10 Benefits of Drinking Water By Jeremiah Carstarphen

I saw a video on You Tube that said we need to drink at least half our body weight in fluid ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, then you need to drink at least 100 fluid ounces every day. I would buy gallon jugs of water, but I rarely drank the whole gallon in a day. I noticed that the small bottles of water were measure in 16.9 fluid ounces. This was easy to measure.

I started to buy 24 packs of 16.9 ounce bottles of water. I made a goal to drink 10 bottles a day. I only weighed 190 pounds at that time but I knew that since I had severely dry skin then I probably needed to drink much more water than one half my body weights in fluid ounces. I probably drink an average of about eight 16.9 fluid ounce bottles of water each day. Since I started paying attention to the amount of water that I drink I noticed several things within only two weeks.

- The cracked, flaky skin on my legs started to clear up.

- The discoloration around my wrists disappeared completely. (The skin around my wrists had been extra dry and discolored for years.)

- My urine was either clear or light yellow (It was normally dark yellow.)

- The hard calloused skin on my feet started to soften up.

- I am more regular.

- I noticed a dramatic difference in my sexual performance. (There is nothing more devastating to the male self-esteem than the inability to "get it up.")

- I lost about 10 pounds of fat. (I was not trying to lose weight, but I am more ripped than I have ever been in my life!)

Those are just the things that I immediately noticed. I was so blown away that I looked up some of the other benefits of drinking water. Here are 10 benefits of drinking water.

1. Drinking water is good for fat loss. Water flushes out the by-product (waste) of fat breakdown. When there is not enough water to do this job the liver compensates, which diverts the livers attention from its more important job of burning fat. Also you will naturally eat less when you drink more water.

2. Drinking water is good for preventing certain ailments. Some ailments such as fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, and back pain are caused by dehydration.

3. Drinking water can help you to look younger- What? Yes, water is the mythical fountain of youth. Water flushes toxins out of the skin. When you are properly hydrated your skin and muscles are more full and radiant.

4. Drinking water is good for sexual performance. Yes it is true. Your pride and joy, the love muscle, is mostly comprised of water when it is at its peak performance.

5. Water is good for cleansing and detoxing. Spending tons of money on detoxing solutions without drinking lots of water is defeating the purpose, and may do more harm than good.

6. Drinking water reduces the risk of disease- cancer, heart attack

7. Drinking water helps you to recover from injuries quicker.

8. Drinking water will help to boost your immune system and mental acuity.

9. Drinking water increases energy and alertness.

10. Drinking water cushions joints and muscles.

If 75% of your body is water and roughly 90% of your brain, doesn't it make sense to drink plenty of water? Drinking more water is just one thing you can do for better health. When you incorporate drinking more water with other healthy habits you will be well on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

The Onion- A True Superfood

The onion: it makes your breath stinky and when you slice one, it may make you cry. But that’s not all the onion does. It turns out that the simple onion is the king of nutritional benefits, and its perks have been known for thousands of years. Historical records reveal that onions have been used as far back as 4000 B.C. as a cure-all for many illnesses. In WW II, the vapors of onion paste were used to reduce the pain and accelerated the healing of soldiers' wounds.

The onion today is no less powerful. Here’s a look at why you should make at least one medium-sized onion a staple in your daily diet.

• Onions are high in sulfur, chromium and vitamin B6, all of which studies show help to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. And, according to the Journal of Nutrition, onions also reduce the risk of heart attack and heart failure.

• The allyl proply disulfide in onions is believed to increase insulin in the body and as a result, stabilize our blood sugar level in our bodies.

• According to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the antioxidant quercetin found in onions has been known to prevent colon cancer, and in one study the antioxidants have been shown to cure precancerous lesions in the stomach.

•In a study reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a compound called GPCS found that yellow onions in particular were shown to keep bones from weakening.

• Research published in Nutrition and Food Science reveals that onions act as an anti-inflammatory for the joints. This helps reduce pain caused by arthritis and similar medical conditions.

• Other studies have shown onions act as an antiseptic, fighting infectious bacteria including E. coli and salmonella.


To get the most benefit, purchase well shaped onions that have dry and crisp outer skins. Pass on the ones that are already sprouting, are wilting or have discolored tops. Store onions at room temperature but keep them in a well-ventilated area and way from light to keep their roots from sprouting. Don’t put them together with potatoes because they’ll absorb the moisture and will rot sooner.Stir fry onions or chop and slice them raw (for toppings) to maintain the onion’s impressive nutritional value.

Drinking Water With Meals- Good Or Bad For You?

There is one view that says drinking water with meals aid digestion, while another says that it hinders digestion. So what is the real truth about drinking water with meals – is it good for you or bad for you?

For digestion, food has be broken down and for this it has to be liquified and dissolved. This job is done firstly by saliva in the stomach and then by the digestive juices in the stomach. Drinking water with your meals is not really going to help in the process of digestion because the body is well able to secrete and reabsorb the fluids that it needs to do the job.

What water may do is, it may make it easier to swallow the food, however according to Dr. Braden Kuo, director of the GI Motility Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, this impact is moderate to minimal.

Water doesn’t hinder digestion either, since there is no evidence to show that it dilutes digestive juices. Does it give a feeling of fullness though, making you eat less? Well it could work if you drink a great deal of water right before a meal, which may have the best chance of stretching the stomach and making you feel full.

7 Foods that Help in Weight Loss and Enhance Fitness

You may not have associated cheese with weight loss, but there may be some surprises in this list of 7 foods to help you lose weight and keep fit-

1. Full fat cheese can help you lose weight because of its linoleic acid content that helps give a boost to the metabolism.

2. Almonds may be high in fat but they are good fats that help burn fat. Additional almonds are a great source of Vitamin E and help shore up the immune system.

3. Coffee helps to up the body’s metabolic rate by as much as 15% but remember black coffee sans milk and sugar is what will offer benefits.

4. 3 cups of green tea a day can also help boost the metabolism and burn 30 calories extra per day.

5. Chili peppers have long been touted as fat burners because of the chemicals they contain that help burn fat in the body. Even less hot poblanos can help.

6. Eggs, long blamed for causing weight gain can actually help you lose weight because of the amino acid content that helps build lean muscle which will in turn help you lose weight all day long.

7. Portobello mushrooms contain copper and pantothenic acid potassium, all of which can help with weight loss.