The Key to Proper Hydration
Have you ever felt like you’ve been drinking water all day long but you still feel dehydrated? This could present itself as feeling dizzy upon standing, overall weakness, or fatigue in general. These are all common symptoms of low essential mineral levels - aka “dehydration.”
There are so many common misconceptions about hydration - take the gallon water bottle trend for example. There was a point in time when everyone had the infamous gallon jug with the big straw and hourly goals on their desk. Don’t get me wrong - this is a way better trend than the viral detox teas or the Tik Tok parasite cleanses, but here’s the thing. You can drink water all day long and still have a headache or feel dizzy and low energy.
My motto when it comes to hydration, and most things in life, is quality over quantity. How do we increase our water quality? Well, that’s a loaded question. I’d start with a quality water filter (that link gives you 15% off) and then key here is to focus on adding essential minerals and electrolytes.
You can do this two ways.
If you’re opting for what you have on hand, try adding a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Sea salt, as opposed to table salt, is usually not processed, or is minimally processed, and therefore retains trace levels of essential minerals like magnesium, potassium and calcium. This is my favorite. This option is a great start, but I like to take it up a notch to ensure I’m getting all the minerals I need.
My preferred approach is to use an electrolyte supplement - and be careful to find one without added sugar! Contrary to what big brands like Liquid IV or Gatorade will tell you, you do NOT need sugar to properly hydrate. Electrolytes can be transported throughout the body and absorbed without sugar. If you want to read more about this, one of my favorite companies breaks down the science, and links to the studies, here.
My favorite powder to add to my water is this one. If I’m traveling, I like to take these ones with me. These two are my favorites at the moment, but I’ve also used these as well. They are just a bit stronger in terms of flavor than the rest. With all three versions, I add more water than they call for to dilute the flavor. Since they are naturally sweetened with stevia, they can taste quite sweet. I find that using half of the recommended amount at a time in a full water bottle is the perfect amount. (Do this twice a day though to get the full serving.)
Fun Tip: I love to occasionally incorporate these into cocktails. Especially for something salty like a margarita, I will use the lemon habanero or mango chile flavors mixed with some sparkling water, a bit of tequila and a squeeze of lime. If you’re going to drink, you may as well make your cocktails functional!
