Supercharge Your Water for Detox

The main purpose of a detox is to flush out toxins, improve liver and kidney function and avoid bringing in more toxins. This month is devoted to detox and Earth Day. What better way to start a detox than to increase your water intake.

Increasing your water intake can:

• Help you lose weight

It can help keep your belly full so you don’t feel as hungry. In this article, it demonstrates that you burn calories to change the water temperature. They noticed that men typically use fat to fuel this process and women use carbohydrates. Another reason why a lower carbohydrate way of eating may help women burn fat and find their optimal weight.

• Flush out toxins

Toxins and waste products get dumped into the bloodstream to get filtered through the kidneys. Water-soluble toxins from the liver also get filtered through the kidneys. You need an adequate amount of water to push them through. Don’t think for an instant that you are getting the same effect from juice, coffee or soda; you need water to flush out the sugar, caffeine, and chemicals, found in these drinks, as well.

• Relieve constipation

What happens when you don’t water a plant? It dries out. What happens when you don’t water your colon? The contents dry out. This causes harder smaller stools that can be difficult to pass. The longer the stool sits in your colon, the greater the chance of reabsorbing the toxins you are trying to eliminate.

• Decrease back pain

Spinal discs are the cushions of the spine. They are there so we don’t feel the jolt of walking or running, they allow us to move in all directions and they are made up primarily of water. The water content of the discs is around 90 percent when we are born and decrease to approximately 70 percent by the time we reach our 50s. Consuming an adequate amount of water and simply stretching your spine forward and back can help hydrate your discs and decrease back pain.

• Improve skin tone

Your skin is your biggest detox organ. Sweating is a great way to release toxins but you need to replenish the water that is lost. Keeping this cycle going is great for the skin. Most skin issues start in the gut. Food sensitivities, undigested food, constipation and microbe imbalance can all contribute to skin issues. Water intake can help. When you are dehydrated your body can pull water from skin cells into the bloodstream making your skin less elastic and more prone to wrinkling.

How much water should I drink?

It’s beneficial to drink either half your body weight in ounces of water or until your urine is a very pale yellow color.

Tricks to drinking more water

Add slices of fruit or vegetable and use fun shaped ice cubes or fun straws. Speaking of straws, let’s help our environment and our bodies by avoiding plastic straws. Stainless steel straws and glass straws are the best. My friends, Brian and Daedra, at Strawsome make absolutely beautiful and fun glass straws. The turtle and frog straws are my favorites. They even have straws thick enough for smoothies! Check them out here. 

Enjoy these fun (and beautiful) water recipes and get your detox on!