Happy, Healthy Hydration (A-Z, Part 4)

Welcome to Happy, Healthy Hydration (J, K & L)! We’re all about giving you tips and ideas to keep you hydrated, happy and positively glowing.

J is for JOYFUL JOURNEYS…the healthy way!

Every Winter myself, my hubby and our son take off on a 3 week road trip up the East Coast, and every year it just gets better and better!

This year, I made a conscious decision NOT to grab a fizzy, flavoured drink each time we stopped to get petrol, but instead I committed to using my water bottle with plain old tap water and a sachet of Green Tea In 3. It was great!

For the first time, I actually lost a kilo when I went away on holidays rather than put one on. I felt alert and fresh, without the post soft-drink sugar crash. I was “Madame Zen” during the seemingly endless games of Eye Spy and “Guess Who I’m Thinking Of…”

Yes, I ate more salad than usual and walked each day but that’s the point isn’t it? It’s all about making a few small changes and seeing the big difference it makes to our health and well being.

Now, rather than feeling sluggish for Spring, I am feeling great and motivated to do even more now the sun’s coming out again!

K is for Kvass…

No, we’re not struggling to come up with a great “K” word for this update…not really. It’s just that we came across Sarah Wilson’s fab Tumeric and Beetroot KVASS  tonic recently, and tried it out, and loved it!

Also, yes we had to look up what the hell a KVASS was…apparently it is a fermented drink usually made from rye bread. This one is very different and is all about healing your gut, which fits in perfectly with our happy, healthy hydration mantra…

Read more about Sarah’s great recipe here!

 

L is for Lemon juice….

We have all heard that Lemon in water is a great way to start the day, but why?

According to Jethro Koss in his book ‘Back to Eden’, lemon water has many health properties, including-

Liver Benefits

Lemon is an excellent stimulant to the liver.

Lemon water liquefies the bile and helps control excess bile flow. For liver complaints, Kloss recommends drinking warm lemon juice one hour before breakfast.  Rinse your mouth afterwards though to keep your enamel safer.

Digestive Aid

One of the most important benefits of drinking lemon water regularly is its effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Lemon water assists in the process of digestion and elimination.

Lemon juice is similar in atomic structure to saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile and the stomach’s other digestive juices.

The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating. For the relief of heartburn, Kloss recommends taking a teaspoon of lemon juice in half a glass of water.

Lemon water will also help to eliminate waste through the bowels more efficiently, thus preventing or alleviating constipation, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders.

Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties

Bacteria and viruses that cause cold and flu symptoms thrive in an acidic environment in the body, due to excess stress and unhealthy foods and lifestyle.

Drinking lemon water has an alkalizing effect on the body. Increasing body alkalinity is one of the key benefits of drinking lemon water.  Amazing considering how acidic they are isn’t it?!

In addition, because of its antibacterial properties, lemon water will help control unhealthy bacteria.

For a sore throat, Kloss recommends gargling frequently with lemon juice, diluted half and half with pure water. Gargling with straight lemon juice would be more effective if tolerable.

However, frequent use of straight lemon juice can ruin tooth enamel.

Thus it’s a good idea to rinse the mouth with pure water after gargling with straight lemon juice.

Besides all of the health benefits, lemon water tastes awesome, and certainly helps increase the water intake for us here!