Drinking Water and Weight Gain!

Someone shared this picture with me on WhatsApp and it brought to mind one of the myths that existed in my home community while growing up as a young girl - it was believed by some that there is a positive correlation between drinking water and gaining weight.  So many people I know avoided drinking too much water during the day as one of the ways to watch their weight. The more savvy ones, though, knew that it was rather related to our diet, our net input versus output at the end of the day, exercise, and a host of other things. Now, while there are certainly cases where poor circulation can cause one to retain fluids, generally, drinking enough water is essential to life itself.  Drinking lots of water and staying hydrated is a good thing.  In fact, it has tons of benefits. Now, I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice but as a registered nurse and a concerned individual about my health and those of people around me, I do my research and try to stay informed.

Keeping yourself hydrated ensures that your kidneys and bowels function well, and thus relieves constipation.  Helps to keep your body's Ph balanced and regulate body temperature.  Brain function is improved which keeps you from feeling tired and having headaches. Helps to prevent bladder and urinary tract infections, reduce the risk of developing kidney stones (see above picture), reduce the risk of hip fractures, cramps, and osteoporosis, improve breathing since water helps the blood to carry oxygen to every part of the body and remove carbon dioxide.  It actually facilitates weight loss and improves turgidity of the skin. I invite you to read more about it here.

And if you're like me where you find it hard to drink lots of water, there are many healthy alternatives to supplement with.  I googled and came up with: sparkling water (try squeezing in some fresh citrus fruit for flavor); pasteurized skim milk; pasteurized soy and almond milk (barring any allergies); freshly squeezed or pasteurized juices (juice has a lot of sugar, so drink in moderation); coconut water.; herbal iced tea (no caffeine); decaf coffee; and there are many more out there.  I got those from here. It is a website about hydration during pregnancy, but hey, it works too. So drink up, no excuses!