Coffee is by far one of the world & # 39; s most popular and loved beverages. According Wirthlin Worldwide (market research company), North America consumed an average of 1.8 cups of coffee a day. Compare this to our water consumption. It is recommended to consume an average of 8-10 8oz glasses of "living water" (ie. Mineral rich, slightly alkaline, and produce energy when the body) every day. However dire statistics show that 20% of North American drinking water at all while only 42% of us consume only 2 bottles or less.
The struggle between water and coffee is intensified further when you take into account that for each cup of coffee (100 mg caffeine) the body needs 3 cups of water to compensate for water loss that occurs due the coffee & # 39; s diuretic effect.
Before ordering next "Mocha Latte frappawhatever …" you remember the following facts about coffee:
o Coffee increases stress, resulting in an average 40% increase in adrenaline. This leads to increased blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, nervousness, and irritability.
o Coffee increases gastric acid secretion by 400%, contributing to inflammation and ulcers.
o coffee have a 50% higher risk of heart attack (British Medical Journal Lancet)
o Coffee causes significant loss of nutrients, especially magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc and B-vitamins.
o Coffee is a major source of cadmium, a heavy metal that has been linked to cancer and immunosuppression.
If you & # 39; Re woman, consider the following facts even scarier:
o Caffeine is associated with ovarian cancer, and bladder and kidney cancer.
o coffee increases the risk of miscarriage and can double the rate with only 1 cup (160 mg caffeine) per day (JAMA, 1993).
o Coffee detrimental to the child & # 39; s muscular development and nutritional balance and increases the risk of birth defects.
o Coffee reduces fertility. More than 1 cup a day makes a woman half as likely to conceive (American Journal of Epidemiology)!
In terms of energy, caffeine consists in coffee is a stimulant that gives you it was short energy rush in the morning. But here & # 39; s problem, caffeine is like any other stimulant – it is a drug that creates dependency. This dependency occurs as a result of caffeine receptors in the body become saturated fairly quickly. As such, you need to consume more caffeine to obtain the same effect! You can see how this vicious circle can get out of hand. If you & # 39; Re coffee drinker just think about the last time you went without coffee for a day or two. How did you feel? Tired, frustrated, headache? Exactly!
Water is bliss
Now consider the wonders of water. Considering that the adult body is at least 60% water is no wonder that clean "living water" can have quite dramatic effects on the body.
Water is the key to many bodily functions including circulation, digestion, absorption and elimination of waste. Water is also salts (ie. Sodium, potassium) that are essential for Electrical signaling within the body.
Given their many functions in the body, is it any wonder that you may feel tired and sluggish when dehydrated?
Water is also a natural blood thinner as it makes up the majority of our blood. Water constitutes 95% of the plasma part of the blood which, in turn, comprises approximately 55% of the total blood volume. Therefore, when the body does not get enough water, the blood loses fluidity of water is extracted from the blood. The result – the aggregation of red blood cells. This increased blood viscosity leads you feeling tired and sluggish.
So, one of the easiest, safest and best ways to improve your energy throughout the day is to constantly sip of "living water" to keep the body hydrated and functional.
A rule of thumb for how much water you should drink per day at rest is the following:
multiplying weight (lbs) x 12:55 and share with 8. This will give you the number of 8oz glasses you should drink a day for rest.
© 2006 Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK – Total Wellness Consulting.