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Healthy Hydration

You know you should drink more water, right? There are lots of reasons why! Water revs up metabolism, supports a healthy body temperature, promotes eye, muscle, joint and digestive health, and helps the kidneys flush toxins out of the body. Water also promotes healthy growth and division of cells, and through all of these actions, may help to stop the promotion of cancer. 

To get clear on how much water you need in addition to fluid provided by other drinks and food, add 1 ounce of water per 2 pounds of body weight. Load up on fruits and vegetables, which are between 70% and 95% water. Here are some other tips:

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Are you dehydrated?

If you have a dry mouth, excessive thirst, headaches, dry skin, muscle cramps, decreased urine output, and darker yellow colored urine – you are dehydrated! 

Don’t fret….you are not alone!

Here are some tips to help you drink more fluid throughout the day!

  • Start your day off by drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning.
  • Infuse your water with slices of lemons, oranges, or cucumbers. 
  • Try adding frozen blueberries or cherries to your water as fruit ice cubes.
  • Every time you get up from your desk or couch to stretch or do a chore, grab a drink of water.
  • Track your water intake on your smartphone with a nifty app called the Daily Water Tracker Reminder
  • Use a BPA-free water bottle that keeps you motivated to keep drinking.

If you are in cancer treatment:

It is important to stay hydrated during chemotherapy and radiation. Some medications can cause dehydration and treatment side effects like fever, vomiting and diarrhea rob your body of precious fluids. It is a good idea to sip on ice chips during treatment, drink throughout the day, and limit caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea, which flush water out of your system more quickly than other drinks. Eat more fruits and vegetables and use an infuser water bottle. Cantaloupe, grapefruit, strawberries, watermelon, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, sweet peppers, radishes, spinach, zucchini, and tomatoes are all at least 90% water. 

If you do become mildly dehydrated, sip fluids slowly, don’t gulp. Keep your lips and mouth moist with ice chips and use lip balm and lotion to moisturize your mouth and body.

Here are some water safety tips:

If you have well water, read on!

 Often contaminated with bacteria, prescription medications and other toxins, test your private or small community well often by contacting a state-certified water testing lab. Studies conclude that people who drink well water had about twice the number of cancers of the breast, skin, stomach, kidney, bladder, colon, thyroid and prostate as people who drank uncontaminated municipal water. (Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol, Nov-Dec 1990)  

Check out your plastics!

BPA and a recent substitute called BPS shows the potential for increasing the aggressiveness of breast cancers because it disrupts hormones. Studies have shown BPS to exhibit similar estrogen-mimicking behavior to BPA. Women with BRCA1 gene mutations are warned with BPS exposure, they may have an elevated, increased risk for breast cancer. (Endocrine Society, Sci Daily, Apr 2017)  In addition to BPA and BPS, studies show that plastics leech synthetic estrogen mimickers into the food or liquids stored inside them, which are linked to cancer, infertility, heart disease, and other health problems. Avoid plastic containers with the number 7 recycling symbol on the bottom because this type of plastic most likely contains BPA. Ideally, carry your own BPA-free water bottle. If you purchase bottled water, look for the recycling symbol 1 which means it doesn’t contain BPA. 

Looking to dig deeper into the well of knowledge?

Head over to the online site of the Environmental Protection Agency for more suggestions and water safety information.  www.epa.gov

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