Good Advice

Cooking 101 – Cooking Tips
Eating Healthy When Eating Out
Food Psychology – How why you eat is just as important as what you eat
Aisle Education: Tips for the grocery store
Drinking on the Job – How to Stay Hydrated
Learn Your Labels – A Twelve Step Program
The Secrets To Success

Drinking On the Job – How to Stay Hydrated

Water is a basic nutrient. It is essential for you to live and for your body to function properly. You can survive weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Water makes up about 70% of your body weight. Blood is about 90% water. Muscle tissue is 70-75% water. Fat contains only about 10-15% water. The functions of water are:

• Production of saliva and stomach secretions to help digest food.
  
• Production of body fluids to help lubricate joints and cushion organs and tissues.
  
• Helps transports carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and hormones to the working muscles and carries away waste products.
  
• Production of urine to carry waste products out of your body. Exercise increases the production of wastes. Dark urine carries a lot of wastes and may signify dehydration.
  
• Production of sweat to remove the body heat you generate during exercise or activities.
  
• Water also helps regulate body temperature by absorbing the heat from the muscles and transporting it to the skin’s surface.
  
• A lack of water or dehydration can interfere with your body’s ability to function at its best, especially if you are exercising or doing activities.
  
• To figure out if you are getting enough water, monitor your urine. If you urinate regularly throughout the day and your urine is clear colored, you are drinking enough
  
• Just remember: Water is 100% natural, pure, low sodium, calorie-free, fat-free and cholesterol-free, a practically perfect nutrient.
  
• Avoid juice and soda which are empty calories, meaning they only provide calories from sugar and no other nutrients (vitamins or minerals). Some juices not from concentrate are 100% juice with no added sugar and plenty of vitamins and minerals, but the calories do not lead to satiety due to their lack of fiber. Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking juice. One can of soda (12 ounces) has approximately 150 calories. If you have one can of regular soda each day for a year, you would gain 15 pounds. Limit diet soda due to their artificial sweeteners. There may be some benefits from drinking green tea which is encouraged.
  
• Tips for drinking more water:
  
• Carry a water bottle with you during the day.
  
• Keep a glass of water at your desk during work or on a table at home.
  
• Drink water with your meals and snacks, when eating in or out.
  
• The best habit is drinking fluids all day long.
  
• There is no specific recommendation for how much water you should drink. For the most part, drinking 6-8 ounce (1 cup) servings of water per day is adequate.
  
• Instead of drinking soda, try water with a twist of lemon, lime or orange or a calorie-free flavored water or seltzer.