Hydrate for a Healthier You

When you consider that our bodies are 60 to 70 percent water, you start to understand the importance of keeping a bottle of H2O nearby. Every organ in the body relies on water to do its job properly, but studies show that over half of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.

Thinking that those recommended 8 to 10 glasses of water aren’t such a big deal? Think again.

Here are just a few ways your body depends on water:

Regulates body temperature: Think of water as your personal air conditioning unit. It helps your body maintain an internal temperature of 98.6° F year-round.
Moisturizes: Your body’s largest organ is directly exposed to a very drying external environment. Water helps keep your skin soft, supple, and radiant.
Lubricates joints: Water is nature’s own WD40, it’s the grease that allows your joints to rotate, pivot, and glide freely.
Aids digestion: Water moving through the stomach and into the gut helps propel food forward through the GI tract.
Detoxifies: Water helps the liver and kidneys filter and flush out toxins and metabolic byproducts that are no longer needed in the body.
Transportes oxygen and nutrients: Water acts as a canal that carries nutrients and oxygen to every living cell in the body. Without water, our cells would never receive the fuel necessary to grow, breathe, produce energy, move, recover, fight disease, heal, and thrive.

Are you well hydrated?

Take our H2O quiz to determine your how much water you need. Sun Basket’s Director of Nutrition, Lindsey Kane has a few helpful hints to help you assess your hydration status:

Tired?

Dehydration significantly zaps your energy. Aim to drink regularly throughout the day for strong and steady energy levels. Studies show we often misinterpret fatigue as a cry for food, but most of the time the fatigue is due to inadequate hydration. Pro tip: Respond to low energy with a glass of water first, and food second.

Craving salt?

Since we tend to drink water after eating salty foods, our bodies often send salt cravings as a strategy to indirectly trigger water consumption. Pro-tip: The next time you catch yourself craving something salty, skip the chips and pretzels and drink a glass of water instead.

Pain in the brain?

Most headaches are caused by a lack of oxygen and nourishment to the noggin. Drinking water throughout the day helps deliver the brain power needed for optimal cognitive performance.