Water ‘Myth’ In The News
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The article was yesterday, 3rd May, in The Daily Mail and the headline stated “Health myth that we need 8 glasses of water per day.”
I had two thoughts while reading this: one was how funny it is that such an article could ever be published because of how stupid it is. And secondly how terrible it is that such an article could ever be published because of how impressionable the general public is when it comes to good health.
The simple fact is that most people do want to be healthier, lose weight, have better skin, etc. Unfortunately not everyone is as educated as someone like me and other CHEK-professionals, so they all too often rely on the media for the information – and in this instance, the media was WAY off the mark!!
If you happened to read the article yesterday, I urge you to ignore it, and read what I have to say here. It may also pay you to get yourself a copy of Dr. Batmangheldij’s book, “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water.”
I could go on forever about how incorrect this article is, but I am going to just focus on 3 points:
1. “There is no solid evidence that drinking plenty of water is good for the skin.”
- FALSE – The health of the skin is directly related to the health of the digestive system and the bowels. If you are dehydrated and do not drink enough water then your body will try to take moisture from everywhere in your body and will actually take fluid from your faeces, thus you will be drinking water from your intestines! Not a very nice thought. Thus you will then have dry, hard, compacted faeces clogging up your bowels, and over time if you remain constipated (90-95% of the population is technically constipated) then you will have a very toxic bowel and toxic skin as a result.
- If you aren’t sure of this truth, drink no water for 2/3 days, and notice what happens to your skin, your breath, your body odor, to name a few.
2. “Drinking more water makes people feel full and helps them lose weight. The studies were inconclusive.”
- I urge you to test this for yourself – Next time you feel hungry, and it has not been a particularly long time (over 3 hours) since your last meal, drink two glasses of water (approx 1 pint) and you will feel noticeably more full up. Result: CONCLUSIVE.
3. “Tea and the sort of coffee you drink in Britain are fine for rehydrating”.
- INCORRECT – Tea and coffee will dehydrate your system. Both contain caffeine and will jack up your nervous system, increasing breathing rate and perspiration, two of many things that will cause you to become more dehyrated than the minimal hydration you could ever get from the water.
- I have no problem with high quality teas and coffees at the right time in the day when the right person is adequately hydrated, but your typical commercial brands will not rehydrate you alone. Just look at the high consumpton of these beverages and the high incidences of constipation among other health problems and the results are obvious.We did not have these problems when all we had to drink was WATER!
Ok, I’ve had my little rant now, I’m off to meditate!!
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actually, the article isn’t entirely wrong. It isn’t saying you shouldn’t drink water at all, but that the “recommendations” are not necessarily based on any real evidence. If anything, they’re more related to the rise of bottled water sales.
You need to drink enough water to stay hydrated, and yes, that includes water in your food, coffee, tea, etc. Those last two are indeed hydrating (but yes, they should not constitute your sole source of liquid).
As for #2 – anecdotal evidence is not conclusive of anything. Population-based studies show that water is not necessarily an appetite suppressant. In fact, based on my own personal anecdotal evidence, water *increases* my appetite.
Hello Deepali, Thank you for your comment, it is very much appreciated.
The sources of my research and how I coach my clients comes from both studying relentlessly from other professionals that share my viewpoints and philosophies, but also much comes from empirical evidence, or evidence that “works” for whatever the client is aiming to achieve. Throughout my career I have only ever had clients that have only ever responded to drinking water when they are hungry and for that to suppress appetite. And now I thank you again because you have shown me that this will probably not ALWAYS be the case!! I would like to suggest that (since you seem to know what you are talking about and are possibly healthier than many of my clients when they come to me) because you are healthy to start with, you are more aware of the feelings and signals that your body is sending you?!
Who knows?! It seems to me that the proof of the pudding is in the eating… or drinking in this case!!!
As you mentioned however, one thing we can all agree on is that we do need to drink enough water to stay hydrated!
Thanks again!