As quiet as it’s kept, one of the most effective strategies to staying youthful and full of vigor and vitality is simple — get hydrated. Most of us don’t necessarily give our thirst any consideration until we are experiencing negative side effects to dehydration. Astonishingly, nearly 10 out of 10,000 people are hospitalized in the State of California due to dehydration. Just last month Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss was hospitalized for dehydration. The truth is dehydration knows no color or class boundary. Dehydration can strike anyone, anywhere.

Being that the human body is approximately 70 percent liquid, we should be consuming the same amount of liquids every day. Most Americans, however, eat nearly 70+ percent of solid foods and leave drinking as an after thought. Unfortunately, many immediate symptoms of dehydration are overlooked and attributed to other causes.

5 Warning Signs of Dehydration:

1. Headache
2. Thirst
3. Dry or Cracked Lips
4. Exhaustion
5. Fatigue

Simple Steps To Avoid Dehydration:

• Lower intake of salty foods – When we eat salty foods, our bodies retain water in an attempt to process and break down inorganic salt. This can lead to dehydration.
• Start your day with plenty of fresh fruit and juice – When breaking the daily fast, i.e. break fast, one should either only drink fresh fruit juices or eat juicy fruits. This aids in the elimination process and gives you a jump-start on hydrating for the day.
• Don’t eat solid foods until you’ve had at least one bowel movement for the day -This allows for you eliminate successfully before filling your body back up with harder solid foods. This also increases energy.
• Increase daily intake for fresh fruit – Most contains significant amounts of water.
• Decrease starch intake, especially starches that contain gluten – Starches and breads take additional water to break down in the system.
• Drink plenty of water before and after a workout – When we workout, we sweat. Of course this is waste leaving the body in the form of sweat. It is essential to hydrate before a workout as well to avoid over exertion and fatigue.

Though the summer months are waning here are a couple juice recipes that will leave you deliciously hydrated:

Cool Apple Mint Refresher

Ingredients

• 2 cups organic cucumber peeled, quartered
• 2 cups organic apples
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 TBS lemon juice

Directions

• You don’t have to peel the cucumbers or apples. But it is helpful in extracting more juice and less pulp from the fruit.
• If you are using non-organic cucumbers, It is highly recommended you peel it to avoid consuming pesticides and chemicals.

Wata Melon Sugar Cane Juice:

Ingredients

• 1 medium to large seeded watermelon
• 1 quart fresh sugar cane juice
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Remove rind from melon.
2. Cut into sizes small enough to feed through the juicer.
3. Add sugarcane and chili powder to watermelon juice.

*If you’re looking for a kick, add cayenne.

Citrus Zinger

Ingredients

• 6 ruby red grapefruit
• 15-20 small – medium tangerines

Directions

1. Juice with citrus juicer.
2. Blend juices. Enjoy.

Sources: Preventable Hospitalizations for California, California Office for Statewide Health Planning and Development.