You won't believe how something as simple as water can transform your health! Hi everyone, it's Debbie, and welcome back to our '90 Days to Cancer Resilience' series. Today, we're diving into the importance of hydration and its impact on your overall health.

Why Hydration is Important: Water is essential for many of our body's functions, including detoxification, nutrient transport, and temperature regulation. Staying hydrated helps maintain energy levels and cognitive function, preventing fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. Proper hydration also supports our immune system, ensuring our organs function correctly to fight off infections.

Signs of Dehydration: Common signs of dehydration include dark urine, dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness, and less frequent urination. As we age, our thirst reflex weakens, making it essential to watch for these signs and ensure adequate hydration.

Hydrating Foods and Beverages: Hydration isn't just about drinking water. You can also hydrate through food. Foods like cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, oranges, and lettuce have high water content. For example, cucumbers are about 95% water, making them an excellent hydrating snack. Watermelon is another fantastic option, especially during hot summer days. Homemade juices made from vegetables and fruits retain their natural vitamins and minerals. Other great hydrating beverages include herbal teas, coconut water, and sparkling water. Just choose varieties without added sugars or artificial flavors.

Types of Water: Understanding the different types of water can help you make informed choices:

• Tap Water: Most accessible and inexpensive, but may contain contaminants like chlorine, lead, and fluoride.
• Bottled Water: Convenient and widely available, but expensive and has an environmental impact due to plastic waste.
• Spring Water: Contains natural minerals but may contain contaminants and is often expensive.
• Mineral Water: Rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium but can be expensive and not suitable for everyone.
• Distilled Water: Highly purified but lacks beneficial minerals.
• Alkaline Water: Claimed to neutralize body acid and improve metabolism, but benefits are not fully proven.
• Filtered Water: Removes contaminants from tap water and requires initial investment and maintenance.

Questions for you:

• How much water do you drink each day? Do you feel it's enough?
• Have you noticed any signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, dark urine, or fatigue?
• What are your go-to beverages for staying hydrated?

Conclusion: Hydration is crucial for your health, energy, and immune function. Stay hydrated and make informed choices about your hydration sources. In our next session, we'll explore more about types of water, discuss the best sources of water filters, and present evidence from research. Don't miss it!

Remember, your health journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Let's stay hydrated and healthy together!