Every single day, we are exposed to toxins. Air pollutants, heavy metals, mold, and airborne pathogens are around us all the time – without us even knowing it. Many of our foods are full of toxins too, like pesticides, antibiotics, and even added sugars. These toxins are serious contributors to inflammation. They ‘turn on’ genes that promote inflammation causing cancer, heart disease. In the gut, these toxins can cause imbalances in your gut flora that allow inflammatory chemicals to be released. This inflammation promotes changes elsewhere in the body that can lead to chronic diseases.
One of the best ways to flush toxins from the body is also one of the simplest. Drink more water! Drinking plenty of water each day is an effective and essential way to help your body detoxify, because…
Your intestinal tract needs water to function optimally, moving waste efficiently through the gut and out of the bowels.
Your liver and kidneys are two of your body’s most important detoxification organs. Both of these require a constant supply of water in order to function properly.
Your sweat also flushes toxins out of your body. Sweat is largely made up of water. If you don’t drink enough water, you can’t “sweat it out.”
Water Facts: Water makes up 65% of the human body, and 73% of both the heart and the human brain. It also helps make hormones and neurotransmitters, and every single one of your cells requires adequate hydration to carry out its proper functions. Studies have shown that inadequate cellular hydration can contribute to the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals and even lead to inflammatory disorders. So, the upshot is, the more hydrated you are, the healthier you are and the better your body can function.
Here’s your water RX: Try to drink 2-3L of water each day, or six to eight glasses. Make sure your water is fresh and filtered, or at least free of contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride and heavy metals. It may be helpful to carry a bottle of water with you throughout the day, so you can keep sipping it instead of guzzling a large amount of water at once, which can backfire by flushing out too much, including good stuff like vitamins and minerals. “Yeah, but water is boring!” Try it with a squeeze of lemon juice, or adding a packet of Emergen-C, maybe even a dash of cranberry juice for extra flavor. All of these options add vitamin C to the mix, which is also good for you.
Not sure if you’re properly dehydrated? Just check the color of your urine next time you use the bathroom. If it’s dark, kind of murky yellow, your body likely needs more water. If it’s clear or light yellow, you’re properly hydrated. And if it’s bright yellow, you probably added vitamin C to your H2O!
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