04 Apr Is Water The Key?
The essence of life, water is important for every part of our body, and dehydration can mimic hunger pains. Science indicates it may help you lose weight and keep it off!
A nutrition researcher at Virginia Tech, Brenda Davy studied obese dieters who drank two cups of water before each meal and lost 5 pounds more than a group of dieters who didn’t increase their water intake. A year later, the water-drinkers had also kept more of the weight off.
Davy reported in 2008 Journal of the American Dietetic Association that older adults who drank two cups of water half an hour before breakfast ate about 75 fewer calories — or 13 percent less — than a comparable group who hadn’t drunk water before the meal. People in both groups were overweight or obese, and all were allowed to eat as much of the food as they wanted.
To see if that behavior would lead to actual weight loss, the researchers started by putting more than 40 overweight and obese adults on a diet. The dieters, all between the ages of 55 and 75, were instructed to eat healthy meals that totaled no more than 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day.
Half of the dieters were randomly assigned to drink a 16-ounce bottle of water before all three meals. The others received water but were not given any instructions about when or how to drink it.
12 weeks later, the water drinkers had lost an average of 15.5 pounds, compared to an average 11-pound loss in the other group. That’s a 44 % boost in weight loss, just from drinking water.
We’re supposed to stay away from soda and alcohol. But drinking plain water makes some of us shudder. Here’s something fresh. Try infused waters! They’re colorful, refreshing and delicious! Definitely not boring!
Be creative; infuse water with fruits, flowers, herbs or colorful veggies and display them on your desk or countertop for a refreshing drink! Great for parties, showers, employee meetings, break rooms, anywhere!
(Adapted courtesy of AllRecipes.com)
Choose organic produce, wash and rinse well. Use room temperature filtered water in glass container.
Softer fruits like citrus and strawberries can be sliced thick, thin, or quartered. Harder fruits like apples should be sliced thin because they take longer to release flavors.
Crush ginger, rosemary, and lemongrass with a spoon; tear or crush leafy herbs like mint, basil, and cilantro to release aromatic oils.
Loose herbs and flowers—lavender, rose petals, dried hibiscus—can be steeped in a tea infuser.
Infuse water at room temperature for 2 hours. Refrigerate.
Cucumbers, citrus, melons, and mint flavor water almost immediately. Apples, cinnamon, fresh ginger root, and rosemary need an overnight soak in the fridge.
After 4 hours, unpeeled citrus can make water taste bitter. Soak it unpeeled for 4 hours, remove, and add fresh slices for looks.
Enjoy and drink up!
- http://news.discovery.com/human/health/glass-water-weight-loss1.htm
- Allrecipes.com
TAGS: weight management, lose weight, living on purpose
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