Water - How Much is Enough?

The conventional wisdom on how much water you need to be healthy and hydrated is 8 cups (or 64 ounces) a day. But it's important to note that that's for the average person. Think about it, wouldn't it make sense that someone who weighs 120 pounds would probably need to drink less water than someone who weighs 220 pounds? If you think yes, you're right. Basically, you should drink 1/2 of your weight everyday in ounces. If you weigh 120 pounds, that means you need to drink at least 60 ounces of water a day. If you weigh 220 pounds, you need 110 ounces a day! Big difference.

The good news is that herbal tea (not decaf tea) can count towards your daily water intake. You can also add flavors to your water, such as a splash of lime, lemon, raspberry, mint, or even cucumber! And the jury is now out (again) on whether carbonated water actually leeches calcium.

The bad news, however, is that soda, alcohol, caffeinated beverages (and even decaffeinated beverages) actually dehydrate you!

So, figure out what you weigh, do a couple of quick calculations, and drink up!

Note: according to some scientists/nutritionists, drinking cold water actually burns more calories than warm water, as your body has to work harder to warm it up!

Spiru-tein Shakes

One of my daily staples is Spiru-tein. Spiru-tein is a soy based powder that you can get at any health food store or on-line vitamin house. Depending on the flavor, the powder has approximately 100 calories per serving. I blend it up with two trays of ice, a banana, and a cup of soy milk (usually chocolate or vanilla). Yum! In total it yields you about 24 grams of protein in the form of something that looks and tastes suspiciously like a milk shake! When I'm feeling truly decadent, I also throw in half a cup of frozen wild blueberries. It's heavenly, not to mention multi-purpose. It gets me my protein and it's close enough to the real thing that it breaks my urge for ice cream. It also contains a full regiment of vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids. My current favorite, made with Chocolate Silk, cookies and cream spiru-tein, bananas, AND blueberries makes a great breakfast for under 400 calories. And sometimes, depending on how much time I spent at the gym, they also make a wonderful dessert. So although you're eating more calories, the quality of those calories are better than any you'd get out of a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Further, your shake will yield approximately 32 ounces! When's the last time you sat down and ate a quart of Ben and Jerry's for less than 400 calories?

Caveat: While Spriu-tein comes in a variety of flavors, I would avoid anything that has fruit in the title, such as Blueberries and Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, or Peaches and Cream. I'm not sure what it is about the fruit flavors, but the taste is funky and the smell is even worse.

Having said that, the vanilla, the chocolate, the chocolate peanut butter swirl, and the cookies and cream are stellar. The Double Fudge (if you can find it) is also quite tasty.