Why & How to Drink More Water + The Ugly Truth About Something You Might Be Drinking

I drink water all day long, with every meal and I always have water next to me. I choose to drink water because it’s good for me, it keeps me focused, hydrated and healthy. So, I wanted to look up some fact about whether or not the average American drinks enough water and what I found was an article that says that Americans ARE drinking enough fluids each day…. key word is “fluids.” The article then goes on to say that sodas and juice counts as fluids but that water is preferred. I don’t particularly like this, as I feel it encourages people to drink more fluids each day rather than H2O.

I honestly don’t believe that people drink enough water. I see more people grabbing for a soda at a restaurant or the movies than I ever see people grabbing a bottle of water. I think there are a lot of people who don’t really like the taste of water so they go for the sugary lemonade or fizzy soda instead. There are also those who choose to grab "diet water" that tastes fruity and is laced with chemicals.

Water is essential to our bodies. Our body is anywhere from 50%-75% water. It’s the primary building block of cells in our bodies and is needed to metabolize proteins and carbohydrates used as food. Water is also used to flush waste and toxins from your body through your urine. Basically, water is important and you need to drink enough of it each day for everything in your body to properly function. (Read more here)

Dehydration is dangerous! When your body doesn’t have enough water to support the vital functions, it affects your skin, organs, eyes, mouth, blood pressure stamina, strength, sight and basically everything that has to do with your body.

Some people say you should drink 8 glasses of water a day and others say you should drink a minimum of half of your body weight in ounces (example: If you weigh 150lbs you should drink 75 ounces of water each day). My amazing doctor says the later, so my husband and I do everything we can to reach for that amount of water every day. She also said for every cup of coffee or alcoholic drink you should increase you water by an additional 8 ounces of water.

Some days are harder than others (travel days, running around doing errands, etc.) but as a rule of thumb it’s what we stick to. One of my favorite ways to drink water used to be with fresh orange slices (try that next time you are at a restaurant instead of lemon). My daddy got me hooked on using these mandarin oranges and it's by far my favorite way to drink water now. It's so refreshing and daddy makes it the best!

Drinking water also has beauty benefits. Hello, anti-aging! Staying hydrated is good for your skin and even prevents lines and wrinkles. It also leaves your skin moisturized and looking plumed and refreshed. I saw this article about a woman in her early forties who started drinking 3 liters of water a day and looked 10 years younger! The before and after photos show some incredible differences.

Okay, okay! Drinking a lot of water won’t just erase your wrinkles (I feel like I need to put that disclaimer in), but staying hydrated all of the time can maintain your skin’s elasticity and youthful glow.

Not drinking enough water can cause headaches, hypertension, constipation, allergies and fatigue. Remember, throughout the day we lose water through sweat, urine, and BMs, so we have to replenish our bodies by drinking enough water.

If you don’t like the taste of water, here are some tips to increase the amount of daily water intake:

1) Try a water bottle infuser. I recently got this awesome Glass Fruit Infuser Water Bottle from DEco. It’s a glass bottle with a silicone skin around the outside. Drinking fruit flavored water that doesn’t have artificial colors, added sugars or preservatives is important. There are many fruit waters on the market that are filled with chemicals and even food coloring to make it look pretty. Avoid them and make your own at home.

My favorite infused water recipes: orange, strawberry orange, fresh mint cucumber, berry, lemon lime.

I love using my DEco water infuser with mandarins the most.

Just fill the infuser with your favorite fruits and place it inside of the water bottle, fill it with water and enjoy. It's important that you choose a glass water infuser instead of a plastic one. Glass bottles offer a "purity of taste" as it wont alter the flavor of whatever you decide to put in it. Glass is also chemical free, made from natural materials, dishwasher safe and will last longer than any plastic bottle.

I highly recommend this DEco infuser. You can get it here.

2) Enjoy some cold water with a few drops of Sweet Leaf Stevia Drops. They have every flavor under the sun: grape, orange, lemon, berry etc. They even have brand new Water Drops to enhance your water. Flavors include: Lemon Lime, Peach Mango, Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry Kiwi and ingredients are simple: Lemon Lime Water Drops -Purified Water, Natural Lemon Lime Flavor Blend, Organic Stevia Leaf Extract, Citric Acid.

If you are a fan of Propel Water, Crystal Lite, or other “diet” waters, then please read this. You probably think you are doing something that is healthy and good for your body because you are drinking water, but here’s the ugly truth: you are doing way more harm than good. Sure you might be getting hydrated but the chemicals that you are consuming along the way are damaging your organs, gut health, blood sugar, thyroid and more. Too much of it could cause serious damage that, down the road, could be irreversible - that is scary!

Avoid ingredients found in diet sodas, diet waters, diet drinks, etc. such as:

Sucralose - fancy name for splenda. It’s a fake sugar that affects your blood sugar and causes terrible gastrointestinal problems.

Colour - doesn’t mean they are using fruit to dye your drink. it could mean fake food coloring or even coal tar.

Aspartame - is essentially sugar. It’s gives diet sodas and diet drinks a sweet taste without adding the calories. There are over 90 different healthy side effects associated with aspartame consumption.

Forget those mainstream drinks and try adding flavored stevia drops to your water.

3) To add some tasty flavor to your water and to boost your immune system, consider adding Immune Oxylent’s Immune Boosting Effervescent Supplement Drink. It helps boost, maintain and supports a healthy immune system. It has electrolytes, vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Zinc, Vitamin C, Raw Coconut Powder, Pink Himalayan Salt and Selenium. It’s non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free and there is no sugar, as it is sweetened with stevia.

Immune Oxylent comes in three flavors, Tangerine-Lemon, Raspberry-Lemon & Blackberry-Lemon. It comes in a small packet that you can take with you on the go. I like to take it with me when I travel for immunity support.

There are other immunity drink packets on the market that you might think you need in an “emergency” (see what I did there?) as well as a specific tablet that was created by a teacher for when you get sick - does that give you any clue? One of these has decent ingredients but has a good bit of sugar and the other has terrible ingredients that you shouldn’t touch. I think Immune Oxylent is such a great alternative to both of those two and it really amps up your water.

You might consider drinking one of these Immune Oxylent each day in your water.

4) If you'd like to make your water fancy schmancy, consider MOCU’s Chia Seed Drink Mixes. There is no sugar, they are low calorie, so refreshing as well as gluten-free, vegan, kosher and non-GMO. They contain superfoods and are packed with antioxidants, fruits and veggies. They are sweetened with stevia and are very low in calorie.

MOCU has 3 different flavors: Strawberry Lemonade Pizzazz, Blackberry Hibiscus Green Tea Boost and Superfood Oomph (and 3 kombucha flavors). They contain chia seeds, which deliver powder nutrients in such a tiny seed. Chia seeds contain omega-3s, protein and fiber. They support heart and brain healthy and make drinking water fun!

MOCU’s Drink Packets are easy for on-the-go because you can stick one in your purse and pour it in a water bottle or glass of water anywhere: your office, at school, on a plane or at the beach. MOCU tastes so good and allows you to stay hydrated when you don’t really want a plain glass of water. Use code “KRYSTENSKITCHEN” for 25% off your entire order.

5) One of my new favorite things to make my water super on-point is Vital Protein’s new Collagen Beauty Waters. They come in 3 different delicious flavors: Cucumber Aloe, Melon Mint and Lavender Lemon. They contain:

Hyaluronic Acid - which is good for joint health, skin hydration and anti-aging.

Probiotics - which are beneficial bacteria that balances your gut and promotes gut health. When your gut is healthy you are able to fight off colds, infections and improve digestion.

Collagen - is the most abundant protein in the human body and it supports the elasticity in the skin, stronger hair and stronger nails. It improves joint health, aids in digestion and is incredible for managing gut health. People who are battling gastrointestinal symptoms such as leaky gut syndrome, IBS and acid reflux should talk to their doctor about adding collagen to their diet.

These packets of beauty water are easy to take with you on-the-go to make your water taste delicious and refreshing, plus you get all the added health benefits!

There are so many reasons why you should take collagen every day. I put Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides in my coffee, smoothies, tea, chia seed pudding and basically sprinkle it all over my life … okay, that last part was a total exaggeration, but you get what I mean.

Because it is summer it’s even more important that you stay hydrated. Whether you are

hanging by the pool or visiting Disneyland, make sure you have access to good drinking water. If you don’t like the taste of plain water consider some of the options above and plan accordingly.

There are so many benefits to drinking lots of water every single day. There are also many ways to make your water taste better. Get creative and make sure that you and your entire family are staying hydrated this summer!