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“The
person who eats fruits, green and succulent vegetables, and avoids condiments
and has overcome his drinking habit, will have little cause for drinking at any
time and no cause for drinking at meal time or immediately thereafter. Let him
not fear that his health will suffer therefrom. I can assure him that it will
improve and quickly at that.”
-
Dr. Herbert Shelton
Introduction
As part of talking about proper food combining I thought it
would be important to share some insights about proper water intake with you. In
this article, I plan to describe to you some of the knowledge and techniques
that I now use to achieve optimal hydration. Because the human body is almost
entirely made up of water, it’s important to know how to properly hydrate
without falling victim to over- or under-saturation. In my experience and in my
studies I’ve found it challenging to arrive at just the right balance with
water intake and food consumption. In the past I’ve made the all-to-common mistake
of drinking water with my meals and suffering with consequences such as
heartburn, acid reflux, and indigestion.
As artists, these consequences are difficult to live with
especially during performances and when they act as deterrents to focusing our
attention to these conditions instead of to our creative efforts. So it’s my
hope that this information will help illuminate an essential area of your life
and good health – optimal water intake.
Habitual Drinking
So let’s start with the idea of drinking 6 – 8 glasses of
water a day. Habitual drinking, like habitual eating, is a bad idea in that if
consumption isn’t based on need, then there really isn’t any reason for it.
Drinking water or any other hydrating liquid should be dictated according to
thirst. Thirst can be defined as the biological or physiological need for
water. So in my experience I’ve found it’s best to avoid routine drinking.
Water needs vary with the seasons, activity, age, gender, and climate, so there
is no sound reason to medically or nutritionally advise anyone to drink any quantity
of water without first knowing something about them and their condition.
Experiments with plants have shown that super-saturation of
their protoplasm weakens and even kills them. Similarly, when large quantities
of water are taken in by man or animal it produces a state not unlike that of
alcoholic intoxication. Excessive water drinking weakens the tissues, dilutes
essential bodily fluids, decreases the power of the blood to carry oxygen, and
lessens the vitality of the cells.
Ruining Digestion with Water
Excessive water intake also ruins the digestive process by
washing away the very enzymatic secretions needed to break down food in the
mouth (from mastication and insalivation) and stomach. Often we drink large
quantities of water just before or with our meals so that what results from the
little secretions that remain are fermentation throughout the digestive tract
(gas, heartburn, etc.) and poor nutrition (undigested or unprocessed food).
Drinking with meals and excessive water drinking are both
known to stimulate the appetite, which is caused by an irritation of the stomach
and not by true hunger. This creates a vicious cycle where in general a person
eats meals that stimulate a false thirst, which they then respond to by
drinking large amounts of water or other beverages (that are really foods or
poisons). This in turn washes away the very digestive enzymes manufactured by
the body for digestion, thereby encouraging fermentation in the intestinal
tract, leading to uncomfortable pressure in the abdomen, heartburn, gas,
frequent bowels, and other related conditions.
The horror of this cycle to the health of the individual can
be further simplified as a cycle of feeding false hunger and false thirst.
Eating too many foods that stimulate false thirst, and drinking too much water
that leads to a stimulating of the appetite with a false hunger will both rob
the artist and creative type of their vital energies, which they desperately
need for their work.
Therefore, it’s best to abstain from drinking with your
meals and to reduce your water intake to match physiological demand. No matter
what is eaten, as long as it’s edible, the glands of the mouth will supply
sufficient quantities of digestive fluids if allowed to do so. And as you’ve
read drinking water with meals prevents the digestive fluids from doing the
work they were designed to do.
How to Drink Your Water
According to the school of Natural Hygiene, the safest rule
on water consumption is “drink as little as a thirst demands.” Other than this
there is no hard and fast rule for water drinking. Similarly, there is no
absolute rule for how much one ought to eat, breathe, sleep, or have sex. So
what does this mean and how is this supposed to help you?
The intent behind this rule is to get you to listen to your
body’s need for water. My personal experience with Natural Hygiene and food
combining has included the painstaking process of breaking bad eating and
drinking habits borne from years of thoughtless and indiscriminate consumption.
As many people are habitual overeaters, similarly these same people habitually
super saturate themselves by drinking too much water. The main reason why we
drink too much water has to do with ignoring our body’s cues for water intake
which is dictated by need, as opposed to irritation or false thirst caused by
bad foods or bad combinations of food.
A false thirst is a demand for water that is caused by
eating salt, spices, condiments, greasy dishes, concentrated foods, meat, eggs,
cheese, and sugar, all of which cause irritations usually deemed to be thirst.
A false thirst usually follows a meal whenever the food is salty, greasy, or
full of condiments and spices. This thirst should be ignored, allowing the
saliva and stomach secretions to do their work on the food in an attempt to
minimize the effect these foods have on the stomach lining and intestinal tract.
In addition, to the “rule”
given above it is also safe to drink 15 – 20 minutes before meals, only a
little 2 – 3 hours after a starch meal, and similarly a small amount 3 – 4
hours after a protein meal. [To learn more about the difference between these 2
types of meals refer to the article “The Fuel of Excellence: A Musician’s Guide to Proper Food Combining and Optimum Nutrition.”]
5 Personal Recommendations for Optimal Hydration
For all intents and purposes all forms of purified water are
preferred over tap water. Tap water can easily be classified as a poison
because of all the deadly chemicals and dangerous substances, which are added
to it in an effort to make it safe for contact with man and animals. Because of
this water filtration is of the highest necessity for the health conscious
artist and creator. So whether you prefer particular brands of water or enjoy
the trip to your local water dispensary, or if you like the way distilled,
Kangen, or high pH water makes you feel, go ahead and use whatever type or
brand of water works well for you. The point of this article was not to get you
to change the type of water you drink, instead it’s been to help educate you
about water intake, maintaining excellent hydration, and balancing these two
factors with proper food combining for optimal nutrition.
Now here are a few suggestions to help you control your
water consumption for improved digestion and excellent hydration.
1) The best form of water comes from a diet in which there is
an abundant intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. With such an abundant of
fresh fruits and vegetables in one’s diet, the need for water is almost
non-existent. Ideally, the only drink you should have is pure water. Most other
fluids commonly referred to as drinks are either foods or poisons. For example,
fruit and vegetable juices are foods, while alcohol and coffee are poisons.
2) In order to avoid drinking too much water, try measuring
your water intake in terms of mouthfuls, instead of in ounces, cups, or other
arbitrary measurements unrelated to the size of your body. In other words, try
to stop focusing on the amount of water you drink and instead focus on your
body’s demand for water. Aside from those of us who have medical conditions
that require a high fluid intake, a healthy person is in no danger of
dehydration from reducing their water consumption as a drinkable water source
is never far from sight.
3) Another way to reduce your intake proper to your activity,
age, gender, and climate is to use small cups or glasses. This will encourage
you to ingest smaller amounts of water before, after, or in between meals,
while slowing your intake at the same time.
4) And remember the “rule” on timing your water intake. It is
safe to drink water 15 – 20 minutes before meals, little more 2 – 3 hours after
a starch meal, and some more 3 – 4 hours after a protein meal. Before you are
able to precisely time your water consumption, a preliminary step for you might
be to start drinking your water before and between your meals, but never
during.
5) Try to avoid meals with foods that are salty,
greasy, or full of condiments and spices. If this is not possible, then rinse
your mouth out with water soon after such a meal. This will help dissolve the
remaining sugar and salt granules and dilute substances such as vinegar, milk
solids, corn syrup, artificial colors and sweeteners, chili powder, and
powdered cheeses, all of which are common in most familiar snacks and fast
foods. Oftentimes a false thirst psychologically tricks us into drinking more
water than we need because food additives cause the mouth to dry.
Conclusion
Apparently, we are a thirsty nation, although it seems
there’s nothing on the market that can quench our thirst. It’s no wonder that
the beverage industry has experienced its massive growth in recent years. But
for most people it’s a mystery why there’s such a huge market for beverage
manufacturers to sell to. However, the mystery is easily dispelled when a
little research can tell you that in many instances drink makers are also snack
manufacturers. No, I don’t think it’s a conspiracy, but simply a coincidence
that makes dollars and cents for companies that were smart enough to see the
relationship between consuming sweet, salty, spicy snacks and the resulting
thirst eating such “foods” produces.
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Marc
