Our body is made up of fluid and adequate hydration enable robust metabolic processes, maximise transport of nutrients and help flush out toxins. Healthy hydration incorporates both water and electrolytes/minerals. My favourite refreshment includes adding frozen raspberries, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon, fresh mint into a pitcher of water and topping this up with a teaspoon of chia seeds.
At home, I use a water filter that removes contaminants like sediment, chlorine, heavy metals, bacteria and fluoride. In Australia, lead in plumbing can leach into water after many years. Filtering water for drinking can decrease potential exposure to suspected carcinogens, heavy metals, bacteria, parasites and other nasties.
When I was renting a room, I used those water filter jugs (e.g. Brita) that you can purchase from the supermarket. While they are much better than drinking tap water without filtration, these may not remove all the necessary contaminants.
I would prioritise a water filter that:
- Contains at least a 1 micron filter to remove parasites/microorganisms that infect our bowels like Giardia and Cryptosporidium
- Minimise bacterial contamination (e.g. Doulton Sterasyl cartridge remove bacteria up to 99.99% and is reusable by scrubbing the ceramic surface)
- Least risk of emitting toxic chemicals: which is why I prefer ceramic cartridges like the Doulton Sterasyl)
- Remove toxins like lead, chloramines and chlorine
- BPA-free housing
- Cost of replacement cartridges
This led me to purchase a twin undersink filter. Basically, you buy the housing then 2 cartridges. The 1st cartridge might removes microoorganisms and the 2nd cartridge removes toxic chemicals. In Australia, I buy mine online here.
Thirst may be a poor way to assess your fluid requirements. If you are like me and don’t have a strong thirst mechanism, adding reminders on your Smartphone to drink can prevent dehydration.
Another way to increase hydration is by keeping a drink bottle by your desk, acting as a reminder and a method to measure how much you’ve been drinking.
Also, your water requirements could be quite different from mine.
Everyone has a different fluid requirement depending on their activity level, time of the year and diet. I find the best way to gauge my water requirements is through the colour of my pee. I aim to drink sufficient fluids till my pee is pale to straw yellow. Too much hydration may result in clear urine while too little can result in a darker, browner colour. I would disregard the colour of your first pee as it does not indicate hydration levels.
Don’t forget that caffeine-containing beverages like coffee, tea and cola don’t count to your water quota as the diuretic effect removes fluid from the body.
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