As the talk about cravings comes up often, are you suffering from dehydration? So many people are suffering from a shortage of water. Although it is recommended to get in 8-10 glasses of water a day, do you even know what that means or how many ounces that is? You should be getting in a minimum of 8-10 12 oz glasses of water a day! I recommend shooting for a gallon of water a day, which is 128 ounces. Now I know that can seem like a ton of water but if you keep a handy water bottle with you and know how many you need to drink a day, you can get your water in! I know that keeping a gallon jug of water with you at all times is not always practical so find yourself a cute 32 or 64 oz water bottle you will know you need to drink 2 a day (for 1/2 gallon) or 4 a day (for the 1/4 gal–32 oz bottle)


If you think that you get enough water from your other beverages such as coffee and teas, think again! If your beverage has caffeine in it, it is actually acting as a diuretic and causing you to lose more water than consumed. Now if you are drinking water flavored with lemon, lime, cucumber, or a hot tea, that can suffice as your water intake just fine!
Think about your daily routines and how much water you excrete on a daily basis. Your working out hard, doing cardio, etc. Not only do we all need a certain amount of water to survive but when you are as active as we all are, your water intake is that much more important. Think about the importance of water! We can survive for several weeks without food (Yes, we Can!) but only days without water. Our bodies are composed of large amounts of water for a reason. Water acts as a universal solvent and is used to transport nutrients, hormones, and other substances throughout the body. Water keeps our cells healthy and aids in metabolic reactions. If you are lacking energy, you may be lacking water! Water helps with our energy levels by producing hydroelectric energy in the brain. If our brains are lacking water, we may feel tired or hungry when in reality it is our brain signaling for water! Are your cravings and feelings of fatigue due to your bodies need for water?
Chronic dehydration can lead to dysfunction throughout the body. If your body is low in water and therefore dehydrated, it will start to conserve the stores that it has. Histamine is one of the substances that redistributes water to organs when the body has a shortage. If we are dehydrated, histamine will always be redistributing water and can cause disorders such as asthma, allergies, colitis, constipation, heartburn, dyspepsia, arthritis, depression, chronic pain, headaches, and thirst! When we are dehydrated it can also lead to edema or swelling throughout the body. I know several of us face water retention on a daily basis! Many times it is caused by lack of water but ALSO from low sodium intakes. We all know a high sodium diet is NOT good and can cause several other health implications but what about NO salt at all!? When sodium levels are low, the body will try to retain sodium to maintain homeostasis. Just like when our fat intakes are low, our bodies will hold on to body fat, our bodies will hold onto water! To maintain homeostasis, water and sodium levels must be maintained to maintain proper hydration.
If your urine is not clear to pale yellow, chances are you are dehydrated and need to bump up your water intake. Note though that certain vitamins do change the color of your urine so you may want to go more by how you feel and if there is noticeable water retention throughout your body. Be sure to drink your water and maintain reasonable sodium levels and start to grasp the differentiation between hunger, cravings, low energy levels and true dehydration!