that support comes from water within the spinal discs that sit between each vertebrae. When the body is dehydrated, these discs contain less water and the space between them shrink in size rendering them less capable of providing the support your upper body needs and increases the risk of nerve impingement. To compensate for the lack of spinal support the body must then place additional strain on the muscles surrounding the spine. This significantly increases the risk for spinal disc herniation.

5. Lastly...Dehydration is a primary cause of insomnia and fatigue. Water is our internal cooling and temperature balancing system and dehydration can lead to an increase in toxins in the bloodstream.  This is more noticeable at night causing poor sleep and/or insomnia. Drinking water throughout the day will ensure these toxins are flushed from your system.

I personally drink at least 1 gallon of water a day. I recommend no less than half a gallon to my clients. It sounds like a lot of water when I say it like that but over the course of a day it's realistic to be able to do it. I have a BPA free water bottle and it goes with me pretty much everywhere. I don't even notice I'm carrying it sometimes. The one I use is 32 OZ.  So just 4 of those over the whole day is a gallon. Below is a picture of the one I like and use. I would give some testimony about what happens to me if I don't drink enough water but I haven't done it in a long time. Pretty sure there was a headache involved though....

Reader Request: Sample Menu Of One Day WFPB Meals

I was asked by a friend and blog reader to write about a typical day of whole food plant based (WFPB) eating. Pretty cool to get a request so I am happy to do it. A WFPB regimen was tough for me to wrap my head around at first. I hadn't considered just how set in my ways I was until I had to consider how I would eat throughout the day on solely whole plant foods. I was determined to do it.  At first ,I must admit, I was very hungry. I had it in my head that this was a "diet" so hunger is normal and just tried to keep my will power high. This is NOT a diet though... It just was and continues to be what I eat. Not for a week or a month or even a year but for life. The time frames set on diets are built for failure. They are programs that are entered into with the notion that it is a set amount of time in which we will have to suffer but there will be an end when we can return to what we feel is normal. The result being the yo-yo effect of weight gain and loss which subsequently leads to frustration and eventually a feeling that we've been defeated. With that in mind, I had to put some thought in to how I was going to eat up to the standards of my appetite.

Eat Plants. Sounds simple enough. At first it isn't but in time it surprisingly becomes quite easy. (not to mention less expensive) It does require some time in the store and kitchen up front to set yourself up for a successful week ahead. The key is to have healthy whole foods and ingredients ready to go so you are able to eat without a ton of prep time and work for most meals.

At the start of this week I spent some time in the kitchen. I made a big container of brown rice, a big container of quinoa, a large pot of veggie chili, a kale and quinoa salad and two large pitchers of tea (one green and one black) to drink. The brown rice will be for meals like stir frys during the week and also for our sweet little dog who gets some brown rice mixed with sweet potato and kibble for his meals. (Got him on the plan too) The quinoa will be mainly for breakfast as a cold cereal with almond milk, bananas and frozen berries. The chili and quinoa salad is for lunch...snack... dinner or whenever I want to eat. I eat when I'm hungry. I don't have 3 set meals. If I'm hungry 7 times in a day then I eat 7 times. When I am running a particularly large amount is usually when the appetite goes up and as long as I am loading with healthy whole plant food as fuel there is  no need to regulate calories, carbs, protein etc... Just eat when you want and until your full. Let the body sort out the details.

Below I will go through a day of eating and afterward include some loosely constructed instructions about how to prepare them. (I am leery of using the word recipe since I usually never do things the same way twice) The majority of the food (with the exception of some fresh produce) comes from Trader Joes. I buy my produce at a market out here in the midwest called Shnucks because they have nice stuff in my opinion. Everything is organic.

Wake up/pre exercise and work:

- Half glass of cold water with a couple tbsp of Braggs apple cider vinegar. This is a great way to alkalize your system first thing in the day and is just an all around great natural remedy.

-Next I had a green smoothie. Today (and most every day) in my smoothie I added to the pitcher a handful of ice cubes, a handful of frozen mixed berries, 4-5 leaves of kale, a handful of raw unsalted cashews, about half a cup of organic steel cut oats, 2 tbsp hemp protein powder, 1 scoop green vibrance greens supplement powder, 1 tsp spirulina, 1 tsp maca root powder, half tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp cacao powder, 1 tsp chia seeds, a banana and cold water. Blend for 1 minute and drink up!

Post workout:

-I bring a a bag of raw unsalted cashews mixed with raisins to work with me. Also I brought 2 bananas and a quart of water. I eat this after my workout and between clients to keep fuel in the tank without having to reach for junk like processed protein bars or protein drinks.
-After training  (at work) I had a juice which I was glad I made before I left this morning and stored in a tightly sealed Thermos to keep those live enzymes fresh. I have a Breville centrifugal juicer which I use at least one time every single day. In it today I put 5-6 large leaves of collard greens, 1 large beet with greens attached, 1 apple, 1 lemon, 1 knuckle size hunk of fresh ginger, half a cucumber, 4 celery stalks and 5 carrots. It worked out to about 36 ounces of juice. That's pretty large but I like it and consider it a small meal.

-Next (about an hour later) I had a bowl of cold quinoa, almond milk, bananas and frozen blueberries.

Later in the day:

Most days I also work in the afternoon and evenings but Mondays I am off. Either way...If I was working, these next meals would have just come to work with me in containers. I don't like or have a desire to eat out anymore so it has become easy. It's not easy to find proper food in restaurants/cafes and even if I could, they don't ever give me enough food to satisfy me. So I don't eat out for lunch anymore. I would say I "usually" don't but I honestly can't remember the last time I did. For someone who ate out for every meal at one time this is a huge change. It's a change that I really like though. I like being in control of my food/nutrition and not just settling out of laziness or habit. Anyway...

-One big bowl of quinoa salad (how-to at bottom)
-2 bananas
-2 apples
- 1 whole avocado cut in half. I just eat them with a spoon like that.

Dinner:

- 2 large bowls of veggie chili (how to at bottom) with lots of sliced avocado on top and corn tortillas.

Dessert: Frozen bananas and blueberries with almond milk in the vitamix (or any blender). Try it. Just like ice cream except you can eat as much as you want.

So that's the day. Pretty basic stuff. I have tons of this food left that I will pick at throughout the week and also cook other things.  When I do cook other meals throughout the week I always cook enough for 6 or 7 people so I have plenty left. After some time time I end up with so much food that I have to hold off cooking for a few days just so I can clear what I have made over the course of the last few days. That being said... This is just the menu for one particular day.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments and I would be happy to answer...

KALE & QUINOA SALAD
- Cook one rice cooker size batch of quinoa. Set aside to cool.
-Finely chop half a bag of TJs organic kale. Set aside.
-Shred 2 carrots and one small onion. Set aside.
-Drain and rinse one can TJs organic chick peas. Set aside.
-In a very large mixing bowl whisk the juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp crushed garlic, and 1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos. (use soy sauce optionally)
-Add everything listed above into bowl and toss.
-After tossing add 1 whole cup of raisins and toss some more
-Top with 1 can drained mandarin oranges or if you live where the citrus isn't atrocious..use fresh.
-Cover and chill until thoroughly cold.
-Eat it.

VEGGIE CHILI (Please bear in mind these are estimated measurements. Use your judgement)

-In a large stewing pot add 1 undrained can each of pinto beans, black beans, chick peas, kidney beans, white beans and corn. Then add 6 cans of water.
-1 full length of soyrizo (vegan soy based chorizo)
-1 large chopped onion
-2 chopped sweet potatoes
-2 chopped carrots
-2 large handfuls fresh spinach
-1 block tofu cut in cubes
-2 large scoops cooked brown rice
-1 large jar peeled cooked tomatoes
-1 container sliced white mushrooms
-1/4 cup paprika
-3 tbsp chili powder
-1 big tbsp crushed garlic
-1 tbsp onion powder
-2 tbsp dijon mustard
-1/4 cup chopped parsley
-2 tbsp liquid smoke (It's by the bbq sauce at your market. Key ingredient. Promise.)
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
-Stir well and bring to boil and lower to simmer. It's done when the carrots are soft.
-Eat.