This Week's Plant-Based Focus: Water + Hydration
I know, I know. You've heard it a thousand times. But hear me out, because I think the way most of us think about hydration is actually missing the point. It's not just about hitting some a certain number of glasses. It's about understanding that almost every single symptom women come to me with, the fatigue, the brain fog, the headaches, the afternoon crashes, the skin issues, dehydration is somewhere in that picture. I've become almost obsessive about this over the past year and the difference it's made in how I feel day to day is hard to overstate. Here's what's actually helped me stay consistently hydrated: โข ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐๐. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already mildly dehydrated, and mild dehydration is enough to affect your energy, your focus, and your mood. I start every single morning with a big glass of water before anything else, even before my matcha. ๐ง โข ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. Plain water doesn't hydrate you as efficiently without minerals to pull it into your cells. A pinch of good quality sea salt, some lemon juice, or a clean electrolyte powder can make a real difference, especially if you're active or drinking a lot of coffee. โข ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. This is one of my favorite things about a plant-based diet, so many whole foods are naturally high in water content. Cucumber, celery, watermelon, zucchini, leafy greens, you're hydrating every time you eat them. ๐ฅ โข ๐ง๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ. I drink a full glass before every meal, which also happens to support digestion and takes the edge off hunger before I sit down to eat. Habit stacking is honestly the only reason I'm consistent with this. โข ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ต๐๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐. Coffee, alcohol, and high sodium processed foods all pull water out of your body. I'm not saying cut them out, just factor them in and compensate accordingly. โข ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ. Headache? Drink water first. Energy crash at 3pm? Drink water first. Skin feeling dull? You already know what I'm going to say.