Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Battle of the Bulge: Water, Water

It doesn't quite have enough kick, but water is the only beverage that one should go with. One the cannon laws of dealing with weight and health is "Do not drink your calories."

Energy drinks? How many of us are professional ball players that are losing "vital electrolytes"? (Electrolytes, by the way, can be found in many fruits and vegetables). Usually these drinks are packed with enough sugar to keep a kid bouncing off the walls for weeks, and sugar converts to fat in the body.

Diet drinks? Since they don't have natural sugar, they have some freaky science experiment sweetener floating around inside instead which the body doesn't recognize nor can it process. One should rather have the regular soda instead.

Fruit juice? Pretty much every beverage has too much sugar, even when they say "no added." Again, whatever nutrients is in it can be found the actual fruit itself.

All these drinks (including regular soda) have acids that can soften the lining of the teeth. Dentists recommend drinking any of these beverages with a straw.

I used to be quite hooked on orange juice. I now realize that I was assuaging a need for sweet, not to quench my thirst. I began to drink water. Oy, it was a killer. But now I've reprogrammed myself. 
http://nutrihealth.in/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/drink-water1.jpg
I begin my day with a tall glass of H2O, with some lemon squeezed in to wake up my liver (there has actually been some documentation on the benefits) and I find it incredibly refreshing.

I do succumb from time to time (Coke for stomach viruses, an occasional juice) but it is not part of my daily regimen. After getting used to it, I feel as though water is all I need.

15 comments:

Yedid Nefesh said...

LIKE!!! I'm a huge fan of drinking water :)

JBD said...

Lemon in water is awesome! Used to bring that to work every morning! And about juice...In HS I babysat for a couple of kids and asked the mom if I could give them juice. Looking puzzled she said "It's not soda!" - sigh :(. Thanx for the tips. Did not know about the straws.

Princess Lea said...

It's amazing how a little lemon leaves me going "Aaaaaaaah! Refreshing!"

Straws are very much needed to preserve Shabbos Face as well. But don't purse the lips when drinking - could cause lines. I try to keep my mouth relaxed when I sip. :)

N said...

I took aspartame and all diet stuff/drinks out of my diet when I became vegan. I'm appalled at the things that I would put into my precious body.

Though I do enjoy water, I drink a lot of tea. My two favorites are: green tea with pomegranate and vanilla cinnamon.

I also do like natural juices (homemade). Watermelons is quite delicious and refreshing. Not everyone has the time but if/when you do, its quite good.

Joshua Josephs said...

Just a few points of interest.
The exact amount of water one should drink in a day is the subject of a lot of debate in the medical community right now, stand by for new information.
People should drink water from the municipal tap system since it contains fluoride unlike most bottled waters.
The artificial sweeteners are precisely designed not to be processed by the body, thus they don't generate calories, but the evidence they cause cancer in humans is complicated.

These comments reflect my own personal views only.

Princess Lea said...

ZP - When my father went on a tea craze I bought him that same tea - Green Tea with Pomegranate. He's over the tea now.

I never liked hot beverages, and while I've tried, I haven't yet developed a taste for tea no matter how much it is recommended. Maybe when I'm 40.

Watermelon juice! Nice.

JJ: In terms of how much to drink, 8 glasses a day for me is not feasible. Additionally, it means 8 glasses a day including what water can be found in foods. For now, I just drink water when I'm thirsty.

I watched a fascinating interview on The Daily Show when an author came on with his book, explaining the concept of the success of cities. The first thing that has to be done is to ensure that the water supply doesn't kill the population. Therefore, city water is the best available.

Last night on the news: home filtered water is better than bottled as the bottled water industry is not regulated. Go Brita!

SiBaW said...

So true! I personally love water, especially Brita. Bottled water isn’t bad either but I seem to prefer those that come from municipal taps and treated to reverse osmoses. At one point I had a penchant desire for carbonated water but that seems to have diminished. You know, it’s funny; I used to tell people that orange juice is just as unhealthy as soda (from a caloric perspective) and no one would believe me!

I’ve heard a different rational for straw usage, mainly tooth discoloration. Many beverages contain pigment elements which can darken or yellow one’s teeth. I suspect this might not be such an issue if you don’t like hot beverages, thus enabling you to avoid coffee. Although I must say coffee is one of g-d’s gifts to humanity… ;-)

Also, in line with what Joshua Joseph said, not all artificial sweeteners are unhealthy…

Princess Lea said...

Aspartame, which is in diet sodas, are evil. Eeeeeeviiiiiiil. While there are other sugar alternatives, I go with the premise that I'll stick with the original stuff. In moderation.

Yeah, I don't get coffee yet . . . the nearby Starbucks is wasted on me.

SiBaW said...

Nope, not all sodas have aspartame. Some have splenda. I’ve had some Hansen’s Natural Diet Cola, a common product at Trader Joes, which is quite good; dare I say almost as good as the real stuff. I think Seven-Up has or had splenda in it. Although, I do miss Pepsi One, which was splenda based.

Starbucks?! Eww, waste of coffee and money… You can get better tasting and cheaper brew at home. How people start their morning without coffee is still a wonder to me…

Princess Lea said...

It's called 8 hours of sleep. And I happen to be a morning person. (Like the opening of "Lion King").

While splenda has been accepted as OK, I prefer to keep food content out of the science lab.

In any case, diet or not, soda doesn't help the body as much as water, plain water, does.

Trader Joe's is awesome, isn't it?

SiBaW said...

8 hours of sleep… ah, that sounds nice. Let me know what happens when that’s no longer feasible. I’ll be glad to make some coffee recommendations. :-)

Agreed, some sweeteners are purely chemical derived; however, there exist many that are “natural.” The premise of these artificial sweeteners would be the same as fiber. Just because our bodies can’t process something doesn’t make it inherently bad or scientific, just something to take into account. I assume eating too much fiber and eating too much splenda might have similar results.

Absolutely, soda isn’t as good for you as water, but sometimes ever “purist” need a break… ;-)

I know Trader Joe's is really awesome. It seems many bloggers, including Frum Satire, have extoled its virtues on their blogs. They amount and quality of kosher items they carry is really quite impressive. I’m also rather fond of their produce as well.

Princess Lea said...

But the body needs fiber, both soluble and insoluble, whereas the body doesn't need sugar. And the body does process fiber. I'm not sure how they are remotely comparable.

Speaking of fiber, try Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal. Great stuff, doesn't taste like cardboard, and I mix it with the Shredded Oats for a little more dimension.

lawschooldrunk said...

All future readers, know that Lea talking about the common, nonathletic person.

If I didn't get most of my calories through drink sometimes, I'd probably be dead.

Fun fact: I don't drink gatorade or powerade when I cycle because it doesn't have ENOUGH calories.

Isn't it nice and freeing to be able to eat or drink whatever you want, whenever you want?

And in conclusion, on a regular, non riding day, I usually drink 96 ounces of water.

lawschooldrunk said...

Just read your last comment, Lea. Woah. The body definitely DOES need sugar. Not sure what you mean...

Princess Lea said...

I put into the post itself: How many of us are professional ball players that are losing "vital electrolytes"?

You are one of those "athletic" and "outdoorsy" people. While you relish in consuming everything and everything, I prefer to avoid exertion. Isn't it nice never to have to go to the gym? Ah.

In order to successfully watch oneself, no self-delusion is permitted. I like sugar. I really like sugar. But I do not need it.