What you drink is just as important as what you eat.
Let’s face it—most of us are dehydrated. We just don’t drink enough water.
And this will cause fatigue.
And headaches.
And foggy brain.
And dizziness.
“Not drinking enough water is one of the commonest causes of unwellness…chronic dehydration is a major cause of aging.”
– From Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Dr. Deepak Chopra
How Much Water is Enough?
What is the right amount of water to be drinking?
Half your ideal body weight (in pounds) as ounces of water every day.
For example, if your ideal body weight is 150 pounds, then you should be drinking 150 divided by 2 equals 75 ounces of fluid every day. One cup is 8 ounces, so roughly 7½ cups of water.
Any water is better than no water, but preferred is filtered alkaline water.
Does Herbal Tea Count?
You can also get your water from drinking herbal teas. Drink them hot. Drink them cold. I don’t care. Just drink them. I especially like passionflower tea cold. Green tea and hibiscus are excellent choices as well. They have many healthy properties.
Try to drink two cups of green tea every day purely for the health benefits, as green tea is considered a superfood. Again, hot or cold—it doesn’t matter.
If you’ve never had green tea before, go out and try a bunch of different varieties to find one you like. If you don’t usually care for green tea, go out and find one you like. There is one out there with your name on it! I personally can’t stand plain green tea, so I buy a variety that also has peppermint leaves mixed in, or even lemongrass and ginger. The green tea taste gets lost in the background of the other herbs.
Lastly, tea can be loaded with pesticides, so use certified organic herbal tea.
What About Alcohol?
Alcohol adds to fatigue because it fuels cortisol imbalance, thereby robbing you of sex hormones and stressing your thyroid hormone levels. Come on, most of you already know it’s bad anyways.
Should you stop drinking alcohol? That’s a no-brainer: yes.
If you want the quickest results to boost your energy levels, you need to cut out 100 percent of the alcohol from your diet for six months. The faster you do it, the faster you will feel more energized.
Does this mean you can never drink alcohol again? No. Eventually, as your health improves, you will find what your body can tolerate.
A little red wine is healthy.
Just a little, though.
Do I Have To Stop Caffeine?
Caffeine, like alcohol, fuels cortisol imbalance thereby robbing you of sex hormones and stressing your thyroid gland. It’s best to cut out all caffeine to get the fastest energy replenishment and the most long-lasting results.
Be careful with cutting out caffeine, though. It’s a major addiction for a lot of people. You will go through caffeine withdrawal if you don’t take it out for your diet slowly.
Don’t think that decaf is safe, either. Decaf always has a certain amount of caffeine still intact, and this level varies from company to company. Just avoid decaf all together.
I know most of you rely on caffeine to simply get through your day. Without it you would be useless. I get that. So what I recommend is that you save this step for last. First fix your diet…and your sleep hygiene…and practice stress management.
Then, by the time you cut out the caffeine, it will be easier to survive without it. You won’t need to rely on the energy from caffeine. Your body will be producing abundant energy all on its own.
Hint: If you’re the type of person who is very sensitive to caffeine and/or alcohol, you probably have an underlying imbalance within your liver detoxification pathways that needs to be addressed. Your Functional Medicine doctor can help you with this.
Make a promise to yourself starting today:
Stop feeling lousy…rotten…awful…crummy…miserable…terrible…crappy.
Find a good Functional Medicine doctor to help you get to the root cause of your health problems.
Like I always say:
Find the cause.
Fix the cause.
Feel normal again!
Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND – The Functional Medicine Doc
Find the Cause. Fix the Cause. Feel Normal Again!
