The importance of water and tea

I’m sure you’ve heard about drinking enough water and being hydrated, but during a big day of eating, I find having a lot of water is important. 

I’m also a fan of unsweetened ice tea or water, NOT soda - I know - gainer heresy - but I have my reasons.

When you are eating a ton of food in a day, you wind up multiplying the nutrients and compounds in those foods. Lots of pre-made foods are loaded with salt and other items that you may not want a ton of along with the protein, carbs and fats. When you put several big meals all together you go way overboard with your salt intake and I personally feel it tends to make me more swollen but not in a good way. I always feel that if I have more water it helps flush a lot of this out of my system faster. 

I find drinking more water with each of these multiple meals helps me digest better. Plus when you have a lot of fiber in your diet it helps keep all your digestion moving much smoother. I had an ER scare earlier in 2019 and what was an extremely sharp pain in my side, but turned out to be ( after 8hrs in the ER, CT scan and blood work ) bad constipation from adding more fiber to my diet and not upping my water intake by a major factor. Water is your friend!

Sodas - reg or diet have a lot of things added to them I try and avoid. Most are just chemicals, colorings and acids that don't do you any favors. Simple sugar is something I try to limit in my beverages so I can have it in other places - I’d rather eat dessert than have a soda - and diet soda contains Nutrasweet - I am allergic to it - it makes me pass out - so I avoid it. If you do a search on Nutrasweet or Aspartame there are many articles on possible issues of it being added to food and beverage.

If I need a sweetener, I opt for more natural sweeteners that have less affects on blood sugar, like monk fruit, stevia or xylitol. I know i'm sounding like some health nut, but in my own experience I've been able to gain a lot of weight and not run into a lot of health issues so I'm just telling you what I practice and what has been my research and philosophy**. I'm also not saying never have a soda, but you may want to make it an occasional "treat" instead of the Big Gup that is refilled 2-3x a day.

My go to beverage is iced tea or hot tea - black or green - I can drink it without sugar, but you can always add one of the above mentioned sweeteners. Black and green tea have been shown to have many beneficial qualities . Most fast food places offer an unsweetened iced tea and they are readily available at Starbucks and Peet's in subtle flavors that are still sugar free. And you can make it at home for pennies. You may want to try and make the switch and see if you feel a difference.

I always think about gaining for the long haul. If there are ways to lessen any health issues, it's a good idea to try them out. And be inquisitive - what's in some of the food you consume? - where can you make adjustments to swap less nutritive foods for other healthier options?  It's the amount of food and calories you eat that grow you big and fat - they don't have to all be empty calories. 

I raise my glass of unsweetened tea to you - GAIN ON!

**(Please understand that many health issues are based on each individual and can be genetic, so always make sure you follow any doctors orders and consult with your doctor if you think there may be adverse effects with medications or conditions you have. I am only offering advice from my own experience and am not qualified to give any medical advice as I am not a doctor. Your milage may vary.)