Don’t forget to drink water! If you get dehydrated, your entire body is affected. It can reduce brain function, physical capacity, and energy levels. These negative effects can show up even if you’ve lost as little as 1-3% of body liquid. This can easily happen during daily activities, to say nothing of exercise or hot weather. Proper hydration can combat these negative effects, as well as introducing positive ones, such as making skin look less wrinkled, reducing risk of kidney stones, reducing constipation, and even helping individuals lose weight! It is also great for your smile. Water cleans the mouth of food particles, acids, sugars, and other debris.
Most people do not get adequate water from day to day. Even if you drink some water every day, it is a good idea to integrate even more water in your diet.
A good first step is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Their high water content will contribute to your hydration–in fact, most people obtain up to 20% of their hydration from food. Try infusing fun flavors, such as orange-cranberry–cinnamon or rosemary-pear. Be careful adding too much citrus to your flavored water, as the extra acid can be bad for teeth.
Make sure water is accessible! It is easier to stay hydrated if you have water directly on hand. Keep a bottle or two at your desk, in your car or bag, or another place you can find it easily.
For more information, call Dental Excellence of Kennesaw in Kennesaw, Georgia, at 770-429-0955. Dr. Lisa Kirshenbaum and our team are happy to help!