Coffee is by far one of the world’s most popular and loved beverages. According to Wirthlin Worldwide (a market research company), North Americans consume on average 1.8 cups of coffee per day. Compare this to our water consumption. It is recommended to consume on average 8-10 8oz glasses of “living water” (ie. mineral rich, slightly alkaline, and energy producing when in body) each day. However, scary statistics reveal that 20% of North Americans drink no water at all while only 42% of us consume a mere 2 glasses or fewer.

The struggle between water and coffee is intensified further when you take into consideration that for each cup of coffee (100 mg caffeine) your body needs 3 cups of water to compensate for the water loss that occurs due to coffee’s diuretic effect.

Before ordering your next “mocha latte frappawhatever…” remember the following facts about coffee:

o Coffee intensifies stress, causing an average 40% increase in adrenaline. This results in increased blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, nervousness, and irritability.

o Coffee increases the secretion of stomach acid by 400%, contributing to gastritis and peptic ulcers.

o Coffee have a 50% higher risk of heart attack (British medical journal Lancet)

o Coffee causes a significant loss of nutrients, especially magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.

o Coffee is a major source of cadmium, a heavy metal that has been linked to cancer and immune suppression.

If you’re a woman, please consider the following even scarier facts:

o Caffeine is linked to ovarian cancer, and bladder and kidney cancers.

o Coffee increases the risk of miscarriage and can double the rate with just 1 cup (160 mg caffeine) per day (JAMA, 1993).

o Coffee has adverse effects on the baby’s muscular development and nutritional balance and increases the risk of birth defects.

o Coffee reduces fertility. More than 1 cup per day makes a woman half as likely to conceive (American Journal of Epidemiology)!

In regards to your energy, the caffeine inherent in coffee is the stimulant that gives you that short lasted energy rush in the morning. But here’s the problem, caffeine is like any other stimulant – it is a drug which creates dependency. This dependency occurs as result of the caffeine receptors in your body which become saturated fairly quickly. As such, you need to consume more caffeine to elicit the same effect! You can see how this vicious cycle can get out of hand. If you’re a coffee drinker just think of the last time you went without coffee for a day or two. How did you feel? Tired, irritable, headache? Exactly!

Water is bliss

Now consider the wonders of water. Considering that the adult body is at least 60% water its no wonder that clean “living water” can have absolutely phenomenal effects on your body.

Water is central to many bodily functions including circulation, digestion, absorption, and elimination of wastes. Water also carries electrolytes (ie. sodium, potassium) which are essential for electrical signaling within the body.

Considering its many roles in the body, is it any wonder that you can feel tired and sluggish when dehydrated?

Water is also a natural blood thinner since it makes up the majority of our blood. Water constitutes 95% of the plasma component of the blood which, in turn, comprises roughly 55% of total blood volume. Therefore, when your body does not receive enough water, the blood loses its fluidity as water is drawn out of the blood. The result – clumping of red blood cells. This increased blood viscosity leads you to feeling more tired and sluggish.

So, one of the easiest, safest, and best ways to improve your energy throughout the day is to constantly sip on “living water” to keep your body hydrated and functional.

A rule of thumb for how much water you should be drinking per day at rest is the following:

Multiply your body weight (lbs) x 0.55 and divide by 8. This will give you the number of 8oz glasses that you should be drinking per day at rest.

© 2006 Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK – Total Wellness Consulting.