Nutrition and Hydration
week 2016 runs this week, from Mon 14th – Sun 20th March and we are
proud to be involved again this year.
For our part we will be raising awareness of good hydration, why we
should be hydrated, how we can hydrate, why/how we get dehydrated and how to
look out for others hydration and perhaps dehydration symptoms too.
Each day this week you
will see a post / tweet / image via social
media (along with excerpts from this
blog) to reaffirm good hydration practices but to start with I wanted to give
you the lowdown on Nutrition and Hydration Week itself.
14th – 20th March 2016 – Our mission is to create a global movement that
will reinforce and focus, energy, activity and engagement on nutrition and
hydration as an important part of quality care, experience and safety
improvement in health and social care settings.
You can find out more here: http://www.nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk
You can email them and pledge your support here: info@nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk
And although I cant seem to post it here, do check out their video of the 10 Key Characteristics for good nutritional care
Plus the NACC is supporting the week help raise awareness of the
importance of good nutritional care, which includes hydration, in all social
and healthcare settings throughout the UK. The week focuses on providing
vital advice and guidance on the action that can be taken to help prevent under
nutrition and dehydration.
The
aim of the week is to illustrate how, by making positive changes to eating and
drinking habits, people can improve their quality of life.
For my part with no
nonsense nutrition, I want to encourage you to share any of your own hydration as
care tips and how you’ve made or will make positive changes to your eating and
drinking habits to improve hydration in your lives. Do this via social media on Facebook, Tweet us @nononsensenita, or tag any Instagram images with
@nononsensenita so we can see what you’re up to! We are also sharing via Google+. If you have a gmail address you can find and
follow us there. And of course you can
email me – thoughts, queries, positive changes and any hydration tips: info@nitakothari.com
Nutrition and Hydration
is a “global challenge”. For us (in the
UK) we take hydration for granted.
Most of us can turn on the tap, fill a glass and drink cold water
daily. We have water coolers in the
office, bottled water at the supermarket, kettles to make boiling water etc…..
but just take yourself out of your own home environment for one minute and
think about someone you know, that may need a little help with hydration. And I don’t mean we need to step into another
countries political issues, or global climate change (these are valid, but
discussions for another day!) Just have
a think - Do you have an elderly relative, a friend recovering from illness, a
pregnant wife, a best mate on a marathon training mission….? Without moving too
far from home, we can probably identify at least one person who may need
monitoring, or encouragement to make a positive change, who may want to develop
a new habit and who ultimately needs/wants to improve their health through
hydration.
Now you have identified
that person and the help they may need, let’s give them that help, support and motivation.
I hope the Q & A’s below
will help you help yourself, and help you help others, to focus on hydration this
week. I think we can make a start on
addressing this global challenge if we can all help ourselves, plus 1
other. So here we go – here are the Q
& A’s we hope will instill the idea of good and proper hydration for you and
your plus one this week:
Question:
Do you know just how much
water you should be drinking every day? Do
you think you drink enough?
Answer:
The Natural Hydration
Council say: “The European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) recommends an intake of 2.5 litres of water for men and 2.0
litres of water for women per day, via food and drink consumption. Of this,
they suggest that 70-80% of the daily water intake should come from drinks, and
the remaining 20-30% should come from food. The British Nutrition Foundation gives
guidelines for the types of fluid to drink, and water is the only fluid which
they recommend drinking “plenty” of water as it contains no sugar, calories or
additives. In spite of this, research shows we still don’t drink enough of it”.
The British Nutrition
Foundation say: “The amount of fluid you
need depends on many things including the weather, how much physical activity
you do and your age, but European recommendations suggest 1.6L of fluid per day
for women (about 8 200ml glasses) and 2L
of fluid per day for men (about 10 200ml glasses). This is on top of the
water provided by food you eat. You can get water from nearly all fluid that
you drink, apart from stronger alcoholic drinks such as wine and spirits”.
I like the no nonsense
advice of the NHS. The NHS UK say: “Studies
have tried to establish a recommended daily fluid intake, but it can vary
depending on the individual and factors such as age, climate and physical
activity. A good rule is to drink enough fluid so that you're not thirsty for
long periods, and to steadily increase your fluid intake when exercising and
during hot weather. Passing clear urine (wee) is a good sign that you're well
hydrated”.
SO – Yes, I think I drink
enough. Do you? Does your partner? Mother? Grandfather? Are
they aware how much they should drink?
Raise their awareness while you ensure you drink enough yourself
too. And a no nonsense top tip: *NOTE: if you find you do need to increase
your fluid intake (drink more water) – do so GRADUALLY. Please, otherwise you will be taking far too
many trips to the loo and blaming us for all the interruptions and
inconvenience!
Question:
Did you know that foods
can hydrate too?
Answer:
Using the same 3
information sources, we can see they advise on an 80%/20% split in most
cases. ie – 80% of your hydration and
fluid intake usually comes from water (and drinks) but 20% can in fact come
from hydrating foods. The idea of
2.5litres a day doesn’t seem such a distant achievement now right? I suppose the question
that follows then is – What foods give
good hydration?
The British Nutrition
Foundation say: “It may be a surprise to
learn that we get on average 20% of our total water intake from food! Some
foods have a high water content, especially fruits and vegetables, which are usually more than 80% water. Foods
like soups and stews, which have
lots of water added during preparation, also are a source of water. So food can
provide extra water, on top of the 6-8 glasses of fluid you should drink a
day”.
Let’s take fruits and
vegetables as we take into consideration the impact of hydration on weight management –
well fruits and veggies are what you are probably eating more of, discovering,
cooking and snacking on if you are managing your weight right now. Water can make you feel full, along with high
fibre found in any fruits and vegetables too.
Fruits and veggies with a high water content (in no particular order):
WATER MELON – the clue is in the name = 90% water. Its also really tasty when added to a pitcher
of water – really refreshing in the summer!
But don’t be fooled, cantaloupe melon also has 90% water and a higher
fibre content, so will fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth better than
water melon might.
GRAPEFRUIT = 90% water.
Health.com points out: “This
juicy, tangy citrus fruit can help lower cholesterol and shrink your waistline,
research suggests. In one study, people who ate one grapefruit a day lowered
their bad (LDL) cholesterol by 15.5% and their triglycerides by 27%. In
another, eating half a grapefruit—roughly 40 calories—before each meal helped
dieters lose about three and a half pounds over 12 weeks. Researchers say that
compounds in the fruit help fuel fat burn and stabilize blood sugar, therefore
helping to reduce cravings”. Anyone
tried it – tell me your results.
BERRIES – Strawberries seem to have the highest water content at
90%, followed by Blackberries at 88% and blueberries and raspberries holding a
mere 88% water!
PEPPERS –All colours can be over 90% water. But it’s the green one
that comes out on top holding approx. 93% water
CUCUMBER – the one we all know because it looks and tastes like
water too – yep its over 95% water.
CELERY = approx. 95% water .
Although its an urban myth that celery has negative calories – there are
about 6 cals per stick and you wont burn that much eating one (unless perhaps
your running, weightlifting with the other hand and in the swimming pool at the
same time!)
LETTUCE – the lighter varieties hold the most water – for example
iceburg lettuce = over 95%. Darker leafy
greens are usually recommended for their fibre, folate and vitamin dense
content, but they will have less water in – eg
SPINACH which holds approx. 90% in comparison
BROCCOLI = just about 90% water
CAULIFLOWER = is just over 90% pipping broccoli at the post.
CARROTS are interesting as the
baby ones hold up to 90% water, but when full size they only have 88%
TOMATOES (all types) have an average 90% water content
RADISH = a cucmber matching over 95% water
So now do you understand why you need a
wee after you eat your salad, or blend your smoothie???
Question:
Do you know what
percentage of your body is made up of water?
What happens when you become dehydrated?
Answer:
The NHC say: “Water makes up to 60% of an adult’s and 75%
of an infant’s body weight and performs crucial roles such as carrying
nutrients and waste products between our major organs, helping regulate
temperature, lubricating our joints and acting as a shock absorber.”
The NHS says: “Water makes up over two-thirds of the
healthy human body. It lubricates the joints and eyes, aids digestion, flushes
out waste and toxins, and keeps the skin healthy.”
So water makes up a good
majority of our body weight (and differs with our age, gender) It needs to be there to aid in many functions –
that is why we need to highlight its importance, especially in anyone we know
recovering from illness, older people, pregnant women, those engaging in
exercise and activity or on holidays in sunny hot climates (oh to dream…. I
digress)
Needing to keep that much
water topped up, it’s also very easy to become dehydrated. Early warning signs of dehydration can
include at first feeling thirsty. Yep – you shouldn’t really feel thirsty
(unless you’ve been embarking on activity that could induce thirst – eg
exercise classes). Once you feel
thirsty, you are probably already a little dehydrated.
After thirst comes, dry mouth, feeling light headed or dizziness,
perhaps followed by tiredness. You will probably get a headache. You will also
notice if you are dehydrated your urine
will be darker in colour and you
will pee a lot less often.
Severe dehydration will
take on all these symptoms and more – you may feel unusually tired and lethargic, and you may even become confused. The dizziness may not pass if you are
severely dehydrated a weak and/or rapid
pulse may be another symptom. These
are very important to look out for in others – if you know anyone complaining
of these sorts of symptoms treat as dehydration – ie get them some water and/or
cool them down. You may need to replace
lost salts/electrolytes if the cause of the dehydration has been sweating (heat,
exercise etc) so put a little salt and sugar into water to make up a solution
for them to drink. *NOTE: Severe dehydration can
become a medical emergency and require immediate attention, so please refer
anyone with severe symptoms to a medical professional as soon as possible*
So why is this an issue? Well – all those
things we said the water in your body does – it won’t be able to do them if you
are dehydrated.
If you’re dehydrated your body won’t be
able to lubricate joints and eyes, aid your digestion, flush out waste and
toxins, or keep your skin healthy.
Nutrients will not be carried to where they are needed the most and body
temperate won’t be regulated. In ongoing
(or chronic) cases of dehydration your kidney function can be affected and you
may be at risk of kidney stones. It can
also lead to long term muscle damage and of course if you’re not getting rid of
toxins properly, constipation and digestive issues will follow. Pretty serious stuff.
For more reading and info
check out the causes of dehydration here: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dehydration/Pages/Causes.aspx
Question:
What about alcohol? It’s a fluid, and some even comes out of taps...
Answer:
One of the most common questions
when talking about hydration or more likely dehydration is the one of ALCOHOL. This is the thing most people have felt
dehydrates them – gives them the hangovers and the thing, most of us know we
should do better with / drink less off.
Plus we are all looking for a hangover cure and if hangovers are caused
by dehydration isn’t hydration the means to the end?
Not quite.
The NHC says: “Dehydration can occur as a result of
drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it makes you
urinate more. If this fluid isn’t replaced you may become dehydrated, so
drinking alcohol should be balanced with drinking non-alcoholic fluids, such as
water”.
And that sounds soooo simple. But you've tried to drink water in between
beers, or match wine with soda water, mix spirits with soda and drink long
drinks to get more fluid in that’s not just alcohol too. Doing that will help. Ensuring you are fully and properly hydrated
before you know you will be drinking alcohol will help.
Drinking water after alcohol consumption and before you sleep will
help. And yes, gulping down a glass of
water on waking will help too. BUT as
alcohol is a diuretic, you will use the toilet more when you drink, you will
rid yourself of more fluid than you take on board and topping up before, during and/or after the
event will not help 100%. Sorry to break
it to you. The only way to not get a
hangover = not drink. No nonsense. Not
fair.
The British Nutrition Foundation
says: “Alcoholic drinks contain water,
but drinking alcohol increases the amount of water you lose as urine, so drinks
with a high alcohol content, such as wines and spirits, are not the best choice
to stay hydrated. Normal strength beers, lagers and ciders also cause an
increased loss of water as urine. However, because they are more dilute,
drinking them causes a net gain in water overall. It is still important to keep
alcohol consumption within the recommended limits (no more than 14 units per
week for both men and women)”
And they make a great
point. Think about the units of alcohol
you’re drinking. Its recommended (in the
UK) men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week, no more than
four units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.
Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, no more than
three units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.
If you are a pregnant or
lactating woman, my advice would be to avoid alcohol entirely. In my opinion it’s simply not worth the
risk. If you want to look into alcohol
consumption / limits / risks etc further here is my favourite website:
And here is a simple
breakdown from NHS change for life: http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/alcohol-lower-risk-guidelines-units.aspx
Finally lets not forget –
caffeinated foods and drinks act in the same way. Caffeine can also cause
dehydration. I’m not telling anyone to
give up their cuppa though. God forbid.
Without my morning coffee the world would be a totally different place
let me tell you, but please bear in mind that caffeinated drinks can and will
dehydrate you too. There are no units or
recommended safe limits of coffee (or cola etc) – this is
something you should get to understand yourself. For me, one cup of coffee in the morning,
another in the afternoon and I’m good. I always make sure I drink a glass of
plain water alongside my coffee though too.
Try it if you don’t do so already and let me know if that makes any
difference for you.
So back to Nutrition and
Hydration Week – getting informed, helping ourselves and our plus ones. Do you know someone that requires extra
monitoring of their hydration? Someone
involved in a sports/exercise/activity/training program? OR someone who may be older/recovering from
illness/sick/in hospital/requiring care?
You should have
identified that person before reading all the above, it was probably
someone who needed monitoring,
encouragement, help and/or information to make a positive change, someone as
well as yourself who wants to develop a new habit and who ultimately
needs/wants to improve their health through hydration.
Now go pass on the
info. Share the love. Empower them to help themselves and others
too.
And remember to check
back into our social media sites for more info all this week – we encourage you and your plus one to come
look/like/follow and share:
Remember to take a look
and make your pledge at nutritionandhydrationweek
Finally you can download a bunch of really
handy PDF’s from the Natural Hydration Council here: http://www.naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk/hydration-facts/fact-sheets/
And of course book your consultation with me to discuss personal nutrition and hydration wants/needs/goals - this week we are offering a discount to all those who mention nutrition and hydration week! info@nitakothari.com
**Please remember this is advice ONLY (as is all other
information contained in this blog, the website and social media related to it)
None of the info or advice is intended to override any recommendation from your
GP or health professional**
