Water is one of the most basic things on Earth and essential to good health, yet we thoughtlessly throw away gallons every day. Used properly, water can revolutionise our lives.
We need the liquid for day-to-day survival, yet we often ignore our body's cries for more water, at a grave cost to health and well-being.
It is estimated that 90% of us are chronically dehydrated. Drink just five glasses of water per day and you will cut your risk of developing breast cancer by 79%. The same amount of water will make you 45% less likely to develop cancer of the colon.
Many of the common complaints which plague most people's lives, such as tiredness, headaches, dry skin, low immunity, cellulite, indigestion and weight gain, are caused by day-to-day dehydration.
If you suffer from one or more of these conditions, you may change the quality of your life immeasurably simply by ensuring you drink two litres of water a day.
Being properly hydrated will help to keep you in peak health. Our bodies are 75% water, but if this level drops by just 2% then we become dehydrated. As soon as this happens, our bodies slow down and begin to operate less efficiently.
A detox give the body a chance to rest so it can cleanse itself. In just 18 days on the Water Detox programme, your body can effectively start again with a clean slate, feeling fabulous.
The Water Detox will help you to tackle health problems - from niggling persistent tiredness or wrinkled skin to more long-term concerns such as weight gain and high blood pressure.
The secret of the detox is simply in the quantity of water you consume. As well as drinking two litres a day, you get an additional litre from food on a nutritional plan which contains at least 50% water.
Once you begin to drink the correct amount of water, you will soon notice improved levels of energy, glowing skin, weight loss, reduction in cellulite and an improved immune system.
It does not matter whether you drink bottle or tap water, but bottle flavoured waters are not permitted on the Water Detox because they almost certainly will be full of sugar and artificial flavours.
It should take you only two or three days to get used to drinking the correct amount of water. To get the best results, you will need to follow a few simple rules:
- Drink at least two litres of water a day.
- On a hot day, increase the daily amount by at least half a litre. Make sure at least one-and-a-half litres of the water is still (not sparkling) water.
- The water should be fresh and, ideally at room temperature.
- Spread your water intake over a day, ideally drinking a glass an hour.
- When you exercise, drink throughout the workout and afterwards. This extra water is in addition to your two daily litres.
- Coffee, tea, alcohol and fruit cordials do not count as water.
- As soon as you get up, drink a glass of water to rehydrate you from the night before.
- Drink a glass of water before lunch and supper to dampen your appetite and to stop you from drinking water with your food, which decreases the absorption of nutrients.
- Make sure you have had at least 1½ litres of water before 6pm.
The 18-day Water Detox Programme
It is vital to drink enough water and to eat the right foods to get the most benefit from the detox.
Certain food types contain up to 50% water, and in some cases up to 95%. Concentrating on these foods will lead to the best nutrition and hydration, though you still need to drink at least two litres of water a day.
You should not eat anything that is not on the programme because this may slow the process or even reverse it. You should particularly avoid diuretics, as they could cause you to lose the same volume of water and more. These include alcohol and drinks containing caffeine, such as colas, coffee and tea.
Exercise is important because it speeds up the cleansing process - but drink throughout your workout and consume at least an extra litre of water per hour of exercise.
When we sleep, we lose water through sweating and the normal metabolic processes. So start the day with a large glass of water, followed by a breakfast which is high in water content. Yogurt and fruit are excellent. Make the first meal of the day 'high hydration'.
It is also advisable to exclude certain herbs, such as juniper, dandelions and nettle teas, which encourage the body to expel fluids.
Also avoid foods such as curries and spices which increase body heat and use more fluids than normal.
During the 18-day water detox, you can eat oily fish, oils, yogurts, potatoes, beans and pulses, vegetables, fruits, rice and salads.
For each of the 18 days, you should drink at least two litres of plain water and eat at least three full meals or five small meals a day. You must eat at least five portions of fruit, five portions of fish, beans or pulses, one portion of rice, and one portion of oil or cheese per day.
You can eat as much as you like of any food which is permitted, but this is the minimum that you should consume.
The cheeses and oils do not always have a 50% water content, but I have included them to ensure that you get a balanced diet. I recommend sheep's and goat's products rather than those made from cow's milk because they are much more easily digested by the human body and much easier to tolerate.
Eating raw foods will maintain fluid levels and help to preserve the nutrients. Aim to eat half of your foods each day raw.
To keep food succulent and with the right level of water, you must use the right cooking methods. Always try to use any of the juices, essences or fluids that come out of the foods for dressings, sauces or gravy to pour back over them. Steaming will also leave your food moist and juicy.
The best way to ensure you don't lose fluids during cooking is to add them. Choose stews, soups, smoothies and long drinks. Select the foods which you like best and find easier to prepare.
Eat your main meal during the day and not late in the evening. It is better to have four or five light meals a day than to have a huge plate of food three times a day, which can cause big surges and drops in energy and blood sugar.
If you are tempted to snack, remember that 75% of hunger pangs are requests from our bodies for water. Each time you feel hungry, have a glass of water. If, after 20 minutes, you are still peckish, then eat something, as long as your snack is one of the food allowed. Yogurt, hummus and crudites are a good idea.
The Water Detox diet is not a diet, but a healthy way to cleanse your body. It will also help you to lose any excess weight.
Extracted from Water Detox: Total Health and Beauty in 8 Easy Steps by Jane Scrivener
The facts about water
- 75% of our hunger pangs are signals of thirst
- Our brain is 75% water
- Blood is 92% water
- Bones are 22% water
- Muscles are 75% water
- Brain cells are 82% water
- Moderate dehydration can cause headaches and even dizziness
- On hot days, sweating can cause you to lose up to 16 glasses of water a day
- The body loses as much water when asleep as when awake
- Mild dehydration slows the metabolism by as much as 3%
- A 2% drop in hydration can slow mental recall
How it can effect your body
Drinking water improves the efficiency of all major body organs. The liver, lungs, skin, kidneys and intestines all use water as a vehicle for cleansing. Inadequate quantities of water slow the system down and can causes you to suffer from constipation, grey skin, infections and swollen glands.
Dehydration
Simple day-to-day dehydration can cause tiredness, bad circulation, high blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, aching joints, dry skin, urinary infections, slow metabolism, low immunity, stress, cellulite, weight gain and indigestion.
The Liver
The largest internal organ, the liver works to detoxify the body by taking in 'poisons' such as additives and alcohol. A severely overtaxed liver can lead to lethargy and, in extreme cases, jaundice.
The Kidneys
The kidneys cleanse the blood and regulate potassium and sodium levels. Overworked kidneys can cause tiredness, or, more seriously, kidney infections and kidney stones.
The Intestines
Food passes through the stomach into the intestines. The goodness is absorbed and waste eliminated. Digestion takes about eight hours from consumption to elimination in a healthy body, but more than 24 in a dehydrated one.
The Lymph System
Lymph, absorbs dead cells, excess fluids and other waste products and takes them to the lymph nodes, which are under your armpits and in the areas of your groin and knees. Here, the waste is filtered and eventually fed to the eliminatory organs - skin, liver or kidneys - to be passed out.
The Lungs
The lungs filter pollution and toxins, including cigarette fumes and chemicals from the air we breathe. The lungs are full of little air sacs which fill with inhaled air. The lungs then expel carbon dioxide and waste water.
The Skin
The skin sweats out waste products such as salt, uric acid, ammonia and urea. Its condition is an excellent indicator of the condition of internal organs. Spots and a pale skin can be one of the first signs that we have not been taking care of ourselves.
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