Have you ever stood at the frig or pantry door and looked inside for that thing that will satisfy your craving?  You begin to graze on a little of this and a little of that.  Before you know it you’ve had 3 or 4 trips to the cupboards, ate more calories than you want to count or have time to work off and are still not satisfied.   Why?  Because you were actually thirsty and not hungry.

In America we feel that food can fix most things.  You feel sick?  Have some soup.  You have an upset stomach?  Have some crackers and 7-up.  Want to meet up with a friend to talk, it centers around food or a dessert in a glass coffee drink.   Family celebrations and events are usually heavy on the treats and low on the interaction or activity.  My point, food does not fix every craving or need.  Yes, we need to eat a healthy diet, and also have our cheat days, celebration foods and not restrict ourselves to a joyless life that cuts out all the foods associated with family gatherings.  Today I want to focus on the “grazing” we do.

We are actually thirsty when we graze and come up unsatisfied.  We, as Americans are so out of tune with our need for ½ our body weight in ounces of water a day to make it run smoothly.  Our bodies as adults are made up of 70% water.  So, being from the great state of Wisconsin, I tell my clients who say I don’t like or drink water, that if you don’t it’s like having Lake Winnebago on a hot August day inside you.  It is murky, green and sludgy.  Your body will not feel fresh, energized or be able to function properly.  It will manifest in headaches from dehydration, smelly pee, constipation, aging skin and a nagging feeling to graze.  Your body is actually shouting “ I NEED WATER!”

According to healthy-kids.com, “Water is used to metabolize fuel, regulate body temperature and digest food. Water enables our bodies to carry out all of its functions in the day, it continually moves about and is lost in urine, sweat, tears, blood and the air we breathe.”   There are so many other reasons why drinking water is important.  Here are a few more to inspire you to add another glass a day in or drink one when that feeling of grazing kicks in…

Why drink water? 

It helps your kidneys flush body waste

It energizes muscles and lubricates joints and tissues

It acts as a shock absorber for our brain and spinal cord, hydrates the discs in our spine

It helps control calories (AKA grazing and it is calorie free! Drink a glass of water to start each meal and fill up a bit before you overfill with food)

It keeps your brain cells to function in top condition, needed to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters

It helps keep your skin clear, it also has a direct affect of your skin’s physiology and slows aging

It helps your heart function properly

It helps deliver oxygen all over the body, the blood is made of 83% water!

It converts food to components needed for our survival through saliva and digestion

It helps you poop on a regular basis/prevents constipation!

  The bottom line, we can only live 3-4 days without water.  If you want to stop the grazing, try drinking water instead.  If you need more help to “stop the grazing” or creating any other healthy habit, I’d love to work with you 1:1!