Hydration Tip | 'Sassy Water'
Here at Stay Sixty® we take hydration pretty seriously, in fact it's our mantra - but there's more to hydration than water alone. Our in-house Nutritional Therapist, Sharan, will be providing the best tips, recipes and drinks to help ensure we get the most out of our water and stay on top of our hydration game. She has been raving about the benefits of a new recipe called 'Sassy Water' and has the whole office regularly drinking it. Now over to Sharan to take you through the science behind this little tip.
So, what’s in sassy water? It’s a combination of cucumber, grated ginger, lemon and mint infused in two litres of water overnight, simple. It's part of a diet plan called the Flat Belly Diet invented by Cynthia Sass, hence the name. The diet stipulates that you drink this for the first four days, the idea being that it helps eliminate abdominal bloating and water retention, combined with a healthy, calorie restriction diet. We’re not keen on diets here, in our experience they simply don’t work long-term, the focus should be on a healthy way of living and eating as a life-style change. But the flat belly diet seems quite sensible with a focus on lean proteins, vegetables, whole grains and good fats which we’re big fans of, so it seems quite sustainable. The Stay Sixty® family loves the idea of sassy water as a way of jazzing up plain water to help increase our fluid intake.
The Benefits
Quite often when someone experiences bloating and water retention, the last thing they want to do is drink water as it may feel as though you’re adding to the problem. But the reality is when you are dehydrated, your body actually holds on to water in the cells as it thinks there is a famine situation going on. Drinking water regularly reassures your body that it is not in short supply so it doesn’t need to worry and hold on to what it already has and therefore, this reduces the bloating and water retention.
Let’s break down what’s in sassy water and the benefits of each ingredient...
Cucumber
Cucumbers are packed full of antioxidants, vitamin C and the peel contains beta-carotene so keep it on. Antioxidants combat free radicals in our bodies, these have been linked to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease. It’s also great for your digestive system and tastes so refreshing. Sliced cucumbers on your eyes are great for puffy, sore eyes.
Ginger
Ginger could be classed as a super food as it has so many health benefits. It is a powerful immune booster, helping to heal coughs and colds by killing bacteria and can also act as a preventative. It increases metabolism, excretes toxins and stimulates blood circulation. It’s also great for digestion and gastrointestinal issues, acting as a calmative.
Mint
Mint can also aid with immune health and digestion, which is why these ingredients work so well synergistically. Mint stimulates the digestive enzymes helping to absorb nutrients from food, turning fat into usable energy.
Lemon
Lemons are famous for delivering a punchy dose of vitamin C. According to Dr Mercola, several clinical studies have shown that lemons have disease preventing properties, provide DNA cell protection and regulate the immune system.
An additional benefit is that kids seem to love the flavour of the water and parents know how difficult it can be to hydrate our kids without resorting to sweetening the water with juices.
With our bodies being made up of sixty percent water, it’s worth giving it a go to help increase hydration levels. It’s even easier trying this recipe out with one of our Stay Sixty® reusable water bottles, as our stainless steel water bottles uniquely open from the bottom making it super easy to fill it up with the ingredients and pop some ice in it to keep it cool. We’d love to hear how you got on with sassy water, post us a comment below.
Wishing you good health,
Sharan
Nutritional Therapist
BSc (Hons) Dip NT CNM
Sharan Sagoo is the Stay Sixty® in-house Nutritional Therapist
For enquiries or consultations, please contact: hello@staysixty.com