We are currently going through the Seven Pillars of Health.
The first pillar is water.
Day 1 establishes the importance of water as the foundation of good health.
The first pillar is water.
Day 1 establishes the importance of water as the foundation of good health.
Our body is about 70% water
Our muscles are about 75% water
Our brain cells are about 85% water
Our blood is about 82% water
Our bones are about 25% water
Dr. Colbert treats every patient with water first. He finds that most of us simply don't drink enough water. Mild dehydration leads to problems with our joints, our immune systems, our arteries, brain function, memory, and the appearance of our skin. It can lead to high blood pressure, digestion problems, and asthma.
After establishing the need for water, he gets into literally nauseating detail about what is in our tap water. Some of the offenders are agri-pollution, drugs and personal care products like shampoo, viruses and parasites (cities treat water to kill most bacteria, but they don't work on everything), chlorine which creates additional carcinogenic byproducts, fluoride (which isn't as healthy as we think), and aluminum.
Some bottled waters aren't any better. To further complicate matters, the plastic bottles also leach plasticizer chemicals into the water when used repeatedly or when the water is bottled too long. A side note says that plastics including baby bottles should never be used in the microwave.
Dr. Colbert prefers purified, alkaline water from glass bottles. The appendix lists the PH of various waters and source information for alkaline water filters (quite expensive, I noticed.)
Additional recommendations include the best time to drink water. He recommends drinking 8 to 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before each meal, especially before breakfast. Drinking more than 4 to 8 ounces of water with meals, especially cold drinks, is discouraged. The doctor says it disrupts digestion.
To calculate how many ounces of water to drink, he says simply divide your weight by two.
Our muscles are about 75% water
Our brain cells are about 85% water
Our blood is about 82% water
Our bones are about 25% water
Dr. Colbert treats every patient with water first. He finds that most of us simply don't drink enough water. Mild dehydration leads to problems with our joints, our immune systems, our arteries, brain function, memory, and the appearance of our skin. It can lead to high blood pressure, digestion problems, and asthma.
After establishing the need for water, he gets into literally nauseating detail about what is in our tap water. Some of the offenders are agri-pollution, drugs and personal care products like shampoo, viruses and parasites (cities treat water to kill most bacteria, but they don't work on everything), chlorine which creates additional carcinogenic byproducts, fluoride (which isn't as healthy as we think), and aluminum.
Some bottled waters aren't any better. To further complicate matters, the plastic bottles also leach plasticizer chemicals into the water when used repeatedly or when the water is bottled too long. A side note says that plastics including baby bottles should never be used in the microwave.
Dr. Colbert prefers purified, alkaline water from glass bottles. The appendix lists the PH of various waters and source information for alkaline water filters (quite expensive, I noticed.)
Additional recommendations include the best time to drink water. He recommends drinking 8 to 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before each meal, especially before breakfast. Drinking more than 4 to 8 ounces of water with meals, especially cold drinks, is discouraged. The doctor says it disrupts digestion.
To calculate how many ounces of water to drink, he says simply divide your weight by two.
Our frig has an in line filter. It is what he calls an entry level carbon filter, but certainly better than nothing. We are making an effort to use the filtered water for cooking and for making coffee - not just drinking. Next time we buy bottled water, we will look for one of the brands that score better on his list. For now, we will pass on the $1200 alkaline filtration system.
Here's to your health.
Here's to your health.
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