Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Your Health is Your Wealth - Water

Most people do not drink enough water
by Zakhah Baht Israel
KNN - Dimona

Before we can gain strong economic power, reclaim our youth, and join together in unity, we must first take a look at our health. What good is it to gain the whole world if we die at age 49 of a heart attack? For example, consider Reginald F. Lewis. He acquired millions became the richest Black man in history, structured the largest leveraged buyout ever of an international company- and died six years later of brain cancer at the age of 44. The true wealth is in changing our health for the better. All diseases are preventable. We can have it all and maintain our health at the same time, but we must reexamine our eating habits and lifestyle. In this article we will explore the benefits of drinking water.

WATER

As cited in You Are Not Sick, You Are Thirsty: Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Dr. Batmanghelij, chronic long-term dehydration is the root cause of many illnesses. Dehydration causes stress on the body which can make us feel stressed out. Water has been known to cure every ailment from dehydration to peptic ulcers. It lowers the blood pressure, clears the skin and alleviates headaches. Water is needed to regenerate cells. It also flushes out toxins so that the body can better absorb nutrients.

Water regulates the body’s many intricate systems such as blood circulation, respiratory and nervous systems. Sufficient water is necessary so that the fluids will arrive at the right place, in the right amount, at the right time. The body has a hierarchy of which organs receive adequate fluids first. The heart, lungs, and liver are high on the priority list. The brain, skin and muscles are not. Our heart has to keep beating and we must breathe, but the trade-off will be loss of clarity of thought, muscle cramps and arthritis, and acne and skin rashes. We must drink enough water on a consistent basis so that every part of our body can enjoy its benefits.

The minimum requirement in order for the average body to function properly is 8 glasses to one gallon every single day. The body is 75% water. So guess what? Seventy-five percent of our diet should consist of water or water-dominant foods like fresh juices, delicious fruit and raw vegetables. Drinking water also helps with weight loss. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are really thirsty because these two sensations feel similar. Drinking water can curb our appetite.

Most people do not drink enough water. Some do not drink water at all, citing that they do not enjoy the bland taste. There is no excuse not to take care of our health. To improve the taste of water, try adding a squirt of lemon. Always boil or freeze tap water to kill harmful microorganisms. Try drinking filtered, distilled, or spring water to determine which taste is preferred. There is much controversy surrounding which is the best water to drink, but instead of worrying about which water to drink, it is more important to drink enough water.

As a side note, NEVER drink and eat at the same time. Water dilutes the digestive enzymes in the stomach, causing the food to improperly digest. As a result, a number of disorders develop such as indigestion, stomach cramps, constipation, gas and malnutrition. (African-Americans are among the most malnourished people on the planet due to a poor, meat-based diet.) Our food must digest properly so that we can get the maximum amount of nutrients from it. The rule is to drink 30 minutes before or 1 hour after eating a meal.

If our body is not functioning properly with the basics- food, water, etc., then how can we move forward by focusing on our dreams, goals and spirituality? Drink water. Drink it in the morning when you first wake up. Drink it before lunchtime. Drink it during and after a good workout. Try it for a day and continue for a lifetime.

Zakhah is a graduate of The Institute of Regenerative Truth and The School of the Prophets Institute of Jerusalem (Israel) with a degree in Divine Nutrition. She is also a raw and living foods chef and the author of the world-reknown raw food recipe book The Joy of Living Live: A Raw Food Journey (www.joyoflivinglive.com), winner of the Holy Jerusalem Writers Conference Award. Zakhah is co-founder of the Elements of Truth Magazine and Catalog and a freelance health writer for various independent publications in the US and United Kingdom.