Water: not just for sissies anymore

I have yet to find a detox program with prosecco on the menu, so this week, while in Vancouver at a conference, I had to abandon my fermented grape-free diet to partake for one evening. And when you consider the stats that show regular alcohol consumption (which is 3 to 4 bevvies per week) could increase a girl’s risk of breast cancer reoccurrence and eventual death by up to 50%, it means I really, really liked the people I was with drinking with.

But besides the lovely risk of it all, the drinking reminded me about the multi-talented ways of water. For every glass of wine I drank, I more or less downed a glass of water and had no Maori tattoos on my face the next day. So there. Need further convincing that water is the shits?

Besides being the stuff most of your bod is made up of and hydrating you inside and out, it helps even out your temp and acts as a river of gold to your cells for all the good nutrients you stick in your gullet. It cleans you out, removes the cobwebs, and makes your arms and legs work better. Some say it even kickstarts your metabolism. So basically, there’s nothing the big wa-dog can’t do.

How much is enough

I think most of us have grown up on the eight glasses a day rule, but many docs, dieticians and nutrition wizards, including Kris Carr, my cancer guru extraordinaire and author of Crazy, Sexy Diet, recommend consuming half your body weight in ounces of filtered water each day.

If you’re 140 lbs, drink 70 ozs or about nine 8-ounce glasses. But don’t down it at once like a circus freak or, well, you’ll die. Sip it, my lovelies. BTW - Coffee and black tea don’t count, but fresh-pressed juice and herbal tea do.

When I was looking at a way to transform my eating schedule to follow a light to heavy pattern (more on that another time) and start my morning without Earl Grey, cereal or toast or really anything at first, I rediscovered the wheel. Having a big glass of water (16 oz) first thing in the morning has now become the way I start every day, no matter where I am or how much crap I’m eating following that.

With the follow-up 16 oz of juice and 16 oz of herbal tea I drink every day, I’m only on the hook for one other big glass somewhere else in the day. Done and done.

I make it worth my while in the morning and take my 2,000 IUs of D with my first water, mostly because it’s the only vitamin I can take on an empty stomach without feeling wretched. Here’s why the 2,000 IUs of D:

·         Blocks breast cancer and colorectal cancer cell growth (esp. in pre-menopausal women)

·         Lowers risk of heart disease in men

I know 2,000 is 1,000 over the Canadian Cancer Society’s recommended daily dose, but I’m willing to risk it – the acceptable level has been going up quickly in the last several years and the daily tolerable upper level, according to Health Canada in 2010, is 4,000 IUs. The darker skinned and less sunlight-consuming you are, the higher your dose should be.

So, you know you’re not getting enough water, right? All you have to feel is thirsty at some point in the day and it's the biggest sign you’re not drinking your fair share. We can discuss the finer points of consumption, like what the temp of your water should be, when we have time to get side-by-side manis and pedis (I drink it room temp from a reverse osmosis system - not as fancy as it sounds) but honestly, just getting enough is the bigger deal.  So let’s instead talk about creating a detox program built entirely around Italian bubbly. We need to start a revolution, people!

- Carissa