Dehydration and Water Retention.

How do you get rid of dehydration, water retention and its associated symptoms?

When you retain water it may be a sign that the body is in fact in need of fluid.  When we are not taking in enough of the right fluids then our body takes measures to retain the remaining water in the system as effectively as possible.  Extracellular spaces in the body will fill up with water and this is called 'fluid retention'.  People experience this as swollen hands, feet or legs. 

Dehydration and water retention can also lead to  headaches.  The  eliminatory organs may not be getting enough fluid to eliminate toxins from the blood.  Being dehydrated can also bring on muscle aches and cramps, especially if potassium is low.  This may also lead to abdominal cramping. If there is not enough water and electrolytes (such as essential minerals sodium and potassium) present in the body, your muscles will not be able to perform correctly and you may experience muscle spasms and cramps. The essential minerals sodium and potassium need to be in a good balance to retain optimal hydration levels and overall good health.

 

Rehydration may alleviate symptoms and increasing your fluid intake to 2 litres a day and reducing your tea and coffee to one or two cups a day.  This may give your body the fluid it needs to avoid retaining it in the extracellular spaces.  Choose hydrating drinks such as water, juice and herbal tea as alternatives to tea and coffee. 

When drinking teas try to avoid drinking them with meals as the tannins in them may negatively impact your digestion.  Caffeine and alcohol with meals may also inhibit your digestion and interfere with nutrient absorption.  If you consume tea and coffee throughout the day you may have a low nutritional profile and therefore may be depleted of essential minerals.  If the body is low in essential minerals then all the body’s systems may get out of balance, especially the delicate fluid balance.

If in doubt, reach for a glass of water!

Josie

How to improve skin problems?

If you are suffering with bad skin in the form of spots, rashes or lumps and bumps it is important to think about where the problem is starting.  We all have bad skin from time to time as hormones and lifestyles change over the years, but putting up with skin problems constantly can be exhausting and bad for self esteem.  The skin is something we cannot hide and visible eruptions can be one of the most upsetting problems people experience.

I encourage you to first think about the role of the skin; it is one of our elimination organs. So the question is, what are you eliminating that is aggravating your skin?  The problem is not skin deep.  Topical applications can help to soothe skin but addressing the diet and lifestyle is going to be the most important step in getting your skin looking healthy and glowing again.

Do you...?

1. Eat a lot of high sugar foods? (look at the labels in your cupboard!)

2. Eat a lot of trans fats or hydrogenated fats (crisps, chocolate, cakes, pastries, biscuits, pies)?

3. Eat refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, cakes/biscuits?

4. Eat foods which have artificial chemicals in them? Read the lablels, if you don't know what it is, don't eat it!

5. Have too many nights out without enough sleep? (or) Trouble sleeping due to stress?

These may be aggravating your skin by putting a strain on your body's elimination systems.  Try to slowly cut them down and replace them with healthy alternatives. 


Help your body detoxify...

1. Increase your intake of fresh vegetables.

2. Drink more water.  Check your urine to make sure it is almost clear about twice a day.

3. Make sure you are getting enough of the essential fatty acids omega 3 and 6 in your diet.

4. Do a detox or at least a colonic hydrotherapy session to try and remove the toxic load on your skin.

5. Try to take time to relax and unwind on your own sometimes.  Stress is a major factor in most health problems.  Learn to meditate and allow your body to heal naturally; it knows how to do it if you give it the time and the nutritional tools!


Good luck and remember that the body can heal itself of anything if you give it a helping hand.

Josie Was this useful?  Like My facebook page... :)

How much fibre do I need?

We all know that fibre is an important part of our diet but how many of us are getting the recommended 25-38 grams daily?  Sadly, very few!

Fibre is an essential part of any diet plan and something many people in the west are not getting enough of.  With a lack of dietary fibre people may begin to feel constipated, lethargic and can be more prone to developing metabolic syndrome and its associated symptoms.  Without the right type of fibre the digestive system will suffer and the G.I tract can develop problems which could lead to other illnesses.  Most people could significantly increase their current fibre intake and still not reach the recommended targets of 25 grams (for women) and 38 grams (for men) each day. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends consumption of foods containing at least 25 grams of total dietary fiber a day.  The WHO has identified dietary fibre as the only dietary ingredient with “Convincing Evidence” showing a protective effect against weight gain and obesity (WHO).’

Fibres are the non digestible part of plant cells and they move through the digestive system without being affected by the enzymes and secretions that break down other food substances.  Fibre absorbs water as it passes through the digestive system and sweeps other substances along with it which eases bowel movements. 

When a stool is well formed it will pass easily down into the descending colon and remain sufficiently hydrated so it can be passed easily.  It is held there until it is of sufficient volume to be released (Lipski pg. 53).  Without adequate fibre, stools will not pass through the colon easily and constipation can develop.  A sticky dehydrated stool can become impacted on the walls of the colon and cause more problems.  The walls of the digestive tract become clogged with waste and health problems can occur.  A high fibre diet may relieve these problems and ensure regular, healthy bowel movements.

So increase your intake of fibre today by adding more fresh fruit and vegetables to your day, your colon will thank you for it! :)

Josie

How do you live in the 'now'? Living in the now.

Living in the now involves releasing thoughts and judgements based on 'the past that we cannot change' and 'the future that we cannot know'.  Right now is all we have.  Today is all we can know.  The only power we have to change and create our experience of life is this moment we are living in.

I think almost everyone who stumbles across this concept struggles with it at first.  Even people who have been practicing it for years still find themselves retreating into thoughts of the past and the future and living their experience today based on one of these invisible realms.

Often we find ourselves procrastinating and delving into things that have already happened to put our problems today into context.  We compare them with our experience of life so far...the past.  Or, we find ourselves over thinking a future that we cannot know, being fearful of a story we are imagining that will probably never happen (unless we create it).

By living in the now, we practice the art of releasing our own judgements and ideas of what was and what will be.  Instead, we learn to be aware of the moment we are existing in.  Fear of something we think we cannot control is an epidemic that leaves us powerless to life's pathway.  By creating the pathway step by step, day by day, we can relax into a rhythm which needs no deep analysis or control.  We can make decisions based on the knowledge we have today and know that they must be flexible and may change as new knowledge, ideas and opportunities arise in our consciousness and our days.

Personally, I am in the process of releasing thoughts of how this year will develop and attempting to live in the now rather than trying to plan the year ahead in a way that is inadequate.  I simply cannot have all the information or knowledge I need yet to make any plans, so I have been searching the Taoist approach to life which involves focusing on what I do have and working with today.  I am finding it very useful in making life a more graceful and enjoyable process by releasing societies pressures and finding stillness in the 'now'; the only moment we exist in.

So if you are finding yourself in a similar position, here are my Five Top Tips for living in the now...

1. Meditate:  Set some times aside and focus on your breath and sit in stillness, allow your mind to empty of thoughts and relax in the knowledge that in that moment there is nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. 

2. Repeat the mantra: 'There is nothing to know' or 'I let go of needing to know'

3. Look up at the limitless sky occasionally: Remind yourself that there is something much more massive than the problem you are focusing on.

4.  When you find yourself in a point of confusion? Simply release the weight of the decisions and try to return to a point of stillness.  Problems often solve themselves when they are left space to evolve.

5. Casey Kochmer, Taoist teacher, suggests you: Change the angles of how you look at something when feeling stuck. Till you find an angle that unsticks your path ahead.  The future is always uncertain, so the feeling of uncertainty is normal, embrace that half, and then practice awareness, step by step awareness to move ahead. In chaotic times, this is the most efficient way to live. In orderly times, it is possible to plan and stash away for future points. But in times like ours a Taoist approach is very graceful indeed (http://www.personaltao.com/).

Is brown rice better than white rice?

I often get asked whether brown is really best when it comes to food choices. White products are usually softer and more comforting, whereas their brown counterparts are more fibrous and healthy-looking (and take more chewing). 

Clients often want to hear that white rice isn’t actually that bad because they prefer the texture so much...

...but if you take away the preference for the taste, white rice starts to feel less and less appealing.  If you look at the nutritional facts, brown wins hands down.

One cup of cooked brown rice contains 3.5 grams of fibre, whereas white contains only 0.7 grams!  But why?

A grain of brown rice contains all the fibre and minerals in the bran layer.  To produce white rice, this nutritious bran layer is milled away and you are left with a less nutritious simple carbohydrate (white rice). 

Five Reasons to choose Brown Rice

1. Brown rice will sustain you for longer so it aids weight loss.

2. It will maintain your digestive tract with regular bowel movements due to its high fibre content (less toxicity in the body).

3. It contains the antioxidant selenium which could help prevent cancer.

4. It contains almost three times more zinc than white rice - 'zinc deficiency plays a role in almost every major disease' (Holford, P)

5. Brown Rice is a ''whole food' so it is a more natural choice.

Brown rice takes about twice as long to cook, which sometimes puts people off, but having some ready in the fridge at all times is a great time saver. 

Enjoy it...you might actually start to prefer it (if you are not already a convert).

Josie :)