Of all the body’s physiological requirements for good health, water is by far the most vital one as it is responsible for and involved in almost every bodily function and process. Water is our life support system and is the ultimate substance that helps us to lead a healthy life.
Dr Monika Seth, freelance nutrition consultant in Oman, said people should make sure to drink enough water as per body/health status/ medical condition and climatic requirements. "It is of extreme importance to ensure that you are drinking it the right way at the right time," she said.
Dr Monika gave hydration tips including drinking water in a sitting position. "Never while standing. Drinking water while standing may disrupt your body’s fluid balance leading to the accumulation of fluids in your joints," she said.
"Water will forcefully enter the stomach, mixing with the digestive juices leading to bloating, heaviness, colic pain, acid reflux, etc. Water gushes down quickly without benefiting other body parts. It gets accumulated in the bladder without getting purified and is harmful to the kidneys," she added.
Dr Monika said people should avoid drinking too many caffeinated drinks as these drinks cause dehydration. "Make your heart beat faster, act as a diuretic, and make your stomach produce more acid. Your best bet would be to add an extra glass of water for every cup of tea/ coffee you drink in a day," she said.
"Do not drink water just before eating your meals, along with your meals, and immediately after your meals; there has to be a gap of a minimum of 30 minutes between drinking water and meals.
It is debilitating to drink water with meals as it dilutes the digestive juices, preventing the meal from being properly digested. This also greatly hinders both the appropriation and the assimilation cycles, which in turn negatively affect the all-important elimination cycle while wasting a great deal of energy," she added.
There is also a need to focus on a light diet. "light diet is essential with plenty of high-water content foods like watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges, cucumber, tomatoes, apples, celery, lettuce, peaches, zucchini, light soups, and broth," she said.
"Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning; use alarms or notifications to your advantage along with some positive and encouraging verbal messages to remind you to drink water every 1-2 hours. Focus on your body’s signals; sometimes we overeat because we mistake thirst for hunger," she added.
Dr Monika suggested trying fruit or vegetable infusions in water (mint, lemon, ginger, cucumber, orange, etc.) in your water to make it more appealing and get some variety in taste and flavour. "It is very easy to forget that we are living in a hot climate and drinking water is essential to your well-being. Make conscious efforts to stay hydrated throughout the day," she said.
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